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Tennessee football: Five storylines to watch as fall camp begins for 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Football Coach Josh Heupel answering questions during Media Day in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.Kns Tennessee Football Media Day
Tennessee Football Coach Josh Heupel answering questions during Media Day in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.Kns Tennessee Football Media Day /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

Fall camp is finally underway! Tennessee football fans would like to forget last season not only due to its disappointment on the field but due to the way COVID messed things up for everybody. Vol fans would also like to forget the tumultuous offseason that involved bringing in a new head coach and a ton of attrition.

Now, all they have to do is focus on the 2021 season, and they are involved in their first normal preseason in two years. Wednesday marks the start of preseason practices, and there are tons of things weighing on the minds of Rocky Top.

What stands out, though? Well, that’s what we’re going to break down here. Some of the biggest storylines have been the same all offseason because they haven’t been answered yet, but with August comes some new ones as well. In this post, we’re going to break all of them down. These are the five biggest questions surrounding Tennessee football’s 2021 fall camp.

5. What will come of the NCAA investigation?

It’s August. This investigation, which got Jeremy Pruitt fired, began in December. In what universe should the NCAA take this long to reach a conclusion? There’s no reason for this thing to not be over, especially when the Vols reported the violations on their own and have complied with the investigation every step of the way.

Waiting this long for a ruling is completely unfair to the new coaching staff and the players who had nothing to do with it. This is also the one aspect of last year that is still hanging over the team’s head as it tries to focus on the new season. Heupel said in his media session Tuesday that he still doesn’t know what the end result will be or even when it will come.

We’ve had this as a storyline multiple times this year, but honestly, it should have been over a while ago. Until a verdict is in for Tennessee football, it will remain a storyline. Fans, coaches, administrators and players deserve to know whether or not they receive a postseason ban, a reduction in scholarships or any punishment at all.

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