Tennessee Football: Recapping the Biggest 2016 Offseason News So Far

Just because it's been a relatively quiet couple of months for the Tennessee football program doesn't mean this offseason has been devoid of big news. As a matter of fact, it's been just the opposite.

Heading into a 2016 that could signify a return to competing for championships for the Volunteers, college football analysts around the country who firmly have UT in their preseason top 25s have fostered a ton of hype. Some of those even predict the Vols to be in the top 10.

None of that matters until you prove it on the field, UT coach Butch Jones told the Knoxville News Sentinel's Grant Ramey (via GoVols247):

"We're talking to our football team about owning the expectations—owning their attitude, owning their style of play, owning their work ethic," Jones said. "That's something that we talk about."

They aren't doing anything to diffuse those in Knoxville, Tennessee; that's for certain.

Despite all the positive publicity from the on-field talk, the looming Title IX lawsuit and allegations were something the program dealt with throughout the winter months. Though the headlines have died down since then, the suit hasn't gone away.

Coach Butch Jones made a couple of major coaching moves this offseason, and the Vols also received some big news when three key components to this year's team elected to return for another season on Rocky Top.

It's been a particularly newsy offseason for the Vols. Let's recap some of the biggest topics swirling around the program.

National love

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

If you haven't heard rival Tennessee fans grumbling about all the publicity the Vols are getting from basically everybody who puts out way-too-early top-25 polls, you haven't been listening.

You can't type a tweet out there without hearing a derogatory comment from a Georgia, Florida, Alabama or (insert UT rival here) fan regarding how the Vols are the kings of offseason hype but fail to produce once the games start.

As always, a quick search for "Tennessee hype" in the Twittersphere returns a barrage of comments from the hilarious ones to those in the "can't share here" department:

"

Every year the preseason Tennessee hype is like a list of Hodor's greatest quotes.

— C00P (@Mr_C_33) May 25, 2016"

Nevermind the talk about the Vols falling short of expectations under Jones isn't true.

As a matter of fact, despite UT blowing the Oklahoma and Florida games a season ago, the Vols finished right where they were expected to. Each season, they've hit right about the predicted mark.

Bleacher Report colleague Barrett Sallee tried to set the record straight over social media, even though it did little to quell the discussion: 

Regardless of whether or not the hype is warranted, it's there.

B/R's Brian Pederson put the Vols seventh in his post-spring practice poll stating: "Butch Jones' work to beef up the roster has paid off in the form of upperclassmen projected to start at most positions after having to rely heavily on freshmen the previous few years. He was also aided by the return of draft-eligible players such as linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and cornerback Cameron Sutton."

FoxSports.com's Stewart Mandel had a similar assessment regarding UT, saying the Vols are eighth in his preseason ranking, while ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach had them rolling in at 11th.

There's a reason the nation is in love with the Vols, who have depth, talent and stars galore. Now, they've got to live up to the hype.

Title IX lawsuit update

Patrick Murphy-Racey/Associated Press

Not all the headlines have been so positive on Rocky Top, however.

Eight "Jane Doe" plaintiffs filed a joint lawsuit against the university accusing UT of creating a hostile sexual environment that led to assaults and that the school was favorable toward athletes accused. Alleged incidents involving football players were cited multiple times.

At one point back in the winter, it seemed you couldn't go a day without more news coming out in what had to seem to UT like a death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts campaign to release news regarding the Title IX lawsuit in a slow, steady but painful trickle.

It has since died down a little, but the university has not settled out of court, and it is still out there.

The recent nasty Baylor situation that led to the ouster of the school's athletic director and head coach Art Briles brought the Tennessee situation back into the news where Jones had to defend his program publicly yet again.

At the SEC spring meetings last week, Jones made some comments refusing to compare the two situations, per the Knoxville News Sentinel's Dustin Dopirak:

"

I'm not into comparisons. All I can speak on is the University of Tennessee. I feel strongly as does everyone in our organization that we've done the right things. I'm proud of the culture that we've built. We've tried to do everything the right way from everyone in our organization. I feel strongly about what we have at the University of Tennessee, what we've build and what we will continue to build as well.

"

Most recently, UT responded to the allegations against it, accusing the plaintiffs of "irrelevant and incorrect (if salacious) allegations intended to inflame the passions of journalists and sports fans alike," according to the Tennessean's Nate Rau.

Just last week, the Associated Press (h/t WDEF.com's Rick Nyman) reported the Title IX lawsuit vs. Tennessee has been scheduled for May 22, 2018, so what does that mean for the Vols?

On the field, possibly not much if there are no new bombshells. Jones suspended everybody from the football team mentioned in the suit, and there are no known current Vols involved. Jones could see his name dragged around again, but that hasn't happened in months.

If UT decides not to settle out of court, the potential for this becoming an ongoing situation is there. So, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens from this moving forward. The Vols obviously hope it stays dormant in the news like it has the past couple of months.

The big three

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

There are a lot of really good players on Tennessee's roster in 2016, but to just talk about talent would be doing a disservice to the three players who elected to come back to Knoxville rather than begin NFL careers.

Reeves-Maybin, Sutton and running back Alvin Kamara all have incredible leadership skills that allowed all three of them to be recognized this spring as permanent captains.

Yes, junior receiver Marquez North declared for the draft (and wasn't selected, signing a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams), but the biggest news for UT was the fact all three of the players who came back were essentially irreplaceable. That's not just on the field, either.

Reeves-Maybin is a stalwart and a tackling machine from his outside linebacker position, but he also has emerged as a vocal leader who took that role when Curt Maggitt was injured a season ago. Getting him back is massive, and even though he's battling a shoulder injury now, he's expected back by season's start.

Sutton was one of the main guys who called the post-Arkansas loss players-only meeting last year that turned around the season. Not only does he have shutdown potential at cornerback, but he's also a special teams weapon and a strong leader in his own rights.

Finally, Jalen Hurd may get most of the headlines as Tennessee's running back workhorse, but Kamara almost certainly has an NFL career ahead of him, too. He's fast, versatile and can catch passes out of the backfield with the best of them. Not only that, he's grown up a ton since his days at Alabama.

The trio, along with quarterback Joshua Dobbs, were bestowed the honor during the spring-ending Orange & White Game, and Kamara told the Daily Beacon sports editor Jonathan Toye that they all see it as an extra (positive) burden to help the program return.

"We look forward to being captains this season," Kamara said. "I think we all see it as a challenge. We have to be better and hold ourselves to an even-higher standard. This is the first time Coach Jones has done this—named a permanent team captain—so it is a lot of pressure, but it is good pressure."

Having the leadership of those three guys returning is pivotal for Tennessee.

Shoop to the rescue?

Credit: GoVols247

Perhaps the biggest news this entire offseason was the three key players returning as noted above, but a close second is the addition of championship-caliber defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, whom Jones lured away from Penn State.

Shoop looks like he's ticketed for a head coaching gig sooner rather than later, but if the Vols can get at least a couple of seasons out of him, it would be considered a great hire. Getting a marquee assistant such as Shoop is coming at just the right time for UT.

Not only do the Vols have a ton of quality players returning on the defensive side of the ball, but they also have the type of guys who can run his fast-paced, blitz-happy scheme.

Reeves-Maybin, defensive ends Derek Barnett, Jonathan Kongbo, Corey Vereen and Kyle Phillips as well as speedy freshman linebacker Quart'e Sapp and several versatile defensive backs could wreak terror on opposing quarterbacks. 

Jones paid Shoop $1.15 million to lure him away from Happy Valley, and there was one reason alone why he did it.

Shoop knows, too, according to Gridiron Now's Jimmy Hyams: "Make no mistake," Shoop told Hyams, "when he hired me, he said, 'Your job is to get us from nine wins to 11 in a hurry.'"

The goals are higher with Shoop aboard, and he's brought some swagger with him. Here's a recent tweet that will make UT fans feel all warm and fuzzy, per former Vol and Knoxville radio show host Jayson Swain:

Former UT coordinator John Jancek didn't do a poor job the past three years, but Shoop is a next-level coach with a track record of producing upper-echelon defenses. The Vols also went out and got former Miami assistant and interim head coach Larry Scott to lead the tight ends.

Scott is another really good coach with strong recruiting ties who is already making an impact in Knoxville. But Shoop is the big-time headliner.

If he makes that big of an impact at Tennessee right away, the Vols could wind up with a special season.

All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered at CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.