Quarterback

Gone after ’98:  None

Need:  1-2

 The depth chart for Quarterback at Tennessee next season will have Senior Tee Martin as the starter.  Sophomore Burney Veazey figures to be Martin’s backup, but it’s no secret that the UT coaching staff would love to get Veazey on the field at another position, maybe WR or DB.  If Veazey does not stay at QB, the competition to back up Tee Martin will become a heated one, between Redshirt Freshman Joey Mathews and true freshman A.J. Suggs.  Suggs will graduate from high school at mid-year and enroll at UT, making him available for spring practice.  The Vol coaching staff would still like to sign another highly-rated quarterback in 1999.

Wide Receiver

Gone after ’98:  Peerless Price, Jeremaine Copeland

Need:  3

 The top four receivers in the rotation next year for the Vols will most likely be Juniors Cedrick Wilson and David Martin, Sophomore Eric Parker, and Redshirt Freshman Donte Stallworth.  Others who will vie for playing time are Sophomores Bobby Graham and Kevin Taylor and Redshirt Freshmen Jermaine Kent and Leonard Scott.  Redshirt Freshman Steven Marsh, who was recruited as a DB, will get a look at WR, and Burney Veazey could be tried here also.  Though the Vols will be deep at WR next season, they will also be young and inexperienced.  This position is a critical need for the 1999 recruiting campaign, and Vol coaches are hot on the trail of some of the nation’s top prospects.  Coach Fulmer has said that signing an impact WR could be the key ingredient to keep the Vols in the championship hunt next season.

Tight End

Gone after ’98:  Antron Peebles

Need:  1, if any at all

 Tennessee has used the tight end as a sixth offensive lineman for three straight seasons now.  Eric Diogu, Tennessee’s starting TE the last two seasons, has caught only one pass in his entire UT career.  Backup John Finlayson has caught a couple of passes this season, taking one in for a TD against Houston.  Next season, Diogu will be a senior and Finlayson, a redshirt sophomore.  Neil Johnson will be a junior; he showed promise in spring and fall practices but has not been much of a factor so far this season.  Edward Kendrick was one of last year’s highly regarded signees; he is said to be athletic with soft hands.  He’ll be a Redshirt Freshman next year and could bring some ability to the position.  Tennessee does not really need to sign a tight end this year, but there are a couple of national recruits that are looking at the Vols, as well as a great-looking instate prospect, George Potter of Crossville.

Offensive Line

Gone after ’98:  Jarvis Reado, Mercedes Hamilton, Diron Robinson

Need:  3-4

 Next year’s offensive line will be a veteran group, with all five starters having started games in the SEC before.  Center Spencer Riley and Left Tackle Chad Clifton will be seniors who have been starters since their freshman years.  Right Guard Cosey Coleman will be a true junior in his third year as a starter, and Right Tackle Josh Tucker will be a senior who has started games against SEC opponents, having filled in for Jarvis Reado this season.  The only position that will be breaking in a new starter is Left Guard, where Captain Mercedes Hamilton will be lost to graduation.  The most likely player to fill that spot will be Sophomore Fred Weary, who is expected to move over from the defensive line.  Though Weary has been a solid DT, Coach Fulmer has wanted Fred on the OL since he was a freshman signee.  Fulmer and many other observers think Weary has the talent to become All-SEC at center or guard for the Volunteers.  Tennessee appears to be set relatively well at the tackle position for next season, with Sophomore Reggie Coleman and Redshirt Freshmen Will Ofenheusle and Tim Hodges providing quality depth.  At guard, Juniors Toby Champion and Bernard Gooden return along with Redshirt Freshman Reggie Ridley, recruited as a DT but recently switched to the OL.  Walk-on Ethan Massa, a Junior who has good size and experience at Guard, also figures into the mix.

Running Back

Gone after ’98:  Shawn Bryson

Need:  1-2

 The Vols did not sign a running back prospect in 1998 (except for Kurston Biggers, who will most likely make his mark as a defensive back at UT) and quite honestly don’t need to sign an impact player at the position in 1999 either.  UT continues to ride the wave of success at RB that was signed in the 1997 class.  It began with JUCO fullback Phillip Crosby, who came to the Vols as a midterm enrollee that year and participated in spring practice.  Crosby will be a senior next year.  Along with Sophomore Will Bartholomew, Crosby provides great size, experience and blocking ability to the fullback position.  The aforementioned Biggers is also listed at fullback; he will be a RS Freshman.

 At Tailback, the Vols have a talented trio of juniors to rival any backfield in the nation.  Jamal Lewis gained 1,364 yards as a true freshman and was averaging about 150 yards a game when he went down to a season-ending knee injury.  Lewis projects to make a full recovery and be back to his superstar form by next fall.  Travis Henry and Travis Stephens have been spectacular in relief.  And, Tennessee already has a verbal commitment from Battle Ground Academy’s Troy Fleming, who is likely to end his career as the #2 rusher in the history of high school football nationwide.

Defensive Line

Gone after ’98:  Jeff Coleman, Ron Green, Corey Terry

Need:  3-4

 Despite the loss of Terry, who currently leads the SEC in sacks, and Coleman, who has been terrific at DT, the Vols figure to have one of the most deep and talented defensive lines in the nation next season.  The reason?  Tennessee signed what is most likely the finest collection of DL talent in the country in 1998, and two of those potential superstars have not even played in a game yet.  The starting lineup next year should have Senior Shaun Ellis and Sophomore Bernard Jackson at DE, and Senior Darwin Walker and Sophomore John Henderson at DT.  Sophomore Will Overstreet and Senior Billy Ratliff are also good enough to be starters and will see plenty of quality time.  Junior Deangelo Lloyd and Redshirt Freshmen Rashad Moore and Omari Hand will be in the rotation.  Sophomore Ed Butler and Redshirt Freshman Joe Reid will compete for playing time, and Senior Roger Alexander, a Leonard Little-like pass rush specialist, will make his mark on passing downs.  The Vols have a tremendous mix of veterans and talented youngsters, and should continue to rotate 10-plus players on the DL, keeping the heat on the enemy using John Chavis’s pressure defensive schemes.

Linebacker

Gone after ’98:  Al Wilson

Need: 4
 
 Although losing Wilson will have a great impact, the Vols have numbers at LB for ’99.  Quality of the reserves remains suspect, but this year’s UT team has used a new philosophy, playing numerous players at LB, often using reserves at critical times in a game.  This strategy has obviously been one of building quality depth, especially at LB, and has been key to the aggressive defensive attitude that has marked this Tennessee squad.

 Who will fill Wilson’s shoes at MLB next season?  That will be one of the most debated questions among observers of the Vols during spring and fall practices.  Senior Shawn Johnson should return from the broken lower leg he suffered against Syracuse, and his ability and experience put him first in line for the job.  Juniors Chris Ramseur and  Austin Kemp, Senior Roger Alexander, and Redshirt Freshman Travis Colston may have something to say about that, though.

 At OLB, the Vols are set with veteran starters in Senior Raynoch Thompson and Junior Eric Westmoreland.  Junior Dominique Stevenson, Sophomore Andre James, and Redshirt Freshman Keyon Whiteside will provide depth.  The 1998 Vols have been characterized by a noticeable dropoff in talent when the starting LB corps are out of the game.  This trend could continue in 1999; there is an opportunity for a true impact signee to see quality playing time at linebacker.

Defensive Backs

Gone after ’98:  Steve Johnson, Tim Sewell

Need:  2

 Even though graduation losses are minimal after 1998, next year’s Vol secondary will be loaded with seniors, meaning that in 2000, the secondary could need numbers.  But, in large part, this need was addressed in ’98, as the Vols signed five quality DB recruits.  Willie Miles and Shawn Seabrooks were nationally-rated corners, and Teddy Gaines of Kingsport was the state’s best cover corner.  Tad Golden of Georgia has already played himself into the two-deep at free safety.

 The Vol secondary next year will have Senior Dwayne Goodrich as one starting cornerback.  The other corner spot will most likely be manned by either Junior Andre Lott or Sophomore Willie Miles.  The safeties will be the same as this season, Junior FS Deon Grant and Senior SS Fred White.  Grant may be considering a jump to the NFL following the ’99 campaign.  Seniors Derrick Edmonds and Micki Allen will be quality backup safeties, along with Golden.  Gerald Griffin will be a senior; he can play either safety or corner, and has proven his worth as a key reserve many times.  Buck Fitzgerald will be a junior; he will be in the 2-deep at CB.  Junior Tyrone Graham, pencilled in at CB but mostly playing on special teams, returns also.

Specialists

Gone after ’98:  Jeff Hall, Benson Scott

Need: 1 (Kicker)
 
 The loss of Hall, who won Tennessee’s first two games with last-second field goals, will have a big impact.  Scott, a walk-on, has been Hall’s holder for the past three seasons, and he won’t be easily replaced, either.  Robert Loudermilk, a senior, and Seth Reagan, a redshirt freshman, will compete for Hall’s job.  The Vols could very well be in the market for another kicker in this recruiting campaign, depending on how secure the coaching staff feels with Loudermilk and Reagan.  Punter David Leaverton will be a junior, and he seems to be solid.  Deep snapper Kevin Gregory, another key special teamer, returns for his senior season.
 

Total Needs:  18 (min) to 23 (max); Tennessee has 13 senior scholarship players who will be exhausting their eligibility this year, and 3 players who have already left the team (Anthony Hampton, Jerrod Hayden, and Kenny Smith).  Considering the normal attrition that hits the Vols in the off-season, look for the Vols to have close to 20 scholarships to give and to sign about that many players.  The Vols may oversign a few, depending on the academic standing of some of their targets.
 

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