Tennessee Football: Grading Each Positional Unit at Halfway Point of the Season

Prior to the start of the season, a 3-3 record for the Tennessee football team at the midway point is about what most rational fans should have expected.

But the sporadic flashes of what head coach Butch Jones' burgeoning, talented youngsters could be has everybody anxious and impatient, wanting to break through with a program-building victory.

The Vols have been close, but youth, mistakes and gaping holes have hindered the upward movement.

A roster that is green but growing up features 23 true freshmen who've played through the season's first six games—more than any other team in Division I. According to a tweet by Scout's Danny Parker, UT has started six true freshmen on offense, and the rest of the league has seven combined.

Sophomores who'd hardly seen the field prior to this season are prominent as well.

Some of the positions on UT's roster look set for the future. Still, others need maturation. One group in particular may be beyond repair this season, and it's the chief reason why the Vols haven't yet gotten their signature win.

It's been a mixed bag thus far in Jones' second season on Rocky Top. Let's take a look at the position-by-position breakdown.

Quarterbacks

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Tennessee senior quarterback Justin Worley has enjoyed a bit of a career revival in his final season, but it hasn't come without its share of gaffes.

Worley's three turnovers against Florida are three huge reasons why UT lost that game 10-9, and that alone is enough to mar the start to his season.

But anybody doubting his importance to the team needs to look no further than the quarter-plus he missed against Georgia when Nathan Peterman couldn't get the offense going.

The 6'4", 220-pound signal-caller is arguably the most important player on Tennessee's roster, and his timing and accuracy have improved exponentially from a season ago.

Though he's just 11th in the league with a 130.36 quarterback rating, Worley has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 1,388 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. If he had more time to let plays develop downfield, those numbers would be better.

Worley isn't a superstar, but he's without question the best quarterback UT has got. The Vols need a big second half of the season from him to go bowling.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

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It's difficult to critique a group of running backs when their offensive line is so poor, but Tennessee's stable of runners besides true freshman Jalen Hurd has been suspect.

Hurd has proved to be a "manimal" when healthy, rushing for 391 yards on 84 carries and a couple of touchdowns. He has added 11 catches for 62 yards and another score.

The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native was well on his way to contending for the league's Freshman of the Year honors before an injured shoulder limited him against Florida and held him to only two carries against UT-Chattanooga.

Thankfully for the Vols, he's healthy and ready for this week's tilt at Ole Miss because their other runners have struggled. None of them (including Hurd) has looked particularly strong pass blocking either.

UT coach Butch Jones told The Associated Press' Steve Megargee (via the Johnson City Press) the UTC game was a good chance to see who else could help:

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Could (Hurd) have gone back in the game? Possibly, but why risk further injury? It's a long season. We're going to need him down the stretch. It was an opportunity to get some other individuals some valuable repetitions.

"

Senior Marlin Lane is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, and coaches have been reluctant to ride him for any extended amount of time. True freshman Derrell Scott showed flashes of helping in his first career game against the Mocs, rushing for 42 yards on nine carries.

Hurd needs the occasional blow on the sideline to keep him fresh, so Lane and Scott need to pick up the slack. Hurd is off to a nice start to his career, but he can't carry the unit's grade by himself.

Grade: C

Wide Receivers

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When a unit is supposed to be the strength of the team and cannot be leaned on during difficult times, it's a disappointment.

Tennessee's receiving corps has been frustrating thus far.

Despite being blessed with an abundance of talent, the Vols receivers haven't responded very well to a rash of injuries. Von Pearson and Josh Smith were lost for extended periods of time with ankle sprains, and others struggled to compensate.

With the pair hurt against Georgia and Florida, it was a prime opportunity for sophomore Marquez North to live up to his immense promise. Instead, North had just seven catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Highly recruited freshman Josh Malone also has shown flashes, but he disappears like most freshmen and dropped a pass in the red zone that could have wound up a huge touchdown against Florida.

Pig Howard and Jason Croom look great at times and nonexistent at others.

It has to be frustrating for the receivers to be victims of the offense's limits due to the issues up front, but there haven't been any really big plays at crucial moments.

Pearson is back and needs to make an immediate impact to take some pressure off North. Others must follow suit.

There are a lot of extenuating circumstances, but UT's receivers so far have just been average.

Grade: C+

Tight Ends

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Dressed in the No. 82 jersey of former Vol and Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten, true freshman Ethan Wolf looks like he's got the ability to be just as special as his idol on Rocky Top.

That's why it's puzzling he caught just two passes the past two games against Florida and UT-Chattanooga.

The onus has fallen on the 6'5", 240-pound freshman to help UT's porous offensive line block and protect Justin Worley, but it has hindered Wolf from being the huge impact in the passing game that he'd been to start the season. None of the tight ends has blocked particularly well either.

Whether he struggled or just wasn't as involved in the game plan is unclear, but UT offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian needs to get the team's third-leading receiver some passes.

Beyond Wolf, UT hasn't gotten much from the position. Freshman Daniel Helm will be a really good player someday, but he could have benefited from a redshirt year UT couldn't afford. Other than an early-season touchdown grab, senior Brendan Downs hasn't helped.

Wolf brings the group's grade up, but he can't do it alone.

Grade: C-

Offensive Line

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At this point, Vols quarterback Justin Worley is probably sick of the ice-bucket challenge. He may go broke buying Christmas cards for everybody on the UT training staff.

UT's revamped offensive line has allowed 23 sacks—good enough (bad enough?) for 119th nationally. The Vols also rank 112th in rushing offense, averaging only 109.67 yards per game. That's last in the league in sacks allowed as well as 48 tackles for a loss.

The effects of having a poor offensive line are felt beyond stats as well. The Vols can't run their offense because Worley doesn't have time for his talented receivers to get open downfield.

Instead of a three-step drop, it's more like a two-step POP! offense.

Tennessee knew it was going to struggle having to replace an entire offensive line that includes Miami Dolphins rookie starting tackle Ja'Wuan James and Kansas City Chiefs starting guard Zach Fulton. But surely the Vols thought it would be better than this.

Senior Jacob Gilliam tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Utah State, and UT has gone with a makeshift, inexperienced line since then. That includes true guard Kyler Kerbyson playing left tackle and a pair of true freshmen (Jashon Robertson and Coleman Thomas) in the starting rotation.

The group allowed five sacks against UTC and doesn't appear to be improving. If it doesn't get better, making the postseason is going to be a huge chore.

Grade: F

Defensive Line

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Like Tennessee's offensive line, the Vols had to replace every starter along the defensive front. Unlike their trench teammates from the other side of the ball, the defenders have lived up to the challenge.

After struggling for much of the spring, UT got an injection of talented defenders in school in time for fall camp, and they've made all the difference.

The star of the show is true freshman Derek Barnett, an elite playmaker who looks like the next great UT lineman. Playing from his defensive end position, Barnett is fifth on the team with 28 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss and a sack.

Those numbers only scratch the surface of how disruptive he's been.

Barnett isn't the only player on the line who has excelled either. Curt Maggitt shook off a slow start and is now the player UT expected he'd be.

The super-quick interior rotation of Jordan Williams, Owen Williams, Danny O'Brien, Dimarya Mixon and Trevarris Saulsberry has been solid too.

Though it's proved susceptible against the run at times (especially versus Georgia), UT's line has been surprising. Despite giving up big numbers against UGA, the Vols are a respectable 67th against the run nationally.

Most impressively, they're fifth nationally, allowing opponents to convert just 26.44 percent of their third-down conversions. Based off improvement alone, this group deserves serious accolades.

And next year, the Vols will get to add more than 630 pounds to that interior with fellow 5-stars Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle. This unit is only going to get better.

Grade: B

Linebackers

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When A.J. Johnson came back for his senior season, this defense has to be exactly what he had in mind.

After a career anchoring subpar defenses, the 6'2", 245-pound middle linebacker is now the leader of an upstart unit that is fourth in the SEC and 16th nationally in total defense.

He leads the SEC and is 13th nationally with 68 tackles and has flown all over the field, improving his NFL stock with visibly improved quickness.

He told GoVols247's Wes Rucker the secret to improving his speed:

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I believe I'm faster, just because of the offseason. I didn't run with the linebackers. I ran with the DBs. I was running with the DBs, making the DBs' time. And just staying in their group and running with them, I believe that's what really helped me out and get faster.

"

As much improved as Johnson looks in that regard, he's nowhere near the speediest linebacker on UT's second level.

That distinction goes to sophomore Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who is a blossoming star. The Clarksville native is second on the team with 49 tackles and has seven for a loss and two sacks to go along with an interception.

Curt Maggitt stands up sometimes and provides a boost to the second level, and junior college transfer Chris Weatherd has an extensive pass-rushing package that enables him to get after quarterbacks.

A year ago, the linebackers were slow and a glaring weakness on UT's roster. This season, the Vols seal the edges, keep plays in front of them and play sideline-to-sideline much the way they did in the glory days of John Chavis' defense.

Coordinator John Jancek has his 'backers playing over their heads, and they've been extremely fun to watch.

Grade: A

Defensive Backs

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If there's a unit playing better than UT's linebackers, it's the level right behind them.

The Vols' young secondary—led by the team's best player in sophomore cornerback Cameron Sutton—has been lights-out this season.

It's eighth in the nation in pass defense, allowing 160.2 yards per game. The only team in the SEC better than the Vols in that category is LSU, who's allowed 2.5 yards fewer.

Sutton is the star, amassing 21 tackles, four for a loss, three interceptions and seven pass deflections.

He's savvy enough to bait quarterbacks into making bad passes, and if he hadn't slipped against Florida, he'd have corralled a game-clinching pick-six rather than just another deflection against Treon Harris.

On the back end, UT is blessed with a trio of safeties who can play a variety of roles.

Brian Randolph is the wily veteran safety who is third on the team with 41 tackles. Though he hasn't made the big plays this year, he is a consistent player who keeps everything in front of him.

Freshman Todd Kelly Jr. has a flair for the big play, picking off two passes and recovering a fumble already.

Then there's junior LaDarrell McNeil, who was left on the scrapheap after a forgettable sophomore season. Roving around as a hybrid safety/linebacker, the hard-hitting defender makes receivers think twice about coming across the middle.

Other players such as cornerbacks Michael Williams, Justin Coleman and Emmanuel Moseley are showing up too.

The strength of UT's defense is its secondary, and those guys need a huge performance against Ole Miss.

Grade: A

Special Teams

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Heading into the season, UT had kicking concerns across the board.

A freshman and a senior have helped put those worries to rest.

First and foremost, freshman kicker Aaron Medley has proved to be a strong replacement for Michael Palardy, making nine of his 12 field-goal attempts and all 19 of his extra points on the season.

After flubbing his first collegiate kick, Medley has hit pretty much all of his field-goal attempts true, and the Lewisburg, Tennessee, native has a bright future on Rocky Top.

Though senior punter Matt Darr isn't the most consistent weapon who can place punts where UT needs them, he hasn't been terrible. Darr is averaging 41 yards a punt and has boomed nine of his 42 punts beyond 50 yards. He also has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 15 times.

The kickers have been strong, but the return game has not.

Senior Devrin Young was mediocre returning kicks before breaking ribs last weekend against UT-Chattanooga. In his absence, the Vols may have found a weapon in freshman Evan Berry, who took his first kick return back 68 yards. That would be a big boost for UT if he can be a game-breaker.

Cameron Sutton's star shines brightest in the secondary, but the sure-handed sophomore has fielded punts for the Vols this season. He has a ho-hum 9.2 average the six times he has tried to return a kick.

Nationally, the Vols are 24th in defending punts and 60th in returning kicks.

The Vols haven't been great in special teams, but it's not been the weakness they feared it would be either.

Grade: B-

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Cfbstats.com and UTSports.com. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.