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Tennessee football’s five offseason priorities for 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Jaylen McCollough (22) reacts after a play at the 2021 Music City Bowl NCAA college football game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Kns Tennessee Purdue
Tennessee defensive back Jaylen McCollough (22) reacts after a play at the 2021 Music City Bowl NCAA college football game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Kns Tennessee Purdue /
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Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) celebrates his touchdown with offensive linemen Dayne Davis (66) and Jerome Carvin (75) in the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120
Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) celebrates his touchdown with offensive linemen Dayne Davis (66) and Jerome Carvin (75) in the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120 /

4. Improve short-yardage run blocking

A common problem in offenses like the one Josh Heupel runs, Tennessee football had lots of trouble converting short-yardage plays last year. It cost them in the Music City Bowl against the Purdue Boilermakers. Yes, Jaylen Wright scored a touchdown on the 4th and 1 where he was arbitrarily ruled down, but it shouldn’t have been as close as it was.

This is an area that has to get better in 2022. Even with an offense all about tempo and big plays like what Heupel runs, 3rd and 1 and 4th and short should always end up being first downs. In the SEC, no matter the era or the scheme, finishing on plays like that are what makes your program.

To a degree, this priority obviously builds off the need to develop at tackle. However, there’s more to it than that. Improving the play of the interior offensive line is also key, and play-calling by Heupel and Alex Golesh is also crucial here. All of this needs to be worked on.

Part of what did Butch Jones in was struggling to convert in short-yardage situations. To be fair, Jeremy Pruitt ran pro-style offenses all three yeas on Rocky Top and was still awful with it. Still, it can’t continue with Heupel going forward. This needs to be a key area of improvement for the Vols.

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