Whip out your sunglasses Volunteer fans because the future of the Tennessee offense looks very bright. The Volunteers are coming in hot with a huge win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Taxslayer bowl, the Vols’ first bowl win since 2007. With most of their starters returning on offense and defense, and with the third ranked recruiting class in the nation, (247Sports.com) there is almost too much hype going into the 2015 season for the Vols.
The offensive line was clearly the Achilles heel of the Volunteer football team last season, but with 4-star Tackle Jack Jones and 5-star 2014 JUCO transfer Dontavius Blair, some of the OL’s problems should be fixed. With the aforementioned incoming help and a full offseason to prepare, the OL should be the most improved in 2015.
If they do improve, even a little bit, the Volunteer offense will be a nightmare for defensive coordinators. With dual-threat QB Josh Dobbs under center to go along with arguably the best receiving corps in the nation with the returns of Marques North, Jason Croom, Pig Howard, Von Pearson plus the young talent of Josh Malone along with incoming 5-star receiver Preston Williams, the passing game will be set. If Dobbs can turn his arm into a cannon on the long ball, the passing options for him down-field will be insane.
As for the running game, the only returning scholarship running back will be Jalen Hurd, but he will be joined by the 2nd ranked JUCO running back in the nation, Alvin Kamara. If Hurd and Kamara get some good blocks and some room to run, they could be the 1-2 punch that Tennessee has been looking for. Add that to the magic show that Dobbs performs every game and the future of the offense could be very bright indeed.
