Tennessee football: 5 concerns surrounding Vols offseason

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1. Not enough proven talent among returning starters

This builds off the issue we raised surrounding the Tennessee football defensive line, but it’s not one you can take lightly. The Vols do not have enough proven talent among their returning starters to celebrate the future.

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I wrote yesterday, which you can see in our recent posts to the right, about the reasons for excitement this offseason. And one was about the returning starters. But that stat is always one up for question.

And that’s what leads to today’s point? What good is a lot of returning starters if those guys weren’t that talented to begin with? Do you want to return lots of starters from a 5-7 team that lost six games by 25 points and regressed at the end of the season?

See the point? Sure, there are guys like the freshmen in the secondary and specific individuals like Darrell Taylor on defense and Ty Chandler and the receiving corps. on offense. But what about the other linebackers? What about the offensive line, especially without Trey Smith as we mentioned? Can the tight ends prove anything?

Finally, what about the quarterbacks? Jarrett Guarantano was not spectacular by any means, even if his numbers were efficient. Is it a good thing that he counts as a returning starter? Again, these are questions worth asking.

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Tennessee football has a lot of guys coming back who showed flashes in 2018 but not consistent, elite play. And that’s what they are going to have to show if they want any chance at success or even improvement in 2019. So yes, returning starters can be helpful. But if they don’t get significantly better, it’s not going to matter. And for now, that makes this a concern.

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