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Tennessee Vols: 5 things for Vol fans to watch for in 2019

By Billy Williford

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

2018 had a few ups and a whole lot downs for the Tennessee Athletic programs. However, 2019 could be much different for the Vols.

It’s hard to believe that a few short months ago we were talking about the beginning of the Jeremy Pruitt era in Knoxville. Pruitt took the reigns after what was one of the most laughable coaching searches in the history of sports.

That’s without mentioning the incompetence of the leadership at the University who now are all gone as a result of the pure mishandling of the search.

However, Tennessee football got “their” guy or at least new Athletic Director, Phillip Fulmer, got “his” guy. As you very well know it was a long football season that didn’t equate to much success. The Vols finished 5-7 with losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

On the other side of things, Tennessee basketball was projected to finish 13th in the SEC, almost dead last. However, they finished far from last, in fact, they were one of the best teams in the nation until they ran into dark magic from Sister Jean and the Ramblers from Loyola-Chicago.

This year should be a different story. The Vols are the best team in the nation despite the AP voters still doubting. But, can they handle the pressure and make a deep run in March? That’s the million dollar question.

In this post, we will discuss five things for fans to watch for in 2019. Can this finally be the year the football team is respectable? Can the basketball Vols make their first Final Four in school history?

We will touch on those topics, but first, we start with Women’s basketball and how Holly Warlick handles all the young talent she has on the roster. Will 2019 be a building block for a 2020 National Championship?

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