Good news for Tennessee Volunteers:He’s back
Tennessee’s chances of landing an elite 5-star recruit could be harmed by their recent “good news.”
On Monday night, the Tennessee Vols got some excellent news. But, might that good news hurt their chances of attracting one of their top remaining 2024 recruiting targets?
offensive tackling On Monday night, John Campbell made the announcement that he would be playing his final season of eligibility in Tennessee. After starting 10 games at left tackle for the Vols in 2023, Campbell should continue to hold down that position in 2024.
It’s fantastic news for Tennessee that Campbell will be returning for another season. According to Pro Football Focus, the Miami transfer graded out as Tennessee’s second-best pass blocker in 2023 (72.8), trailing only right guard Javontez Spraggins (76.8).
However, Jordan Seaton, a five-star offensive tackle in 2024, may make a decision soon in light of Campbell’s return.
Seaton wants early “position availability” and will make his announcement on Thursday. One of Seaton’s best options, Ohio State, is able to provide the gifted recruit with that come fall.
After visiting Ohio State this past weekend, Seaton told On3 that “the biggest highlight for me was the position availability they (Ohio State) will have next year.” The squad is made up of a large number of seniors as well as guys who are considered developmental players and will need to wait a year or two to get a chance. They believe that I am an easy-to-install guy.”
Although right tackle Gerald Mincey, who has one more season of eligibility left, is anticipated to return in 2024, Tennessee may have a right tackle opening. However, Seaton probably prefers to play left tackle (most five-star offensive tackles are targeting left tackle because it’s the position on the offensive line that pays the highest salary in the NFL).
In the end, I don’t believe Seaton’s choice will be significantly impacted by Campbell’s return. It might be a “tiebreaker” for the outstanding offensive tackle prospect if he is evenly split between Ohio State and Tennessee.
Fans of the Vols won’t have to wait long to find out, which is good news. Seaton is scheduled to make his announcement on Thursday.
READ MORE
“Taking More Pride” in Returning Vols to Program’s Heights: Tennessee Players
In the winter of 2021, Josh Heupel and his team moved to Knoxville, and the Tennessee football program appeared to be in terminal decline. Ten years into its difficulties, Tennessee had reached yet another low point. Josh Heupel took over a program that was under investigation by the NCAA and had just finished a 3–7 campaign.
Heupel was Tennessee’s fifth coach, and his goal was to return the Vols to the level they had under head coach Phillip Fulmer. And for Heupel, things have gone well over the course of 2.5 seasons.
Tennessee exceeded expectations in his debut season, returned to prominence in the United States with an 11-2 (6-2 SEC) 2022 campaign, and went on a crucial three-game winning streak to finish the season ranked in the top 15.
Rodney Garner, the defensive line coach for the Vols, has a distinct viewpoint on Tennessee’s comeback. During the height of Tennessee’s program in the 1990s, he was employed by Fulmer. Having coached in the SEC for thirty years, Garner is well-versed in what it takes to succeed in the hardest conference in the country.
Tuesday at a media availability, Garner offered an insightful analysis of his observations regarding the Vols’ program revival.
We are fortunate to have some excellent young men. I believe that men have been demoralized. Tennessee had not returned to its former elite status for a very long time, according to Garner.Therefore, I thought it was fantastic that we won seven games, especially considering how many guys were new to us that first season. When I compare it to last year and observe the progress, I believe they are becoming more proud of returning the program to its rightful place.
Any program can benefit from player leadership, and Josh Heupel has stressed this point ever since he became head coach. Tennessee has benefited from the COVID-19 eligibility relief in that sense.
Garner remarked, “These kids have bought into it.” “They are attending to the minor details. The locker room is where leadership is beginning to emerge, and in this league, I believe that any successful program must be peer-led. As coaches, we don’t mind taking the lead, but we also need to be honest with ourselves. We need the kids to buy into it and hold each other accountable for it to be really effective. Our guys, in my opinion, have done a far better job of that. We can move the needle and continue where we left off instead of having to start over every day as though we’re at day one.
Given that Garner is not a fan of coach speak, his explanation is particularly persuasive. Of all the Tennessee football coaches, the seasoned defensive line coach is the most forthright and honest when speaking with the media. He usually doesn’t compliment players or his team as a whole just to be nice. However, he is willing to be critical of players when he feels it is necessary.
His final responses to the question reflected that honesty. Tennessee still has a long way to go before reaching their desired destination, Garner stressed.
“We all know there’s still a long way to go,” Garner remarked. We must keep getting better at every aspect of our game. We are never going to be content. Not that we’ve accomplished anything to be happy with,
Garner’s analysis is accurate. The ultimate goal is for Tennessee to win a championship, which it hasn’t done yet. The Vols host Georgia, the two-time defending national champion, at Neyland Stadium in two weeks after playing a top-15 road game this weekend. In the event that Tennessee loses both of those games, the storylines surrounding this season and Heupel’s tenure will shift somewhat.
If you were to tell any Tennessee supporter that Heupel would finish with a 25-10 record in his first 35 games, they would have always accepted it.
Garner’s analysis of the events is fascinating and offers a thorough glimpse into Heupel’s intended program development.
Related Posts
About The Author
