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Tennessee’s magical 2022 season ran out of steam at the very end, but what a ride it was. Today, Clint Eiland and I will look back on some of the highs and lows, along with a look back at our preseason predictions to see how they shook out.
Let’s dive right in.
Offensive MVP
Clint: QB Hendon Hooker
There was actually a bit of a debate here on who should receive offensive MVP. Jalin Hyatt going for 1,267 yards, 15 touchdowns, and winning the Biletnikoff award made this much closer than you would think.
But at the end of the day, it has to go to the signal caller behind arguably the best offense in the country. Hendon Hooker took his game to the next level in 2022, and brought offensive success that the program had never seen prior to him. His command of the offense helped Josh Heupel and staff run the peak version of the system, while also giving them new wrinkles to work with. It’s hard to imagine any quarterback next year stepping up to the level that Hooker was. It might take a couple seasons before they can begin to discuss it. For now, Hooker’s 2022 season will go down in the Tennessee history books.
Terry: QB Hendon Hooker
As good as Jalin Hyatt was, he doesn’t get there without the masterful play of Hendon Hooker. We expected a big year from Hooker in year two after such a great 2021, and he sure delivered. Complete command of the offense — total trust from the staff. Decision-making, accuracy, game-changing runs. Hendon did it all, and it’s still completely ridiculous he didn’t have the chance to go to New York.
Defensive MVP
Clint: LB Aaron Beasley
This may have been the toughest award to select. There’s a lot of guys on the team who may not get the numbers in the stats sheet, but were an integral part of the defense. So we have to try and balance between flash and substance.
To that point, here’s what I can say about Beasley. He absolutely passed the eye test when watching Tennessee’s defense. He was quick, decisive, and packed a punch whenever he stepped on the field. He may have only recorded one sack on the year, but got double digit quarterback hurries. His total tackles went down (64), and yet he actually increased his tackles for loss (9). Finally, if you don’t take my word for it, I can tell you that Pro Football Focus gave Beasley consistently higher marks than a lot of his counterparts.
I think that Beasley was the key—or one of the keys—to Tennessee’s run defense massively improving this past season. If the defensive line didn’t get a solid push, Beasley was right there, willing to make the play himself.
All this being said, I could certainly see an argument for someone like Omari Thomas. He had a similar impact on games when he was on the field. He also didn’t have the flashy stats that people love. But he also illustrates why someone like Beasley is so important. Beasley took a ton of snaps, and he was on the field for a vast majority of the games. That gives him a certain higher value than other players.
Terry: DT Omari Thomas
I sat here and thought about this question for more time than I care to admit, and landed on Thomas. I think it’s easy to forget how good this defensive front was early in the year. Legitimately, it was a strength of this team for the first half. Eventually, they did seem to wear down, and issues in the secondary finally spilled over.
The ugly truth is that nobody is truly deserving here. However, Thomas was a consistent disrupter in the middle of the defensive line. Sometimes that doesn’t always show up on a statsheet, either. Thomas did find two sacks from his interior spot and batted down four passes. He was credited with 25 total tackles.
Honorable mention: Star Tamarion McDonald. A complete unknown entering the year, McDonald played a ton and was really productive. He came up with 50 tackles and defended six passes on the year.
Most Impactful Freshman
Clint: WR Squirrel White
This was a split decision. The two main contenders are Dylan Sampson and Squirrel White. Both were true freshmen, and both got significant playing time as the season went on. Sampson had 61 touches for 421 yards and six touchdowns, while White had 21 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown. So why am I choosing White?
I’m giving White the edge because of the room in front of him. That is not to diminish Sampson’s contribution. It is simply pointing out that the wide receiver room was deeper and more experienced than the running back room. White’s ability to break through that log jam in the second string behind Jalin Hyatt, Bru McCoy, and Cedric Tillman shows why big-name programs were trying to flip him down the stretch. They saw the potential that Tennessee’s staff spotted early.
Terry: WR Squirrel White
It took us several games to see, but the hype around White seems real. He was the only freshman receiver that earned the trust of the staff to play, and when he did, his talent was evident. The speedster flashed over and over in garbage time, and now it certainly seems like he might just become the new Jalin Hyatt (assuming Hyatt does declare).
Tennessee didn’t go deep into their receiver rotation at all, but beyond that top four veteran core, White was pretty clearly the next option. All aboard the hype train for 2023.
Most Impactful Transfer
Clint: WR Bru McCoy
Now we know why Tennessee’s staff was relieved to get clarity on Bru McCoy‘s eligibility status in the preseason. The former 5-star had not lived up to expectations out west, and found himself in some legal trouble before departing. It was a real question of why the staff felt he could be so valuable in this offense.
48 receptions, 619 yards, and three touchdowns later, we have our answer.
Whatever McCoy lacked in touchdowns, he made up for in the dependability. McCoy had some of the best hands in the receiving unit, and he always seemed to be in the right position when Tennessee needed a crucial first down. Whereas Hyatt had the game-breaking touchdown receptions, McCoy had the reliable 10 to 11 yards that would help the offense get in rhythm. His performances against Florida and LSU in back to back games should not go unheralded.
Terry: Bru McCoy
Honestly, I wasn’t completely sold that McCoy would just walk in here and play, but that’s exactly what he did. He started from game No. 1, proving to be a vital part of the Tennessee attack. He brought something different to the table, adding physicality and toughness to the room. McCoy came up with several tough catches throughout the year, keeping the chains moving to set up big plays. His deep catch against Pittsburgh stands out, and obviously he was the man responsible for hauling in Hooker’s pass to set up the Alabama game winner.
He’s got a season left too, and with Tillman and Hyatt (likely) out the door, McCoy could be in for big volume next year.
Biggest Surprise
Clint: OT Jeremiah Crawford
My pick here is a little off-the-wall. But I think the guys up front deserve some recognition. Crawford came to Tennessee last year as a reserve lineman and made zero starts. He played 135 snaps overall, and was expected to repeat that role this season.
Then, spring practice and fall camp happened. By all accounts, Crawford was legitimately competing for the starting left tackle spot. While transfer Gerald Mincey did eventually get the starting nod, Crawford stepped in after Mincey got injured. Crawford promptly showed what all the hype was about, and turned in solid performances against some of the tougher opponents on the Volunteers’ schedule. By the time the regular season had wrapped up, Crawford had started in six of the last seven, and may have locked up a starting job for next year.
Considering the expectations when he signed as a 3-star out of JUCO, the ROI for Crawford is enormous. Tennessee found themselves an SEC caliber tackle out of nowhere. That’s a dang good scouting job by the staff.
Terry: WR Jalin Hyatt
Look, literally anyone with a brain was picking Hyatt to have a breakout season. But did anyone see a Biletnikoff Award coming down the pipe? Absolutely not. We knew Jalin had some big talent and elite speed, but what he did for this offense while Cedric Tillman was sidelined was so special. Even when focus should have been all on him, Heupel and Golesh still found ways to make him the focal point of the offense.
He flat out beat secondaries time after time, and then other times he was schemed wide open. It’s not all that often you see a 6-0, 185 pound guy take over SEC games, but Hyatt did that a couple of times this year.
It was a shocking, massive leap forward for Hyatt, and he’s set to be rewarded in April if he chooses to leave early.
Biggest Disappointment
Clint: The safeties (Trevon Flowers, Jaylen McCollough)
It was hard choosing just one player on the defense, so I went with the double dose. Both Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough were not what we anticipated coming into this year. We knew they weren’t amazing in coverage, but we didn’t expect them to get worse. They were supposed to be the most veteran and experienced part of the secondary.
Yet they looked just as lost as any of the freshmen or transfers that Tennessee tried to plug and play. We can harp on the issues at cornerback and coaching all day, but Tennessee was clearly expecting more from their senior duo in the backend.
Terry: Secondary development
All offseason long, we knew there was a problem brewing. Tennessee had a big need at cornerback, and a couple of veteran safeties returning that frankly were weak links last season. None of that changed in 2022.
Warren Burrell struggled early before getting hurt. Kamal Hadden, Christian Charles, Doneiko Slaughter, Brandon Turnage all saw time, but the results remained the same. Both Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough struggled in run support, particularly with angles.
We’re now two years into the Tim Banks/Willie Martinez paring in the secondary and we still have more questions than answers. However, Tennessee has a nice looking secondary group coming in and I’m pretty interested to see if anyone can find the field early on. The Volunteers just need a shot of talent here, it seems.
Best Moment
Clint: Chase McGrath’s game winning field goal against Alabama.
There’s no other choice here. 15 years of frustration, of losses, of rivalry heartbreakers, of anguish, of directionless wandering...wiped away with a swing of Chase McGrath’s leg. The fans rushing the field. The fireworks. The goalposts coming down with a swiftness. And the waft of cigar smoke emanating from the home locker room.
Terry: The LSU blowout
(Of course Clint is right, the ‘Bama win was the best moment, but this was a close second.)
Early on this year, we kept waiting for the trip up moment. At Pitt, vs. Florida, at LSU — the loss never came. In fact, in that strange noonkick at LSU, Tennessee arrived back onto the national stage. The Volunteers left no doubt, and that huge win really set the stage for the iconic Alabama victory.
Seeing Death Valley empty out and hearing Rocky Top over anything else was a special moment that got everyone believing.
BONUS: Looking back on our preseason predictions
Clint: Terry and I teamed up four months ago for a similar article. While not as extensive, we did try and predict the best players for the 2022 season. The link to the article is here if you want to read the whole thing.
Spoiler alert: Terry ran circles around me.
While we were in agreement on Offensive MVP (Hooker) and Breakout Player of the Year (Hyatt), we had differing selections for the Most Impactful Transfer category and Most Impactful Freshman category.
For the freshman category, Terry liked Dylan Sampson. I selected Justin Williams-Thomas. The former was mentioned above as a near winner of the award. The latter has entered the transfer portal.
I chose Gerald Mincey as my transfer impact player prediction. Mincey did contribute a good amount—although the injury bug caught up with him a bit. Meanwhile, Terry went with the wise option and had Bru McCoy as his pick. 2-0, Terry takes a commanding lead.
Finally, we had a differing opinion on how Tennessee could win 10+ games in 2022. I alleged that the best way of doing so would be with defensive improvement. I said, if the defense could get to “average”, they could make waves.
I don’t think I was as wrong as it might appear—the defense improved greatly in some areas and declined in others—but the fact of the matter is, the ratings systems suggest that Tennessee’s defense saw little overall improvement. That makes my prediction a bust.
Meanwhile Terry’s thought process of “if September goes well” turned out true. But even more than that...look at the final blurb.
A 4-0 start gives you a pretty decent path to 9-3, leaving the door open to spring an upset to get to 10-2. All of that is possible with Hendon Hooker running the show.
We are in the midst of a clairvoyant, folks.
Terry: Clint is too kind, ha! I kind of cheated on my answer, taking a different route than he intended. I just saw a big opportunity with how the schedule played out. No slip-ups in September left two likely losses on the schedule — Alabama and Georgia. LSU and Kentucky were left as toss-ups. We know it turned out a little differently from there.
Don’t be too impressed, I only picked them to win eight games in our actual record predictions. But I did see some special potential — battered Vol syndrome is real, though.
Do you agree with our selections? Disagree? Think we missed someone? Sound off in the comments.
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