Five Reasons The Vols Could Win The SEC East
By Zach Ragan
Sep 27, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Marquez North (8) catches a touchdown pass against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Tennessee 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
1. Healthy Wide Receivers
Tennessee started the 2014 season with a substantial amount of depth at the wide receiver position.
By the end of the 2014, that depth was depleted.
Vol receivers battled injuries all season long. Josh Smith and Von Pearson both suffered high ankle sprains and Smith’s injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.
Marquez North and Jason Croom also suffered injuries that forced them to miss time in 2015.
North was injured in Tennessee’s win against Chattanooga in October. He played through the injury (shouler) for a few games, but missed the final two regular season games and the Vols’ bowl win against Iowa.
Croom also missed the Vols’ bowl win against Iowa, after sustaining a knee injury.
True freshman Josh Malone is another player that fought the injury bug in 2014. He wasn’t forced to miss a significant amount of time, but he did reveal before Tennessee’s bowl game that a groin injury, suffered in mid-October, hampered him for much of the season.
Fortunately for the Volunteers, all of the above mentioned players will return next season and should be 100% healthy (barring any spring practice/fall camp injuries).
The only wide receivers the Vols are losing are Vic Wharton and Ryan Jenkins, neither of who were expected to see significant playing time in 2015 (losing those two, however, will definitely hurt UT’s depth).
Tennessee is looking at a starting lineup of Marquez North, Pig Howard and Von Pearson, with Josh Smith, Jason Croom and Josh Malone also playing significant roles.
Oh and the Vols have a five-star receiver named Preston Williams that will factor in as well.
That’s what a loaded position group looks like.
New offensive coordinator Mike DeBord will have plenty of toys in his first season as the Vols’ play caller.