The Tennessee Volunteers Football Depth Chart is Out

by Hooper on Aug 29, 2009 10:38 AM EDT in Tennessee Volunteer Football Comment 9 comments

The first real, comprehensive depth chart (pdf) of the Tennessee Volunteers was released yesterday, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press (h/t to Home Sweet Home of Gate21). As expected, freshmen players litter the field, including a listing or two that are surprising even to those following the practices.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

#1 - Jonathan Crompton This we knew, as it was announced on Monday.
#2 - Nick Stephens

Fullback

#1 - Kevin Cooper Cooper is a little shorter and stouter than Johnson, which should help in blocking situations. I don't know how the receiving comparison works out, but protection for the quarterback is probably a high priority until we know how well Crompton performs with the new offense against actual opponents.
#2 - Austin Johnson I'm a little surprised not to see Sam Edgmon given a nod, considering how well he seemed to be catching passes.

Tailback

#1 - Bryce Brown and Montario Hardesty The first surprise to me is the cop-out of listing co-#1s. Even if the very first play against Western Kentucky has both of these players in (and one fullback out), one of the two is still the #2 option for the staff. I still think that, at the moment, Hardesty is the "first-option tailback", but this might be a way to add some publicity for Bryce Brown.

Wide Receiver

#1 - Nu'Keese Richardson Nuke is the only true freshman to have unquestioned ownership of a #1 slot on the offense. Getting the nod over Warren is a testament to his work ethic and his ability to stay healthy through the preseason. I wonder, though, how much of this was influenced by the injury to Gerald Jones and the need to add a little more speed and maneuverability on the field.
#2 - Brandon Warren Stay healthy and practice hard, young man. Coaches don't evaluate training table etiquette when choosing starters.

Wide Receiver

#1 - Quintin Hancock In his senior year, Hancock has a golden opportunity to show Vol Nation that he's as good as he can look in practice. That he is the tall receiver on the field (and not Brandon Warren) is a statement about the premium that the coaching staff placed on practice time.
#2 - Marsalis Teague I wouldn't expect Teague to be far behind right now, with Hancock having the advantage of spring practice to learn more of the playbook. By the time Jones gets back, Teague may very well have moved up (back) to send on the depth chart here.

Tight End

#1 - Luke Stocker Stocker's the better receiver, and Cottam's the better blocker. This may be more informative of the staff's offensive tendencies than the actual comparison between the two.
#2 - Jeff Cottam I have to wonder: if he hadn't been injured all last year, where would Cottam be as a player right now?

Left Tackle

#1 - Chris Scott No surprise here.
#2 - Dallas Thomas The redshirt freshman is the heir apparent and should get some live fire time here and there throughout the season.

Left Guard

#1 - Vladimir Richard I like Vlad, he's a fun guy.
#2 - Cody Pope Another heir apparent, it's notable that Vlad is listed at 300 lb and Pope at 288. This offensive line is going to be much lighter and quicker than last year's, courtesy of a different zone blocking concept.

Center

#1 - Cody Sullins Who might have been #1 even if McNeil hadn't been injured.
#2 - Cory Sullins Learn quickly, young man. Please learn quickly.

Right Guard

#1 - Jacques McClendon where experience again made the difference. The right guard will be critical in the new running game, as he both assists the center in blocking and is the primary blocker to open up most cutback lanes on zone sweep plays. If you're inclined to watch line play, watch him.
#2 - William Brimfield Note, though, that the beef is apparent on the right side of the line. McClendon is 324 and Brimfield is 346. Run blockers, yes.

Right Tackle

#1 - Aaron Douglas and Jarrod Shaw Even more transparent than the co-number 1 running backs - we're not going to see two right tackles on the first play against Western Kentucky. I'm guessing that Douglas has more potential, but Shaw is more polished.

DEFENSE

(Note: I think that the defensive line terms of 'left' and 'right' refer to the left and right as the offense sees them, so the left end lines up against the offense's left tackle, and so on.)

Left End

#1 - Gerald Williams Raise your hand if you saw this coming at the beginning of spring camp, when GW was begging Kiffin to let him play linebacker. It's good to be unblockable.
#2 - Willie Bohannon and Ben Martin Sigh. Another co-listing. I'll stop that now, as you know my feelings.

Left Tackle

#1 - Wes Brown - at 257 pounds, he's one of the lighter starting tackles you'll ever see. This feels much like a pass-rushing tackle, similar to the way the New York Giants line up.
#2 - Andre Mathis - I think Mathis will be in for short-yardage situations.

Right Tackle

#1 - Montori Hughes and Dan Williams Talk of Dan Williams not being the exclusive starter did not begin for a while, and even when Hughes came on strong earlier in the fall camp, it was thought he'd be at left tackle. The staff really like what they see in this new kid, and so do I.

Right Guard

#1 - Chris Walker who has also had a really nice fall, though you don't tend to hear about it as much because of Williams and Hughes.
#2 - Steven Fowlkes The consensus on Fowlkes appear to be that he has a really, really high ceiling but is still developing. If he stays on course, then next year's presumed lineup of Gerald Williams, Hughes, and Fowlkes may be special.

Strongside Linebacker

#1 - LaMarcus Thompson This is not a surprise.
#2 - Greg King That Thompson was the obvious #1 is not a slight on King, though. You don't hear much of him, but it's always been very complimentary. I think he should be at full speed next year.

Middle Linebacker

#1 - Nick Reveiz Even less surprising. The staff loves this guy, and his attitude should be a real emotional boost for the whole defense.
#2 - Herman Lathers It's hard to find information on Lathers, both because the news coverage on linebackers has been almost nonexistent and because Shorty Reveiz has made a better story whenever they did bother mentioning these guys.

Weakside Linebacker

#1 - Rico McCoy Injury didn't keep him from losing his slot. Healthy, he's one of our best and I look forward to seeing him play.
#2 - Savion Frazier I'm curious how close Frazier came to taking the slot when McCoy was hurt. Unfortunately, the lack of news drama here suggests it wasn't as close as I'd hoped.

Left Cornerback

#1 - Anthony Anderson and Mike Edwards I think this really means that Anderson is the #1 for the first couple of games, but Edwards could take it so long as he keeps learning the system.

Right Cornerback

#1 - Art Evans No real surprise here. His name has come up quite a bit during practices, particularly for his interceptions.
#2 - Marsalous Johnson The depth is really nice in the secondary.

Strong Safety

#1 - Eric Berry
#2,436 - Darren Myles, Jr. and Prentiss Waggner Welcome to the competition for the guy that gets to replace Eric Berry next year. Don't worry; we won't be judging you according to Berry. Sure.

Free Safety

#1 - Janzen Jackson and Dennis Rogan I'm still a little surprised that Rogan gets moved around between corner and safety as much as he does. Jack of all trades, master of none? However it works out, I'd like him to have a more permanent home on the roster.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker

#1 - Daniel Lincoln
#2 - Chad Cunningham

Punter

#1 - Chad Cunningham His kicking strength is supposedly much better this year.
#2 - David Harrington
#3 - The Ghost of Colquitts Past

Kickoffs

#1 - Chad Cunningham
#2 - Daniel Lincoln

Punt Returner

#1 Nu'Keese Richardson I guess those worries about ball-catching weren't enough to sway the staff. Hopefully that means he's been catching better.
#2 - Dennis Rogan

Kick Returner

#1 - David Oku
#2 - Dennis Rogan

Deep Snapper

#1 - Morgan Cox
#2 - Nick Guess

Holder

Bram Cannon

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Comments

Seven freshmen as starters or co-starters

Lane Kiffin is a man of his word.

Will - Rocky Top Talk

by Will on Aug 29, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not that he has much of a choice...

by rblakeh on Aug 29, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still surprising when you consider who's not starting in some spots

Dan Williams thought about going pro early, now he’s co-#1 with a freshman. Brent Vinson is a two year starter, and though he hasn’t been fully healthy, he’s nowhere to be found.

Will - Rocky Top Talk

by Will on Aug 29, 2009 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I agree

It really has been an open competition out there. Just what we needed.

The Pahokee Package with Nuke will be great for recruiting.

by rblakeh on Aug 29, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Finally, some FOOTBALL

Fullback: When you add fullbacks to the mix, I firmly believe we have the best backfield in the SEC, maybe the nation. Both of our fullbacks can play, boy. They will have a big year.

Tailback: Some of Kiffins comments have lead me to believe that Hardesty is the solid #1 guy. He and the staff can’t believe he wasn’t the featured back in years prior. Kiffin has wondered, “Can Hardesty gives us 35 carries a game? I don’t know.” So it looks like we’re going to see a heavy dose of Hardesty, with Brown spelling him. Add in Oku for a chance of pace. I think you’ll see Brown and (especially) Oku the most in 3rd down situations.

WR1: I’m not too surprised that Richardson beat out BWar. Kiffin has really wanted to get Richardson on the field, and he is a nice complement to Hancock on the other side. I think we will see 3 wide fairly often, with Nuke in the slot, so I don’t think BWar is going to exactly be riding the bench or anything.

TE: Stocker seems to be very athletic, and he makes a lot of great catches. He also drops a lot of very catchable balls. Hopefully he has softened up his hands a little bit. Our tight ends could have BIG years.

Center: Thank you, Kiffin, for opening up the center competition. We would be all kinds of screwed right now if you hadn’t.

RTackle: Aaron Douglas has a bright future, but he will have some growing pains this year.

Defensive Line: Looks really solid. You don’t see many (any at all?) instances of a guy being a starter just because his backup sucks. I’m positively stoked (and quarterbacks fearful) of Williams and Hughes being co-starters. That is going to be a lethal, lethal pair.

Linebackers: This is probably our most suspect unit on the team (including QB and OLine). Hopefully they can get the job done.

LCB: Mike Edwards is going to be a phenomenal player for us.

RCB: Mr 14 himself has said that Art Evans is going to have a huge year.

SS1: ….
SS2: Darren Myles Jr is an incredible pickup. He’s got a body like a linebacker. He’s either going to be our “Taylor Mays” in the future, or he will actually be moved to linebacker.

FS: Rogan had a rough summer, and had to take care of a lot of academic issues, so he missed a lot of “voluntary” practices. I think he will actually start the first (and most) of the games. He’s a good player, just a little behind.

Punt: I hope Cunningham has sped up his kick time.

Thanks for the compilation, Hooper. I’ve seen the depth chart already, but your format actually made it interesting to read.

by rblakeh on Aug 29, 2009 11:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I see some Gerald Williams / Montori Hughes / Dan Williams / Chris Walker front lines on passing downs that make my spine tingle. I’m not sure you’d need to send a blitzer in with that lineup.

As far as linebackers go, I’m glad that our most suspect unit is sandwiched between two of our best. They won’t need to provide as much support to the other units as they might have done in other years, so they can focus a little more on their responsibilities.

by Hooper on Aug 29, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs