Jeremy Pruitt is looking to stabilize the Tennessee football program after a disastrous 2018. Will his 2019 cohort be enough to get the Volunteers back on track?
2018 Tennessee football was weird. After a fiasco in the offseason regarding who their head coach would be, the Volunteers put up a majorly disappointing campaign, finishing last in the SEC East at 5-7. Among those five wins, though, came major upsets over No. 21 Auburn and No. 11 Kentucky. However, the Volunteers just scraped by Charlotte 14-3 at home.
To say the program was a bit unstable would be an understatement.
Head coach Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee fans are both relieved 2018 is behind them, and the program is ready to bring wins back to Rocky Top in 2019. Dysfunction didn’t seem to affect the class Tennessee is bringing in, as the Vol’s class ranks 15th in the country; a class that is very offense-heavy.
12 recruits play offense, while just nine are on the defensive side. This lopsided number comes with a purpose, as Tennessee’s offense in 2018 was dreadful. The Volunteers ranked 121st in total offense, right in between Texas State and San Jose State (both teams combined for a 0.200 winning percentage and two conference wins).
Among these offensive recruits are four-star athlete Quavaris Crouch (Charlotte, NC) and wide receiver Ramel Keyton (Marietta, GA). Both players are expected to make an impact on the passing offense, which ranked 96th with under 200 passing yards per game.
The two most important recruits, though, come from the offensive line, with five-star tackle Wanya Morris (Loganville, GA) and four-star Jackson Lampley (Nashville, TN) joining the front. Tennessee’s line only allowed the offense to gain 1,549 rushing yards all season, which was less than five individual backs had in 2018. The 129 rush yards per game is good enough for 113th in the country, inexcusable for an SEC program.
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is making a return but amassed just 1,907 yards all of last season. Three-star Brain Maurer (Ocala, FL) isn’t expected to make a run at the starting spot but could prove to be useful in the coming years.
To get this program turned around, it will take a lot more than this class, which ranks just seventh in the SEC.
Grade: C+