Tennessee Football: Holiday Wish List for the Volunteers
Well, it's that time of year again, and when Butch Jones heads to West Town Mall and climbs up in the lap of Ol' Saint Nick, do you wonder what Tennessee's head football coach will whisper in his ear?
What do you get a coach who has a couple of big wishes already granted?
Already, the Volunteers have reached a bowl game in Jones' second season, earning a date to Jacksonville's TaxSlayer Bowl on Jan. 2 against the Iowa Hawkeyes. On top of that, he has received a contract extension through 2020 with a raise to $3.6 million per year.
Yes, it's already been a good season for the Vols, who are right on target for a program rebuild. But Jones still has some Christmas wishes, no doubt. UT still needs some things to happen to keep this upward trajectory and to keep the hungry fans around Rocky Top happy.
This bowl berth is just the tip of the expectations that will now grow exponentially greater. Jones knows that; it's part of the lure and the burden of coaching at a great program in the nation's top conference.
So, let's take a look at what's on UT's holiday wish list as the Vols head into the postseason for the first time in three seasons.
A TaxSlayer Bowl Victory
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Make no mistake: Getting to the postseason was absolutely huge for a Tennessee football program that played 24 true freshmen and was dealt its fair share of adversity through a season that featured a brutal schedule.
But beating Kirk Ferentz's Hawkeyes is the next step, and it's an important one.
Getting to the game was big for perception, and it was big for a large group of players who've never been to one. No player on Tennessee's roster has ever won a bowl, either.
The bottom line, however, is if the Vols don't win the game, it's yet another losing season—the fifth straight since Lane Kiffin salvaged a 7-6 record in 2009. That's not good enough, and Butch Jones knows it.
Considering all the young talent on UT's roster, this should be the last season for a while the Vols have to battle with a .500 record, but they don't want yet another losing season.
This Iowa team has a better record than Tennessee, but there's nothing really dynamic about the Hawkeyes. They've got a really strong offensive line, but the Vols could have finished with a much tougher bowl draw. This is actually a solid matchup for UT, who is a 3.5-point favorite, according to Oddsshark.com.
The oddsmakers believe Tennessee is the better team. Now, the Vols need to go out and prove it by winning the game. If they do, they will ride a whole lot of momentum into the offseason and could be a dark-horse favorite to win the SEC East in 2015.
A Battening of the Borders
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Most of the heavy lifting on Tennessee's fifth-ranked recruiting class of 26 players already has been done.
But the Vols would like to sign around 30 players, and a trio of major-need talents who would highlight this cycle of recruits and keep UT relevant in in-state recruiting reside not too far from campus in the Nashville area.
Kyle Phillips, a 6'4", 250-pound strong-side defensive end that has been hotly pursued by the Vols for more than a year and who is perhaps the biggest obtainable missing puzzle piece in the entire recruiting class, is still undecided.
Right now, it looks like Phillips as well as a duo of cornerbacks—Overton High School's Ugo Amadi and former Overton and current JUCO standout Justin Martin—are pretty much down to the Vols and the LSU Tigers. Tennessee simply doesn't need to lose all three to the Bayou Bengals.
Even though UT's class will be strong no matter what, the Vols need Phillips and the pair of corners. They'd take all three, and not only would landing them send yet another clear in-state message from Butch Jones late during this recruiting cycle, it would give the Vols three players who can fit into the mix immediately.
With UT already losing out on star offensive tackle Drew Richmond from Memphis, the Vols don't need to be left at the altar for the remaining three they desperately want. Jones and UT need to close strong.
Some Glimpses of Greatness from the Offensive Line
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Is this forgettable season for UT's offensive line a sign of the way things are going to be with this group or just a difficult-but-necessary step in the development cycle of a young unit?
The TaxSlayer Bowl will probably give us a clearer answer.
Second-year offensive line coach Don Mahoney needs to be using the time off to find the right mixture of players and where they fit best. The Vols finished 122nd (out of 128 teams) in sacks allowed with 42, according to CFBStats.com.
They also finished 103rd in rushing offense.
That's not a good couple of statistics for any O-line.
So, there's some rhyme to the reason of UT trying out players at different positions during this extra practice time. For instance, freshman Coleman Thomas has been working out some at his "natural" position of center.
UT coach Butch Jones told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required) that it's just part of the experimentation process.
"Just trying to put our players in what we feel can help the team and their best position. What we've learned is you can never have enough centers. We played in a bowl game one year and we lost three centers, and you talk about panic on the sideline. Once that experience happened, we've always tried to get as many individuals reps at center to be able to do that.
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It's going to be interesting to see who lines up where in Jacksonville, and UT desperately needs the injection of its four commitments and redshirts Charles Mosley and Ray Raulerson to be able to help next year, too.
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A Step Forward from Josh Malone
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Nobody is discouraged with Josh Malone's first season on the Hill. But once the injuries came on, the true freshman's production dropped off.
Now, he's seemingly healthy as he heads into the game against Iowa, and he has a golden opportunity to prove that his recruiting billing of being a No. 1 receiver on the college level was accurate.
UT won't have Marquez North, Josh Smith or Jason Croom available due to season-ending injuries. Without a downfield passing attack against Missouri and Vanderbilt, UT's offense was stunted and struggled.
Simply put: The Vols need some players to be able to get open downfield.
Enter Malone.
Head coach Butch Jones told the Chattanooga Times Free Press' Patrick Brown he's excited about seeing what Malone can do now that he's healthy again:
"Josh looked like the Josh Malone that we saw in training camp and the middle of the year. I think he's really benefited from the extra time off. He's done a great job also in the training room. I thought Josh had his legs about him, and you could see that his injuries are starting to heal up.
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He's silky smooth, uber-talented and runs really good routes. With Pig Howard and Von Pearson still healthy, Malone is almost sure to see his share of man coverage against the Hawkeyes, and it's up to him to exploit it.
A big final game of his freshman year will give Malone a boost heading into the offseason, and it will give UT confidence that he and North can do big things in 2015.
An Offensive Tackle Commitment
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This season has been extremely frustrating for Tennessee when it comes to recruiting offensive tackles.
First, one of UT's top targets for the past two years, Memphis University School offensive tackle Drew Richmond, elected to go to Ole Miss instead of Tennessee. Then, after the Vols flirted with Georgia commitment Patrick Allen, they've not been able to sway him from the Dawgs.
Now, it looks like UT's recruiting class is going to be stuck without a much-needed remaining piece of the puzzle: an offensive tackle.
Tennessee tried to get in on Michael Howard once Florida fired Will Muschamp, but he too committed to the Rebels. Now, perhaps the most realistic target (who also is a long shot) left on the board is Miami pledge Tyree St. Louis.
The athletic, 6'5", 300-pound tackle is taking one of his five official visits to Knoxville, according to GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required), and though he's expected to stick with Miami, if you get a player on campus, you've got a shot.
UT's tackle situation is dire on the surface. With Jacob Gilliam graduating, the Vols have Brett Kendrick, Coleman Thomas and Kyler Kerbyson who've played the position before. Redshirt JUCO transfer Dontavius Blair still has two years to play, and perhaps commits Jack Jones, Chance Hall and Venzell Boulware could play the position.
Redshirt Charles Mosley is a wild card there, too, though he and Boulware appear best-suited for guard.
It'll be interesting to see how the silly season shakes out with tackle recruits, but UT's radar is definitely up, and another one is definitely needed.
Resolution to A.J. Johnson's Case
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Tennessee lost its biggest defensive leader in senior middle linebacker A.J. Johnson, who is indefinitely suspended along with cornerback Michael Williams in the midst of a sexual-assault investigation.
Though the investigation has been turned over to the district attorney's office, the grand jury adjourned for the year last week without hearing the case. That likely means there won't be any resolution to this anytime soon.
Anytime there's a case with allegations this serious, the authorities need to thoroughly investigate and get it right. From a strictly football standpoint, it would be good for the Vols to know whether or not to expect Johnson on the field on Jan. 2.
Of course, the Vols already are preparing as if he won't play, considering it's a long shot that he does. About the only way imaginable for Johnson to be on the field against the Hawkeyes is if charges are dropped, and even then, it's no guarantee.
The best thing for UT to do is get freshman Jakob Johnson and redshirt sophomore Kenny Bynum ready to play middle linebacker in A.J.'s stead. Both players have a long, long way to go to be able to provide anywhere near filling the void left by the potential All-American.
With resolution looking like a long shot before the TaxSlayer Bowl, the Vols need to come up with a contingency plan for A.J. Johnson on the field. Unfortunately for UT, nobody on the roster is capable of providing the same production.
A Catalyst for Dobbs
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The buzz that surrounded Joshua Dobbs' five games on Rocky Top this season was loud and strong, but it has dulled a bit during the past two games.
After he set the SEC on fire in back-to-back wins over South Carolina and Kentucky, throwing for 598 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 214 more and four touchdowns, Dobbs wasn't the same dynamic star against Missouri and Vanderbilt.
In those games, he accounted for 287 passing yards, 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns. However, he did pick UT up in the Vandy game and single-handedly carry the Vols to a bowl berth as their only offensive weapon.
Now without his heavy school load to worry about and a month of film to watch and first-team reps to his heart's content, Dobbs needs to take the next step forward.
His passes can be more accurate and crisper, the time off should give him time to rest his legs and rejuvenate his ground attack, and he should be able to watch enough Iowa film to get a leg up on the Hawkeyes.
When Dobbs has time to operate and can roll the pocket, he has elite skills. When he's forced to stand in the tackle box in the face of pressure and read through his progressions, he's still extremely raw.
It's time for Dobbs to develop.
And with his likely backup for next year still not even practicing (considering it will probably be either freshmen Quinten Dormady or Jauan Jennings, if not an uncommitted player) it's Dobbs-or-bust for the Vols now and next year.
That means he's got a lot of work to do, and a big finale against Iowa would give everybody around the program all the confidence they need moving forward.
All stats gathered from CFBStats.com or UTSports.com, unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
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