Despite an easy non-conference schedule in 2019, Tennessee football will face some talented guys. Here are five the Volunteers have to watch for.
One big reason that there are expectations for Tennessee football to have a major turnaround year Jeremy Pruitt’s second season on the job is due to the fact that the Vols have a much easier non-conference schedule. And yes, it is objectively easier.
With all four games at home and none of them against ranked teams or teams from Power Five conferences, UT got one of the luckiest draws ever for a non-conference schedule. It makes for no excuse to miss a bowl game.
However, Tennessee football can’t just relax during non-conference play. The Vols face a school that won its conference last year, another with a brand new head coach after a winning record and a third that upset major teams as an Independent in the past. So there are things for them to worry about.
Specifically, Pruitt will have to pay attention to the dangers of specific individuals throughout non-conference play. Sure, the SEC will bring the real superstars for the Vols to face. But they could be running into some serious talent outside of the league too.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at that talent. These are players who have high expectations entering the season with their respective teams, and they could give the Vols serious trouble if Pruitt and his staff aren’t prepared for them.
Obviously, the dangers the players provide will be relative. Some key players on an FCS team may not be as much of a threat to the Vols as role players on a major team. And yes, we’re going to take all of that into acocunt.
But the real takeaway after reading this will be that everybody on this list could give Rocky Top major problems, and they aren’t players to take lightly. So let’s go ahead and name who these guys are. These are the top five non-conference players Tennessee football will have to account for in 2019.