Despite a 5-7 season in which Tennessee football lost six games by 25 or more points, there were reasons for excitement surrounding the Vols to start this year. It dealt with recruiting and the amount of returning talent.
Jeremy Pruitt’s second team pretty much returns everybody outside of the defensive line, and he did score a top 12 recruiting class that brought in 10 early enrollees and also has two more junior college players coming in the summer. Add in two transfers, and he’s got a better footing.
But the loss of the defensive linemen and the changes in staff members, particularly new coordinators on both sides of the ball, still warranted some concern.