The Tennessee Volunteers look to have an overall rebuilding season in front of them in 2017, but what are the additional reasons why they will not be good?
The Tennessee Volunteers do not have the same hype train entering the 2017 season that they did in 2016 or 2015.
Expectations have been tempered due to the loss of quarterback Joshua Dobbs, running backs Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd, cornerback Cam Sutton, defensive end Derek Barnett, etc. Head coach Butch Jones has also yet to meet expectations over the past few years.
Tennessee’s fan base has to be getting impatient with the results that Jones has put on the field over the last two seasons. It became apparent very quick that the Vols were not the team many expected them to be when they kicked things off against Appalachian State as a heavy favorite and barely came away with a victory.
No disrespect against a tremendously underrated program in Appalachian State but Tennessee was expected to be a top 10 team and the Mountaineers did not have the same type of talent.
Once again, Tennessee has the hype of a top 25 team and will likely be ranked that way to start the 2017 season. Only time will tell if the Vols get inside the AP and Coaches Polls to kick things off but we’ll find out very fast how good they actually are.
The big questions remain with the quarterback situation and replacing leaders on defense. We know that running back John Kelly has the potential to do something great this year. However, can either Jarrett Guarantano or Quentin Dormady run the show like Dobbs did during his three year tenure as the starting quarterback.
Now, let’s take a look at five reasons why the Tennessee Volunteers will stink in 2017.