Once it hits midnight Tennessee coaches will be off the road and ready to get bowl preparations in full swing. Tennessee will take to the practice field tomorrow, shortly after noon, as they get things cranked up for the next week and a half. The theme, as it is every year during bowl prep, will be opportunities for the younger and less experienced players. That will be the case again this year, but a good portion of those younger guys saw action at various parts of the year due to injury. All eyes will be on the quarterbacks as that race is in full swing. Quinten Dormady has become more vocal through social media that it's his time and Jarrett Guarantano has very much done the same thing.
While the players get back to the grind, the coaches will also be a point of focus for the next few weeks. What will happen with Larry Scott? He is still in the running at Florida Atlantic and it wouldn't be a shock to see Charlie Strong make a play for him at South Florida as a coordinator or staff member. Zach Azzanni is also one that we are watching with his contract up in March. We fully expect Tennessee to offer him a new deal, but in talking to some people, Azzanni could very well be in play for a coordinator role at a few places. One of those stops could be at Cincinnati with new head coach Luke Fickell.
While those are two examples on offense, it's Tennessee's defense that could see the biggest makeover in terms of staff movement. How will that shake out? Only time will tell, but it's worth noting that Butch Jones will need to be very selective on self-driven changes with the possibility of natural attrition. There are several variables to look at including changes in the secondary or possibly with the defensive line. Steve Stripling as been a coach for a long time and he may be looking for a less involved role moving forward. If the Vols are looking for a new look in the secondary, former Vol Terry Fair would be the leading candidate.
As the dead period begins in just a few hours, the Vols have made a furious run to the end of the December recruiting period. The Vols picked up two commitments last week and look to be in great shape with Deandre Johnson coming out of the weekend. Johnson is likely to make a decision Monday morning around 10 am.
Elsewhere, Tennessee is continuing to key in on running backs. Travis Etienne could be one to watch heading in to January. The Vols and Texas A&M have been thought as the teams to beat, but Tennessee had two coaches at his basketball game late last week we also know LSU was there as well. Could the Tigers get involved there come January and shake things up? And what does that say about where LSU is with Cam Akers? Who knows? It seems no one has a good feel for where things are with Akers. Tennessee was a team that coming out of an in home visit a weeks ago seemed to have a bunch of momentum. We know that Akers and Trey Smith have talked for several weeks. Smith's commitment on Tuesday seemed to add momentum for the Vols. Plus the private thought process that those two wanted to play together seemed to be putting two and two together. We aren't sure how much dialogue Tennessee has had since Wednesday, but the feeling over the last day or two has not been as much Tennessee leaving you to wonder if something changed during the week or if Akers has just gone quiet about the entire process.
As for Keisean Nixon, there are good vibes about the JUCO's visit this weekend and he's set to decide Dec. 17 between South Carolina and the Vols. The biggest question this week will be whether or not the Vols can hold on to their momentum or if South Carolina can turn it back.
Texas quarterback Will McBride, who is a Memphis commitment, arrived Sunday morning for an official visit and he will leave early Monday morning so we will see if anything comes of that visit.
Even though it's the dead period untill January, there could be plenty of recruiting news in the coming weeks with Johnson, Nixon, Matthew Butler and Yusuf Corker all set to decide before the end of the month.
While the players get back to the grind, the coaches will also be a point of focus for the next few weeks. What will happen with Larry Scott? He is still in the running at Florida Atlantic and it wouldn't be a shock to see Charlie Strong make a play for him at South Florida as a coordinator or staff member. Zach Azzanni is also one that we are watching with his contract up in March. We fully expect Tennessee to offer him a new deal, but in talking to some people, Azzanni could very well be in play for a coordinator role at a few places. One of those stops could be at Cincinnati with new head coach Luke Fickell.
While those are two examples on offense, it's Tennessee's defense that could see the biggest makeover in terms of staff movement. How will that shake out? Only time will tell, but it's worth noting that Butch Jones will need to be very selective on self-driven changes with the possibility of natural attrition. There are several variables to look at including changes in the secondary or possibly with the defensive line. Steve Stripling as been a coach for a long time and he may be looking for a less involved role moving forward. If the Vols are looking for a new look in the secondary, former Vol Terry Fair would be the leading candidate.
As the dead period begins in just a few hours, the Vols have made a furious run to the end of the December recruiting period. The Vols picked up two commitments last week and look to be in great shape with Deandre Johnson coming out of the weekend. Johnson is likely to make a decision Monday morning around 10 am.
Elsewhere, Tennessee is continuing to key in on running backs. Travis Etienne could be one to watch heading in to January. The Vols and Texas A&M have been thought as the teams to beat, but Tennessee had two coaches at his basketball game late last week we also know LSU was there as well. Could the Tigers get involved there come January and shake things up? And what does that say about where LSU is with Cam Akers? Who knows? It seems no one has a good feel for where things are with Akers. Tennessee was a team that coming out of an in home visit a weeks ago seemed to have a bunch of momentum. We know that Akers and Trey Smith have talked for several weeks. Smith's commitment on Tuesday seemed to add momentum for the Vols. Plus the private thought process that those two wanted to play together seemed to be putting two and two together. We aren't sure how much dialogue Tennessee has had since Wednesday, but the feeling over the last day or two has not been as much Tennessee leaving you to wonder if something changed during the week or if Akers has just gone quiet about the entire process.
As for Keisean Nixon, there are good vibes about the JUCO's visit this weekend and he's set to decide Dec. 17 between South Carolina and the Vols. The biggest question this week will be whether or not the Vols can hold on to their momentum or if South Carolina can turn it back.
Texas quarterback Will McBride, who is a Memphis commitment, arrived Sunday morning for an official visit and he will leave early Monday morning so we will see if anything comes of that visit.
Even though it's the dead period untill January, there could be plenty of recruiting news in the coming weeks with Johnson, Nixon, Matthew Butler and Yusuf Corker all set to decide before the end of the month.
Last edited by a moderator:
