2017 Tennessee Football Season Preview

It's Mid-August and you know what that means! College Football is right around the corner! WE are just 17 days from kickoff at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Atlanta, Georgia where the Tennessee Volunteers will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff.

Coming off a 9-4 record last year, head coach Butch Jones leads his Vols into the 2017 season losing many key players to the NFL Draft, and or graduation. Of those players was quarterback Josh Dobbs, defensive end Derek Barnett, running back Alvin Kamara, cornerback Cam Sutton, and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Those are just a few of the players that the Vols lost. They also lost running back Jalen Hurd who transferred and defensive lineman Danny O'Brien for breaking team rules.

Two of the most important positions on offense are up for grabs this season. Quarterback and running back. Let’s start with quarterback. Josh Dobbs leaves some big shoes that need to be filled. The question is, who will fill them? Or who will attempt to fill them? There are two options: Quinten Dormady, or Jarrett Guarantano. Dormady has been with the program since he was a freshman. He knows the offense, and he’s shown he can play. Last year he appeared in 4 games, throwing for 148 yards, and was 11 for 17. He had 1 rush for 3 yards. That is one thing I’m not very sure of with Dormady. The running game at Tennessee is a huge part of their offense. Tennessee runs a spread offense, an offense where it is helpful to have a dual-threat quarterback. A guy like Josh Dobbs was perfect for this offense because of how dangerous he was in the air and on the ground. If Dormady can’t be successful on the ground most of the running load will go to the running backs and it could be overwhelming for them. My pros for Dormady are that he’s a good passer, he knows the offense, and he’s been with this team for a while now and knows what to expect. His cons are that he isn’t that much of a runner and he’s already a junior. The next option is redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano. Guarantano came to Tennessee last year, but redshirted and will start his freshman season this fall. Guarantano is the opposite of Dormady. He’s a dual-threat quarterback which is why I think he will fit good in the spread offense. Another reason I like Guarantano is because if he starts this year, he will be our starting quarterback for 4 years. Pros for Jarrett are that he’s a dual-threat quarterback, and he’s a freshman. Cons are that he’s inexperienced, he’s young. I like both guys, but in the end I think Quinten Dormady will be the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers for the 2017 season.

The next position in need is running back. Last year the Vols had two running backs, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara. Kamara was drafted in the 3rd round by the New Orleans Saints, and Hurd transferred in the middle of the 2016 season and will attend Baylor this fall. So, who will play running back you ask? Well I’m here to tell you to not worry. Have no fear because John Kelly is here! The junior running back actually led the Vols in rushing last year. In 12 games, Kelly ran for 630 yards, and 5 touchdowns. The Vols also have freshman Ty Chandler. Chandler was the No. 9 running back in the class of 2017, and the No. 6 recruit in Tennessee. He rushed for 2,252 yards, and 39 TD’s as a senior in high school.

The Vols will look to make a run into the postseason this year. I am excited for Tennessee football in 2017 to say the least. UT’s full schedule is listed below with times, and TV listings. My 2017 predictions are also listed below.

9/4 @ Georgia Tech 8:00 pm ESPN *Chick-fil-A Kickoff

9/9 vs Indiana State 4:00 pm SECN *Home Opener

9/16 @ Florida 3:30 pm CBS *Third Saturday in September Rivalry

9/23 vs UMass TBA TBA

9/30 vs Georgia TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game

10/14 vs South Carolina TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game

10/21 @ Alabama TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game

10/28 @ Kentucky TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game

11/4 vs Southern Miss TBA TBA

11/11 @ Missouri TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game

11/18 vs LSU TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game

11/25 vs Vanderbilt TBA TBA *SEC Conference Game