2015 SEC East Preview: Tennessee Vols On Top
1. Tennessee Volunteers
Optimism is running wild in Knoxville. Third year man Butch Jones has rebuild a national power from the ground up. Now it’s time to show it. Back to back top ten recruiting classes have put the Volunteers back into the SEC East picture. It just happens to coincide with Florida, South Carolina and possibly Missouri taking steps back. Tennessee’s meeting with Georgia on October 10th could very well decide the East champion.
Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Junior Josh Dobbs will lead the Volunteers’ offensive attack under new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. Dobbs turned Tennessee’s season around when he took over at quarterback against Alabama. Dobbs led the Vols to a 4-1 finish, culminating in a blowout of Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Tennessee finally has depth up front on the offensive line. This was their number one area of need heading into the off-season. They will start three Seniors, but have talented youngster waiting behind them. Jalen Hurd put together a nice Freshman campaign and will be asked to do most of the heavy lifting this year once again. Alvin Kamara will provide Tennessee with much needed depth in a change of pace role.
Marquez North, Pig Howard, Josh Malone and Von Pearson could be the most talented receiver group in the SEC. Expect a big year from North if he can stay healthy. Do-it-all man Pig Howard is a key for this offense. DeBord will line him up all over the place, looking to get him the ball in space.
Defensively, John Jancek has a nice blend of experience and young talent. Derrick Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Curt Maggitt will lead a front seven group that is talented, but very young. Incoming Freshman Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle will probably end up starting at the two interior lineman spots.
Tennessee will lean on Maggitt and Barnett to get after the passer, making a talented secondary’s job even easier. Cam Sutton is a legitimate shutdown corner and will take away one receiver option on most plays. Behind Sutton, Tennessee returns experienced safety help in Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil.
The road to Atlanta won’t be an easy one. Tennessee will hit their key stretch of games early, starting with a trip to the swap at the end of September. First things first, the Vols must get past the Gators — something that they haven’t done in a decade. From there, they get Arkansas and Georgia at home, then head to Alabama after a bye week.
Next: Georgia Bulldogs