After three years of rebuilding and many more taking lumps during a four-coach decade that saw some of the darkest days in Tennessee football history, the Volunteers should be the aggressor in 2016.
With 17 returning starters, a slew of talented playmakers on offense and defense and a run-oriented system with experienced players up and down the depth chart, it could be a big season for UT.
Catapulting off a 9-4 season that included six consecutive victories to end the season and a 45-6 exclamation point domination of Northwestern in the Outback Bowl, expectations are high. But with an offseason that has included tons of negative off-the-field headlines, can the Vols avoid the distractions?