If you believe the keys to playing winning football in the SEC are stout offensive and defensive lines, it sounds like Jeremy Pruitt’s got his work cut out for him.
Star offensive lineman Trey Smith is expected to miss at least some of Tennessee’s upcoming spring practices, according to multiple media reports.
Smith is dealing with a medical issue, according to 247Sports.com, which was among the first to report on the matter. The report did not specify Smith’s injury and said his family has requested privacy regarding his health.
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Smith was the only offensive lineman to start all 12 games for the Volunteers last season after coming in as ESPN’s top-ranked prospect in the 2017 signing class, according to ESPN. He was named to the Football Writers Association of America’s Freshman All-America Team…
Pruitt implied during his signing day news conference this month that at least a couple of returning offensive linemen would be unavailable for spring practices. There are 13 offensive linemen listed on the spring roster — four of them walk-ons — but Pruitt said at the time that only 11 would be healthy enough for practice.
“We’d like to have 16 to 18 offensive lineman on scholarship,” Pruitt said.
This reminds me to a certain extent of the state of the Florida offensive line going into the Gators spring game a few seasons ago. As I recall, that didn’t work out too well in the regular season, either.
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Very tough spot for them to be in (not that I care). There’s no quick fix for subpar lineman.
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No depth at offensive line and a new scheme … sounds like Georgia 2016.
Maybe the bigger problem in Knoxville is who is going to play QB. At least we had a 5-star on campus to throw in the deep end of the pool.
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True, but Georgia 2016 also had a good defensive line, most of whom Pruitt recruited.
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Wasn’t that depleted Florida line one of the two that ran all over Pruitt’s (our) defense or was that earlier?
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That’s what I thought too
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And won the SEC East.
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Pruitt has a hard road ahead. Think he will get it done tho. If the TN fan base lets him, which I doubt. Bunch of jerks!
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Add to that list Phil Fulmer and the Vol administration. Can you imagine having Phat Phil two doors down the hall from you? Monday’s won’t be fun after Saturday losses! “Well have you thought about this and what about that?”
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On the Bright Side – Will Friend is accustomed to this type of scenario.
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Unless he’s undergone a big change, I don’t recall Friend as being much of a recruiter. Pruitt may as well forget beef and become a vegan.
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It doesn’t matter. Because there are two world class graduate transfer QBs who are begging to come to UTK and both are proficient at the exact offense Tyson Helton invented and will implement. No worries. The media told us so.
Crayola crayons currently come in 120 colors and you would need all of them to create a 4-D Venn diagram of UTK’s bumper-car pursuit of the past. Start with a huge slice of Fuchsia Phil to completely cover Jazzberry Jam Jeremy. The edges still have a hint of Bittersweet Butch.
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Maybe UT should install Paul Johnson’s offense.
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He’ll definitely coach up their defense, so I guess that means we’ll only beat them by 20 this year.
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Assuming Kirby continues to do well, and Saban does not retire in the next 3 years, then mathematically, Mullen, Muschamp and Pruitt cannot co-exist in the same division, even if you assume that UK, Vandy and MO will not fire their coaches or will continue to occupy the lower 3 spots in the division.
How does UT beat Alabama, UGA and UF going forward? If they lose all 3 of those games over the next 3 years, where do Pruitt’s wins come from? They have to play Auburn next year and travel to Columbia 2 of the next 3 years. If Pruitt does well, that means Mullen and Muschamp probably are not.
I hope they have the patience of Job up in Knoxville.
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I don’t.
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Muschamp will only have to average an 8-4 record at SC to ensure job security. Pruitt will be allowed several years to rebuild the Vols such as was given to Dooley and Jones. I have a feeling that if there isn’t significant improvement by year 3 Pruitt will spontaneously combust. As for Mullen, unfortunately, he won’t require more than a year or two to get the leezards on track as they have some talent and depth.
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