2008 Tennessee Volunteers
Written June 19, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Its that time of year for Jason Lowry to make his 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football predictions. The Vols had a pretty good season going 10-4 overall including a 21-17 win over Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. Also many people seem to forget that this was the team that won the SEC East last year over Georgia. This year might be a little tougher for head coach Phillip Fulmer as he brings back just 14 starters from a year ago. While we don’t think it will get anywhere near as bad this year as it did in 2005, when they failed to reach a bowl game for the first time in 16 seasons. Team only lost 3 players to the draft, but all 3 were some pretty big players on last year’s team. They lost a solid talent at quarterback in Erik Ainge and a great talent at OLB in Jerod Mayo. Lets take a look at what the team is brining back this season on both sides of the ball before we predict where they will finish in the SEC.
Offense:
As it looks now junior Jonathan Crompton will be the leading guy to win the starting quarterback spot, but don’t count out sophomore Nick Stephens in the fall. Other than the QB the team is pretty solid, as they return 8 starters including 1,000 yard rusher Arian Foster and 1,000 yard receiver Lucas Taylor. Foster is the real deal and should keep his numbers up again this season, but don’t be shocked if Taylor’s numbers don’t go down a little with a new QB. The offensive line returns 4 starters and as a whole should wind up being the best the SEC has to offer. senior guard Anthony Parker is the real deal, and the other 4 all have potential to be a 2nd or 3rd team lineman in the SEC.
Defense:
This side of the ball only returns 6 starters, and it will interesting to see if they can continue to produces some of the best defensive lineman in the country. It looks like senior DT Demonte Bolden is going to have a big year, but the kid we really like is sophomore defensive end Ben Martin. The loss of Mayo is big at linebacker, but weakside linebacker Rico McCoy is one of the best the SEC has to offer. Look for senior Ellix Wilson to hold down the strong side, while sophomore Gerald Williams patrols the middle. The secondary could be pretty solid this season, as they have plenty of talent and 3 returning starters. Sophomore Strong safety Eric Berry is going to be a star by the time he leaves the Vols, Corners DeAngelo Willingham and Brent Vinson should be solid, but if junior free safety Demetrice Morley can stay on the field they might have one of the best safety combos in the country.
Prediction: Tie 3rd SEC East
We really feel like the Vols are going to put together another strong season this year, but we also love what South Carolina is bringing back from last season. If the Vols can get good play at quarterback this offense could be good enough to keep up with teams like Georgia and Florida. We will find out early how good this team is as they open the SEC season home against Florida then follow it with a game at Auburn, a game against non-conference foe Northern Illinois, and then finish the stretch up with a tough one at Georgia.
Professional handicapper Jason Lowry will continue to bring you team by team preview and predictions for the upcoming NCAA football season. Also if you are looking to get ready for the college football season, be sure to check out Sportsbook.com and get an account up and going today.
