Wannabee in Urnge

This is adorable.

The Tennessee Vols are wisely taking a page out of the Georgia Bulldogs’ page this offseason.

Last year, the Vols were at their best when they were the “hunter” as opposed to the “hunted”.

Tennessee’s two losses in 2022 came when they were ranked No. 1 before playing Georgia and when no one was giving South Carolina a chance to win in Columbia.

In Tennessee’s two losses, they didn’t get a chance to play the disrespect card that they utilized for most of the season.

Yeah, that’s why they lost.

Warren admitted that he didn’t realize Tennessee would be getting everyone’s “best shot” until the Vols’ loss to South Carolina last season.

Old habits die hard, apparently.

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This is what comes of five-star hearts and trash cans.

I miss Booch ($$).

Ducks & Vols were the only two teams in the top 10 of wasting both four- & five-star talent. Which school was worse at developing three-stars and thus should be crowned the “Kings of Wasting Talent”? — Michael W. 

We’ll go get the trophy (it’s a crumpled ball of tin foil) and drop it off in Knoxville for the Vols. Tennessee ranked 40th overall in three-star development, with just 6.9 percent of three-stars (11 of 160) drafted. That was below average, just below Auburn and just above Georgia Tech.

Good times in Knoxville, for sure.

Say hello to our special guest

Well, now.

Tennessee athletics director Danny White arrives to NCAA hearing with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

Pretty notable that Sankey is here. They went straight to the UT meeting room. pic.twitter.com/FMwnVPdarO

— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) April 19, 2023

It’s not every day you see a conference commissioner decide to drop in on an NCAA enforcement hearing.  I doubt Greg is there to put in a good word for Jeremy Pruitt.

This guy, on the other hand…

Phillip Fulmer on hand for hearing. pic.twitter.com/J1UkuyUvB9

— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) April 19, 2023

The Urnge shoe starts to drop.

Actions, meet consequences.

Four former Tennessee staff members are expected to receive multiyear show-cause penalties from the NCAA stemming from their roles in recruiting violations committed under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, sources tell Sports Illustrated.

Inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer, outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton, director of player personnel Drew Hughes and student assistant Michael Magness are set to receive show-cause penalties of three-to-five years in negotiated resolutions they struck with the association.

None of the four are currently coaching on the college level, for what it’s worth.  Also,

Pruitt, as well as assistant Derrick Ansley, were not involved in the resolutions.

Also not involved is the school itself. The university and NCAA have not come to an agreement on a resolution despite months of negotiations. However, the association is bifurcating the case, a new method of bringing closure to some parties in an investigation while other elements of a case remain contested. Bifurcation was one of the recommendations made last summer by the NCAA transformation committee to speed up the association’s dawdling infractions process.

The association can now zero in on those outstanding parties who are disputing findings or contesting potential resolutions, which are expected to include Pruitt, Ansley and Tennessee.

More shoes to come, in other words.

Of swinging pendulums and Tennessee football

Folks, I don’t know how to break this to you other than to just come right out with it, but with Todd Monken’s departure from Athens, the party is over.  There’s a new sheriff in town.  Oh, and that goes for you, too, Tuscaloosa.

The Tennessee Vols haven’t won the SEC since 1998.

And they’ve never reached the College Football Playoff.

Alabama and Georgia, meanwhile, have won a combined 13 SEC Championships since 1998. And they’ve won the last three national championships.

But despite those accomplishments, Tennessee is set up better for longterm success than Alabama or Georgia.

Crazy talk, right?

Maybe not as crazy as you think.

Or, crazy like a fox, amirite?  What’s the Vols’ secret sauce?  Glad you asked.

Tennessee may have found their Saban/Smart in Josh Heupel.

And Heupel comes with a built-in advantage that neither Saban nor Smart posses.

Heupel is an offensive guru. He’s not reliant on making the right offensive coordinator hire for his offense to work. It all starts with Heupel.

Which is why Heupel will never have to go through what Alabama and Georgia went through this offseason.

Oh.

Eventually, Saban and/or Smart are going to make the wrong hire. And their offense is going to be a disaster.

Dude, Kirby’s already made that wrong hire.  And despite Coley’s ineptitude, the 2019 Dawgs still went 12-2, won the East and finished fourth in the final AP poll.  Let us know when UT manages to hit any of those benchmarks.

At Tennessee, raises for everybody!

Old habits die hard in Knoxville…

Tennessee has signed AD Danny White to a new, rolling 6-yr contract paying him $2.2M a year, sources tell @SINow.

White is believed to be the highest paid SEC AD & top-8 nationally. He’s overseen a department that’s won 6 SEC titles in 2 yrs & had record fundraising in 2021-22.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 25, 2023

Better keep at that record fundraising, Vols.

TFW you’ve got more money then sense

Damn, Tennessee.  You’re back at it again.

Tennessee's Josh Heupel receives $9 million/year contract extension thru January 2029

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 24, 2023

In going to $9 million per year, @coachjoshheupel now ranks in the upper tier of SEC head football coaches after two seasons at @Vol_Football. Only Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher and Brian Kelly make more. Heupel was hired at $4 million and bumped to $5 million last year.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 24, 2023

Of course, Heupel does have that 2017 mythical national title on his resume.  None of those other coaches can make that claim.  Although I’m pretty sure none of them coached teams that gave up 63 points to South Carolina, either.

Get thee to a bookmaker…

… and bet the ranch.

I think Vols beat Georgia this year in Neyland. Not worried about college football. With Heupel I think Tennessee will be consistent top ten over next five years or so. Way more optimistic on Vols than Titans. https://t.co/LEffUq8Arh

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 23, 2023

And then bet your momma’s ranch.

“Maybe”

Welp, this article didn’t go where I thought it was going.  I was prepared to unload a massive amount of snark on the suggestion that the Vols were the only real obstacle to keeping Georgia out of the ’23 CFP, but all Toppmeyer wound up with was this:

Supreme talent usually rules the day, though, and few, if any, teams will match Georgia’s 2023 assembly.

Tennessee won’t match that assemblage, but scheme and a rabid crowd can be a bit of an equalizer.

More likely, the Vols become a taller hurdle than most but a hurdle that Georgia nonetheless clears in prolonging its rule.

Or to put it another way,

Age is just a number.

Everybody with that “Stetson Bennett’s 25!  Unfair!” whine — have y’all forgotten something?

“They’re legit,” an SEC coordinator said. “Their defense is more talented than people give them credit for. And that offense, it’s a beast. I don’t know if they’ll be as talented because the Hyatt kid was super special and Hendon Hooker was 25 years old. He should have been a Heisman finalist. What you saw they did in the bowl game with a lot of their backups, they kicked Clemson’s ass.”  [Emphasis added.]

If having an older quarterback in college was all it took for CFP success, the Vols would be even more full of themselves than they already are.