Tennessee Football: How much success will Year 2 of Jeremy Pruitt yield?

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Year two of the Jeremy Pruitt era is officially underway, but how much success will Tennessee football have now that he’s getting his system in place?

Jeremy Pruitt’s first year in Knoxville didn’t quite blow anyone away as he led the Volunteers to a 5-7 overall record, winning two games in the SEC.

Although Tennessee missed a bowl game after starting the year 2-1, it showed promise throughout the year, beating teams like Kentucky and Auburn. The Vols also made things interesting with South Carolina, but getting blown out by West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri and Vanderbilt was disappointing, to say the least.

Jarrett Guarantano showed some improvement and he looks like a kid who could be a top passer in the SEC in 2019 after throwing 12 touchdown passes to just three picks with nearly 2,000 yards in 2018. He has some top weapons returning, too, such as Marquez Callaway, Jauan Jennings, Josh Palmer and Ty Chandler — the top four receivers from a year ago.

Also back are top two leading rushers Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan who each had over 500 yards last season.

The defense returns seven starters to a group that finished No. 49 nationally in yards allowed per game and No. 77 in scoring. The defense is only going to improve and Pruitt will start getting his guys in place, beginning this season.

So what are the expectations for improvement in 2019?

Realistically, the Volunteers could win seven games and missing a bowl game would be a major surprise. They should start the year 3-0 with cakewalk non-conference games before a tough slate at Florida and against Georgia to follow. The remaining winnable games are Mississippi State, South Carolina, UAB, at Kentucky, at Missouri and Vanderbilt.

That’s 8-9 games that the Vols could actually win, especially with a number of key players returning on both sides of the ball and a solid incoming recruiting class.

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How much success will year two of the Pruitt era yield for the Volunteers? Expect a bowl game, at the very least. Tennessee may not be “back” yet, but an eight-win season is not out of the question.