The Vols are looking better every week, and Vol fans have plenty of reasons not only to be excited for the rest of this season, but for many seasons to come as well. PHOTO: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Volunteers have suffered through one of the worst eras in program history since the late 2000’s. The Vols have had 4 different head coaches since the end of the 2008 season, and they have had a winning season exactly once in the last six seasons and only three in the last nine.
Since the start of the 2005 season, the Vols have compiled an overall record of 57-55 and a conference record of 28-44, the worst such span since the 1975-80 seasons that saw the Vols go 34-38 and 15-21 in the conference. But even then the Vols only had 2 head coaches.
The Vols have had a rough go of things for nearly a decade with only a brief reprieve in 2006 and 2007 when David Cutcliffe came back as offensive coordinator and helped Phillip Fulmer and the Vols win the SEC East in 2007 (the last time they have done so). Aside from those two seasons, the Vols haven’t had more than 7 wins in a season.
Even though the recent past has been brutal to the Vols and their fans, there is reason to be optimistic for the present and near future. Until the last couple games, the 2014 season looked as though it was going to end up as yet another losing season amidst what has become the norm on Rocky Top.
Then something changed. A playmaker was born, and a deficient Tennessee offense suddenly came to life. Then the Vols did something they haven’t done since 2007: defeat an SEC team on the road not named Vanderbilt or Kentucky.
Now Vol fans are starting to see a glimmer on the horizon, a sign that their suffering may not be all for naught.
Vol fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic not only for the immediate future, but also for the more distant future as well. Here are five reasons Vol fans should look forward to the future of Tennessee football.
All recruiting statistics are taken from 247Sports unless noted otherwise.