Tennessee 2021 Season Preview

by Chris Paschal 

Tennessee has played collegiate football since 1891. That was 130 years ago. In that decades-long history, the Volunteers have won SEC titles and national titles. The Vols have placed numerous players in the NFL and signed hundreds of bluechip recruits. Tennessee is truly one of the elite programs of college football. But they enter the 2021 season on hard times. A failed experiment, followed by desperate hires, left Tennessee with its worst decade in program history. Mississippi State won 10+ games in a season in the 2010s. Kentucky won 10+ games in a season in the 2010s. South Carolina won 10+ games three times in the 2010s. Ole Miss won the Sugar Bowl. Meanwhile, the best Tennessee could muster was a couple of decent back-to-back seasons with wins in the Outback and Music City Bowls. Gone are the days of 1998. Gone are the days of Phil Fulmer and SEC titles. Gone are the days of Tennessee being the standard in the SEC.

Following a recruiting scandal that came on the heels of a three-win season, Tennessee has yet again turned to a new head coach as their savior – Josh Heupel. Heupel has experience in the SEC and as a head coach, first as the offensive coordinator for Missouri and then as head coach at Central Florida. And although his time in Orlando finished in a less-than-stellar fashion, nobody can dispute his offensive acumen, which is in desperate need in Knoxville. Unfortunately for Vol fans, that probably won’t be enough in 2021.

Offense

When you think of high-flying passing attacks, look no further than Josh Heupel. The new Volunteer head coach won a national title as a quarterback at Oklahoma and coached in the Big 12 for close to a decade before a brief stop at Utah State. For SEC fans who are wondering who Josh Heupel is as an offensive mind, take a look at his stop following Utah State – Missouri. From 2016-2017, Heupel was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Tigers. Those Missouri offenses were big-time passing attacks led by Drew Lock. And those teams weren’t overly talented. But Heupel has great passing concepts and exceptional play-calling instincts. Even so, the question remains – does he have enough talent at Tennessee to compete in college football’s toughest conference? 

Departed Contributors  

Eric Gray – RB – Transfer

Ty Chandler – RB – Transfer

Trey Smith – OL – NFL

Jarrett Guarantano – QB – Transfer 

Malachi Wideman – WR – Transfer

Jahmir Johnson – OL – Transfer

Wanya Morris – OL – Transfer

Brandon Kennedy – OL – Graduation

JT Shrout – QB – Transfer

Brandon Johnson – WR – Transfer

Josh Palmer – WR – NFL

Quarterback 

Gone is Guarantano. Gone is Shrout. Gone, too, is bluechip signee Kaidon Salter, who was kicked off the team after a couple of drug-related run-ins with the Knoxville Police Department. What does that mean for Tennessee? On the one hand, losing Guarantano is losing a known commodity. On the other hand, most of his body of work was either negative or uninspiring, even if he did have his moments and did provide experience at the position. 

Shrout was a solid quarterback that in many ways was just lost in the weeds. If you have ever seen those commercials, “Flex Seal” should have been JT Shrout’s nickname. With a crippling athletic administration, a dumpster fire coaching staff, and offense that couldn’t move the ball, JT Shrout – a 3 star recruit from California – would sometimes just get randomly thrown onto the field in hopes that the team would play better. You can probably guess how that turned out. 

Salter’s departure, on the other hand, is more frustrating than Shrout’s or Guarantano’s. Salter was a big-time recruiting win for Pruitt and an even better win by Heupel in keeping him in the recruiting class. Salter was big and physical, and many thought he had a bright future in the SEC. Here’s to his future and hoping and praying that he gets his life back on track. 

All of that said, while Tennessee was hit by the transfer portal, the Vols also benefited from the transfer portal. Namely in the form of Hendon Hooker (6-4, 220), an experienced addition from Virginia Tech, and Joe Milton (6-5, 245), an elite talent from Michigan. 

Let’s start with Hooker. The former Hokie has a lot of tape and a lot of snaps under his belt. Hooker passed for close to 3,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards in his career in Blacksburg, adding something to this quarterback room that it desperately needs: playmaking ability both in and the rushing attack and passing attack. When you look at a guy like Hooker, don’t picture Johnny Manziel or Michael Vick or an elusive, playmaking quarterback who can scramble around and wow you with his creativity. While Hooker can improvise in the pocket and take off if his protection breaks down, his true value is in his ability to take a snap and run a quarterback draw or a sweep.

Joe Milton is a powerful quarterback. He can pick up the tough yards in the rushing attack and can stretch the field with his strong arm. Accuracy and touch are what Heupel is working on with the big quarterback. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press back in 2019 (while Milton was still at Michigan), Milton asserted that his strong arm was both a blessing and a curse, and that because he throws the ball so hard, he struggles with his touch and accuracy. On August 16, Vol wide receiver Cedric Tillman said that it wasn’t “necessarily hard to catch [Milton’s] passes,” but that he had a “unique arm.” A strong-armed, big-bodied quarterback sounds like a recipe for Milton to be the fan favorite, and from the sounds of things, that’s exactly what Milton is. But throwing a catchable ball in Heupel’s demanding offense is obviously important, and Milton is going to need to continue to work on that as camp closes out in the next couple of weeks. 

It’s not only transfers competing for the top job. Also in the mix is rising sophomore Harrison Bailey (6-5, 220) from Marietta, Georgia. Bailey was one of, if not the top, gem of the 2020 recruiting class for Tennessee. Bailey finished last season with a lot of experience and played well, all things considered. Probably the most impressive statistic from last season was the fact that Bailey completed over 70% of his passes. Hooker and Milton are getting all of the talk in Knoxville, but don’t give up on Bailey quite yet. 

Brian Mauer (6-3, 205), whose debut start against Georgia in 2019 delivered one of the more epic halves of football in the Jeremy Pruitt era, had been absent from practice for chunks of time this August, and it was just announced that he will be transferring. 

Running Back 

Gone are the Vols’ two leading rushers from last season in Eric Gray (transferred to Oklahoma) and Ty Chandler (transferred to North Carolina). Both backs rushed for 4 touchdowns and averaged over 4.5 yards per carry for a three-win football team. Both are significant losses to this offense. This is also the time and place to clear up a significant misconception when it comes to high-level passing attacks. Except for maybe a Mike Leach Air Raid offense, all great passing attacks are balanced with strong rushing attacks. When you look at what Lincoln Riley is doing at Oklahoma, he isn’t dialing up passing plays 80% of the time. Instead, he has a well-balanced offense with a lot of interior zone and power plays. What makes Riley’s passing attack, and Heupel’s passing attack, so deadly is how they are able to pass the ball. They get vertical in their passing routes and push the ball down the field. The only way you are able to have a strong, vertical passing attack (as opposed to a West Coast offense, for example) is by having a good rushing attack, as well. If opposing defenses can drop seven or eight because they don’t fear Tennessee’s run game, this Heupel passing attack will fail. 

To that end, the Vols have quietly assembled an SEC-worthy one-two punch in returning contributor Jabari Small (5-11, 205), a sophomore from Memphis, and Tiyon Evans (5-11, 220), a JUCO product from Hartsville, SC. 

It starts with the shifty, elusive Small. While he can definitely put his dead down and get the tough yards, Small excels both in making defenders miss in open space and in contributing to the passing game out of the backfield. Evans, who as a Gamecock fan I desperately wanted to either sign with Carolina or not to sign with Tennessee, is a powerful back who can run between the tackles, put his foot in the ground, and get upfield. And if a defender gets in his way, there is a good chance Evans will run him over. Evans was the top JUCO running back prospect in the country last season, and I think both Evans and Small will be featured backs in this offense. 

Also look for Dee Beckwith (6-5, 230) to be a big contributor to this offense. Obviously with his size, Beckwith should contribute both in the rushing attack and as a receiver. The SEC hasn’t seen a running back with Beckwith’s size since Derrick Henry (6-4, 250). Do with that what you will. Len’Neth Whitehead (6-2, 220), from Athens, Georgia, could also see some snaps this season. 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

The word coming out of Knoxville all winter, spring, and summer was that Heupel’s offense is one that big-time wide receivers should want to play in. And that makes sense when you see the numbers Heupel’s offenses put up at Missouri and Central Florida. Unfortunately, while the receiver position has some elite talent, it is also thin and unproven. That is, except for Jalin Hyatt. 

Hyatt (6-0, 175) will be the focal point of Heupel’s passing attack. Without even an offer from his hometown Gamecocks, the Columbia native will (barring injury or suspension), finish the season with more than 1,000 receiving yards. Hyatt is electric with the ball in his hands and has world-class speed. There is no way to measure this, but if each school could pick one player to line up in a parking lot and race 60 yards, Tennessee fans would feel very confident in a victory with Jalin Hyatt on their team. In Athlon Sports’ “Top 25 Breakout Wide Receivers for 2021” just released by Steven Lassan, Hyatt came in at number five, and to be honest, that seems too low to me. Hyatt is a strong candidate to finish the season as an All-SEC performer. 

When the ball isn’t going to Hyatt, it is going to Velus Jones, Jr. (6-0, 200), a senior from Alabama. Jones is serviceable enough and reliable enough to be able to take some of the pressure off Hyatt. Jones spent his first few seasons at Southern Cal, before transferring back to the South prior to the 2020 season. He played in all ten of Tennessee’s games last year, finishing with 280 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Look for Jones to have a good season in a complimentary role in this offense. 

Ramel Keyton (6-3, 195) was a big-time recruit out of the Atlanta area but enters his junior season with just 13 receptions. Jimmy Calloway (6-0, 190) saw limited action last season as a freshman but is versatile and looks to contribute on special teams. Walker Merrill (6-1, 190) is a speedy true freshman who will also contribute. But the receiver that needs to step up the most in order to make this passing attack versatile and dangerous is Cedric Tillman (6-3, 215). Everything coming out of Knoxville is that the junior is ready to match his skill with his production. He finished last season with a mere three receptions and one touchdown, but he is big and physical and is badly needed in this offense. 

Offensive Line

When you look at the departed contributors from last season’s Volunteer offense, the names that hit you across the face are Trey Smith (now in the NFL), Wanya Morris (transferred to Oklahoma), and Jahmir Johnson (transferred to Texas A&M). 

Even so, the issue with this team may not necessarily be depth or talent – although those will be issues – but instead scheme. Heupel runs a high-powered, fast-paced offense, where taking shots, and lots of them, is the name of the game. That puts significant stress on offensive linemen, who are not only trying to catch their breath, but are having to maintain blocks while receivers run deep, complex routes. When you are going against Florida’s Brenton Cox or South Carolina’s JJ Enegbare, that is a tall order. Returning for the Vols are two former five-star recruits and then a lot of question marks. Let’s start with the good. Cade Mays (6-6, 325) returns for his senior season. The Knoxville native and former five-star recruit will most likely man one of the tackle positions after K’Rojhn Calbert last week suffered a serious injury requiring surgery. The other former five-star recruit, Darnell Wright (6-6, 335), will most likely man the other tackle position. All you hear out of Knoxville is about how Wright has not played to his potential. Well, if Wright is going to play like the former five-star prospect he was, the time is now. 

Cooper Mays (6-3, 295), Cade’s brother, will play center, and Jerome Carvin (6-5, 315) will fill one of the guard positions. Javontez Spraggins (6-3, 320) may fill the other guard position, but little is known about this group right now. Between transfers, the NFL, and recent injuries, this position group cannot take any more hits before the season starts. 

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Defense

Tim Banks is the new defensive coordinator, and Rodney Garner is the new defensive line coach. Those two facts should make Tennessee fans smile. Banks, the former Penn State defensive coordinator, led some great defenses the past few seasons, and Garner is considered one of the best defensive line coaches in the SEC (see: his last stop, Auburn). This defense is going to be put in a lot of tough situations, however, by the aforementioned high-risk/high-reward offense. When the offense is clicking, everything is good. A couple quick three-and-outs, though, and things may fall apart. 

Departed Contributors 

Bryce Thompson – CB – NFL

DeAndre Johnson – DE/LB – Transfer

Henry To’o To’o – LB – Transfer

Quavaris Crouch – LB – Transfer 

Darel Middleton – DE – Transfer

Kivon Bennett – DE/LB – Transfer

Greg Emerson – DL – Transfer

Emmit Gooden – DL – Transfer

Key Lawrence – Safety – Transfer

Defensive Line 

Who is left? Matthew Butler (6-4, 295) is still in Knoxville. And that is a good piece to start with. Butler can play on the edge or inside at tackle. He enters his senior season having logged a lot of snaps for the Vols, and early returns from Garner are that Butler is not only playing great football, but also a leader in the locker room. Omari Thomas (6-4, 315) is also a solid piece to work with. After playing significant snaps last season as a freshman, the former bluechip recruit from Memphis should have a strong sophomore season. 

Besides that, there isn’t much there for Tennessee. Aubrey Solomon (6-5, 320), the former five-star recruit from South Georgia who transferred to Tennessee from Michigan a couple of years ago, needs to play like he did at Leesburg High School; ever since coming to the SEC, he has been a disappointment. Kurott Garland (6-3, 310) and LaTrell Bumphus (6-3, 295) add senior depth to the defensive line, but not a lot of production to back it up. Transfers Da’Jon Terry (6-4, 325) and Caleb Tremblay (6-5, 280) might both be the best defensive players on this line, aside from Butler. If the stars  can all play at a high level, and stay healthy, and not be forced to spend too much time on the field, and the slew of veterans I just listed can play at least adequately, this defensive line could be SEC-worthy. If any of those “ifs” don’t work out, this could be a long season. 

Linebacker 

This position group was decimated in the offseason by the transfer portal and injuries. In the spring, it was reported that at one practice, Tennessee had a single scholarship player at linebacker on the field. One. But from that low point, things dramatically improved.  Look for Will Mohan (6-1, 205), a transfer from Michigan, to contribute right away. Mohan is a fast, quick-striking linebacker who can play well in space and drop back into coverage with ease. Tennessee needs that. Henry To’o To’o was an exceptional linebacker, but for the most part, last season’s Vols had some rigid and bulky linebackers trying to play in space. It didn’t work out well. Mohan addresses that issue. JUCO signee Byron Young (6-3, 240), from Hemingway, South Carolina, is also a great pass-rushing addition to a team that lost its best pass rushers in Kivon Bennett and Deandre Johnson. Tyler Baron (6-5, 255), a homegrown product from Knoxville, and Roman Harrison (6-2, 235) will also be looked to for getting pressure on the quarterback. 

Morven Joseph (6-2, 215), from Lakeland, Florida, will move to the interior from the edge and will have to work on identifying offensive run schemes instead of focusing solely on getting in the backfield. Jeremy Banks (6-1, 235), reinstated after a tumultuous couple of months in 2019-2020, has the talent needed to play at an elite level in the SEC. Freshman Aaron Willis (5-11, 225), who was suspended over the spring and had to get back into shape in the summer, could contribute as the season progresses. The biggest addition is Texas transfer Juwan Mitchell (6-1, 225). Mitchell led Texas in tackles last season and said he wants to be the catalyst in transforming Tennessee into “LBU” (Linebacker University). Mitchell’s addition provides stability to a position group that could quietly be an above-average linebacking corps within the SEC in 2021. Look for Mohan, Mitchell, Young, and Banks to all play at a high level this season. 

Secondary

Bryce Thompson departed for the NFL, after leading Tennessee in interceptions last season. So, too, is safety Key Lawrence, who was talented, but not exceptional, for the Vols. Tennessee returns a lot of key pieces everywhere else. Safeties Trevon Flowers (5-11, 205), a senior from Atlanta, and Tank McCollough (6-0, 205), a junior who was an elite recruit out of Georgia, will most likely be the starters week one. And that’s a good place to begin. Flowers led Tennessee in tackles last season, while McCollough has all the talent needed to be a big-time contributor at safety. 

At cornerback, Tennessee returns Alontae Taylor (6-0, 195). A senior, Taylor could play his way into a first round selection in next year’s NFL Draft. Taylor is long, fluid, and could blossom into this league’s next shutdown corner. Opposite him will be either transfer Brandon Turnage (6-1, 185), who is from Mississippi, signed with Alabama, transferred to Georgia, and then transferred to Tennessee this summer, or returning contributors Warren Burrell (6-0, 190) and Ken George, Jr. (5-11, 205). Tennessee would probably benefit with Burrell or George winning that other corner job and letting Turnage start out at nickelback, while he gets acclimated to Tennessee and this defense. Like every position group on this team, the defensive backs are talented, with players like Taylor and Flowers, but are awfully thin behind the first-team. 

Special Teams

Chase McGrath transferred in from Southern Cal and will be Tennessee’s starting kicker. McGrath can be productive (he went 14 of 17 in field goals and 54 of 54 in PATs in 2019), but he needs to regain his confidence after losing his job in Pasadena last season. Paxton Brooks is back at punter for his senior season after averaging 44 yards-per-punt last season. Look for receivers Velus Jones and Jalin Hyatt to potentially make a splash as returners this season. 

Impact Players

1. The Entire Offensive Line: If any of them go down to injury, this offense could collapse. As good as this passing attack could be, and as talented as the backfield is, the offense won’t be much good if this offensive line goes down in flames. 
2. The Entire Defensive Line: See above, only make it about the defense. The linebackers can be as talented as they want, but if teams can push this defensive line around (and especially if it has to constantly be on the field), the linebackers will be gobbled up by SEC offensive lines. Same goes for the defensive backs. As good as they are, if the defensive line can’t generate a pass rush, quarterbacks will pick this defense apart. 
3. Paxton Brooks: Yes, the punter. When this offense is humming, they will be able to hang with most teams in this conference. When it’s not, the field position game will be crucial to keep Tennessee in these games. 

Schedule

September 4 – vs. Bowling Green

September 11 – vs. Pittsburgh

September 18 – vs. Tennessee Tech

September 25 – at Florida

October 2 – at Missouri 

October 9 – vs. South Carolina

October 16 – vs. Ole Miss

October 23 – at Alabama

November 6 – at Kentucky

November 13 – vs. Georgia

November 20 – vs. South Alabama

November 27 – vs. Vanderbilt 

Conclusion 

I didn’t like the Heupel hire from the beginning. If you follow me on Twitter or listen to my podcast, you know I think this hire was uninspired and confusing. Every year Heupel was the head coach at UCF, their record regressed. Last season, UCF went 6-4, and in their 10 games, they gave up 21, 28, 34, 50, 34, 21, 13, 36, 46, and 49 points. That’s an average of more than 33 points per game, ranking 92nd out of 128 FBS programs.  In fact, the only team UCF held to under 20 points was Temple. Yes, offense is now the name of the game, but if you can’t play decent defense in the AAC, it’s hard for me to think you can play it in the SEC. This offense puts the defense out on the field too often and too quickly. 

Luckily for the Vols, they only play four away games. Tennessee will need to win their first three games, a tough task with Pittsburgh coming to town, and their last two games, much more manageable, to set themselves up for that sixth win. The swing game will be the South Carolina game, a game that I, as a Gamecock fan, have circled since literally last December. This game is important not only for 2021, but in the ever-important race to position oneself above the common folk and near the elite. As a Carolina fan who sees all of these holes, especially on the line of scrimmage, I will flip my Gamecock coin and say Tennessee loses that game and falls to 5-7. For an early indicator of the season’s trajectory, the Pittsburgh game could show us much about who this Tennessee team is. 

Prediction: 5-7

Straight From Knoxville

I reached out to my good friend Matt Dixon to ask him to add his thoughts on the Vols. Matt is a frequent contributor to the Tony Basilio Show, which can be heard on Knoxville’s 99.7 FM & 1040 AM. Here’s what he had to say: 

Josh Heupel takes over a Tennessee program far different than the one he remembers from his playing days at Oklahoma, where he was a Heisman runner up and national championship-winning quarterback in 2000. The Volunteers have had losing seasons in three of the past four years, and Heupel is the 5th head coach since 2009.

Tennessee is coming off a 3-7 season and faces potential NCAA sanctions from an on-going self-investigation of former coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff’s recruiting practices.

More than 30 players left the program since last year, including many headliners like running back Eric Gray (Oklahoma), running back Ty Chandler (North Carolina), left tackle Wanya Morris (Oklahoma) and linebacker Henry To’o To’o (Alabama). What’s left is a team void of stars, little returning production and very razor thin depth at most positions. Tennessee did bring in a number of players from the transfer portal who are expected to make an impact. Joe Milton (Michigan) is the likely starting quarterback and linebacker Juwan Mitchell (Texas) was the Longhorns’ leading tackler last season. JUCO running back Tiyon Evans and slot wide receiver Jalin Hyatt are potential breakout stars on offense. JUCO edge-rusher Byron Young has been the talk of fall camp, but is an unknown vs SEC teams.

Heupel’s fast-paced, high-scoring offense puts his defense on the field as much as any team in the country, so expect the Vols to be involved in some shootouts this season, similar to Ole Miss and Arkansas last year.

Tennessee has a favorable schedule — by SEC standards — and should at least challenge for a bowl game, unless the university elects to take a self-imposed bowl ban this year. The Vols have three non-conference “buy” home games (Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech and South Alabama), three sure losses (at Florida, vs Georgia and at Alabama) and six toss-up games that’ll determine their season. Pittsburgh visits Neyland Stadium on Sept. 11 and figures to be a slight favorite. The Vols will likely be underdogs at Missouri (Oct. 2), vs Ole Miss (Oct. 16) when they welcome Lane Kiffin back to Knoxville and at Kentucky (Nov. 6). Tennessee fans have South Carolina and Vanderbilt both penciled in as wins, and for good reason. The Vols have two-game winning streaks over both and the Gamecocks and Commodores are breaking in first-time head coaches. 

A reasonable expectation for Tennessee this season is 5-7 wins. But more importantly, the university needs to put the NCAA investigation and the Jeremy Pruitt era behind them. Luckily, Heupel’s offense will take care of that on the field, as the Vols will at least not continue to be bad AND boring.