Skinny - Its time to put up or shut up for Lane Kiffin. Kiffin was the most publicized coach this off-season for all his minor violations and poking at the coaches of conference foes. Although Kiffin failed as the Raiders' coach, he was a very successful coordinator at USC and proved in his short recruiting time frame that he could bring in the talent. He managed to land one of the nation's crown jewels in running back Bryce Brown. Although they may be a year or two away from making some serious noise in the SEC, Kiffin seems to have the talent coming in to push the conference's big boys pending Kiffin manages to stay out of trouble with the NCAA. Tennessee finally ran off Phil Fulmer last season after a rocky last few seasons will the Vols. The Volunteers could surprise some people this year, but the key will be how Jonathan Crompton responds to Kiffin and if he can improve dramatically from last season. Kiffin was unable to bring in any quarterbacks, so he's stuck with what Fulmer left in the cupboard. Tennessee had one of the best defenses in the nation last season and Eric Berry, one of the best players in the country, returns to lead the unit. Berry is a dynamic player that should be a top 10 player in next year's draft.
Strength - Running Back Talent
Montario Hardesty should start the season as the starter and he'll be solid, as he has been in relief to Arian Foster the last few years but its the talent of the two incoming freshman that will be scary for years to come for SEC foes. Bryce Brown is considered by many to be the best and most explosive running back prospect in the class. Already 215 pounds, he looks physically ready to compete right off the bat and could reach 1000 yards his freshman season. He will be complemented by fellow true freshman David Oku, another highly touted running back prospect, who could play more of a third down back role. Tennessee fans watched Foster struggle in his last season in Knoxville and are ready for the duo of Brown and Oku to lead the team.
Weakness - Quarterback
Jonathan Crompton was a big time recruit coming out of high school and Vol fans, accustomed to good quarterbacking play, expected good things last season out of Crompton but he failed to live up to any expectations. Nick Stephens got a chance to prove his worth during mid-season, but he failed too at giving Tennessee fans hope and the Volunteers hit rock bottom losing to Wyoming by scoring only 7 points after scoring single digits the previous two weeks to Alabama and South Carolina. They did win the last two games but it wasn't good enough to make them bowl eligible. The quarterbacks had just a 8-9 TD-INT ratio last season, which wasn't going to cut it when running back Arian Foster fell apart in his senior season. Crompton has one last chance to prove himself and his hype this season and his only competition will be Nick Stephens, so there won't be much pressure on his back.
Key Game - 10/10/09 Georgia
The Vols only have 4 away games this year although they got unlucky and three of those games feature Florida, Alabama, and Ole Miss. The Volunteers should aim to steal one of those games and win all their home games. Georgia will also be rebuilding their offense this season, so Tennessee needs to steal one from the Bulldogs at home in a matchup that precedes pivotal games @Alabama and versus South Carolina. Tennessee's freshman should have gained some valuable experience at this point in the season and their impact could define this game and the rest of Tennessee's season.
Key Player - Jonathan Crompton
This team is going to live and die on quarterback play. Crompton had only a 51.5 completion percentage last season with a 4-5 TD-INT ratio. He split time with Stephens and was held to 889 passing yards, but the two of them combine for less than 1800 yards. Crompton should get a lot of coaching help from Kiffin, considering he was a quarterback himself and had a very successful run as offensive coordinator at USC. Kiffin will work on showcasing Crompton's strengths, but how much will last season stick in Crompton's mind. Crompton was constantly bashed last season and there was a story this offseason of him receiving death threats through his struggles last season. Will he be able to put the past behind him and thrive with a better supporting cast?
Impact Freshman - Bryce Brown
Predicted SEC finish - 3rd (East)
Top 5 Players
1. SS Eric Berry
2. C Josh McNeil
3. DT Dan Williams
4. LB Rico McCoy
5. RB Bryce Brown
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