“Any indication on how healthy Shy Tuttle will be come fall camp?” – @binkley_matt
Daniel: I don’t know the exact prognosis, but I do know he’s one of the ones with a little further to go than some of the other injured guys they hope to have back in June. The injury was in mid-October and various medical sites I looked at said the recovery can take between 6-12 months, so you’re looking at a pretty broad timeline there. If I had to guess, he should be ready for the opener, but I’m not 100% sure on that and definitely can’t say he’ll be 100% Day 1 of training camp.
Nathanael: I think it’s a little worse than they originally thought it was, but I don’t think it’s going to hamper his future all that much. He should still be good to go for the first game of the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not starting or is getting tagged out fairly often, especially early on.
“Biggest name to watch this summer on the recruiting trail?” – Spencer Scofield
Daniel: I’m most interested to see what the in-state guys do, particularly Maleik Gray, JaCoby Stevens, Ty Chandler and Trey Smith (I think Tee Higgins will go to Clemson at this point). Also, the running back position in general: Cam Akers, Chandler, (ATH) Chase Hayden, Trey Sermon and others. I think for this class to be a success, the running back position must be addressed in a a big way and Tennessee needs to get at least a few of those in-state guys I mentioned and then build around that.
Nathanael: I’m most going to watch Cam Akers, Ty Chandler, Chase Hayden and Maleik Gray. If the Vols can get two of the RBs and Gray, I think that would be huge for them. They need at least two RBs in this class, and they’re targeting a ton in this class. They can’t afford to miss on a lot of their top targets like they did in the 2016 class.
Stephen: Daniel and Nathanael really hit most of the big time guys to watch. However two really big names to keep an eye on are in the 2018 class: quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Emory Jones. Both could possibly commit this summer some time and will be the centerpiece for the 2018 class.
“There are 137 days until the season opener……WHAT AM I TO DO UNTIL THEN?!?!?” – @nposey23
Erik: Survive. Projects around the house, go out of your way to make wife/significant other happy – best time of the year to earn brownie points for the fall. Spend time with the kids because you’ll basically neglect them from September through December.
Nathanael: I mean if you like baseball, there’s that. But if you don’t…I suggest going out and enjoying nature. Or staying inside and binge watching shows. Whichever floats your boat more.
Stephen: There’s only one logical answer really…Netflix marathons. I have several favorites from The Andy Griffith Show to Criminal Minds. Whatever you like, there is plenty of binge-watching to be had.
“Which newcomer this summer has the best chance to make an impact this year? Which,if any,of them will make the 2 deep by UF?” – @JTRock21
Daniel: I don’t know if he starts, but Johnathan Kongbo is a big part of the pass-rush plan from day one in my opinion. Though the competition has grown there this spring, I still think Nigel Warrior will have a shot to play a lot at one of the safety spots. Every single receiver coming in has a chance to play and make an early impact.
If I had to guess on who will be in two-deep by Florida: Warrior, Kongbo, Marquill Osborne and then 1-2 of the newcomers at receiver (anybody’s guess at this point)
Erik: Nigel Warrior.
Nathanael: Kongbo, to me, has the biggest impact from this class. I think you see Callaway/Byrd make some noise pretty quickly too, and if Jeff George can put on some more weight and learn a few more things, he certainly could too.
For my guess as to who is on the two-deep by the Florida game: Kongbo, Warrior, Osborne, Callaway, George, and a surprise or two most likely.
Stephen: Kongbo and Warrior are both solid picks on defense to break the two-deep. It gets a little trickier on offense, but I could definitely see some receivers like Jeff George, Marquez Callaway or Tyler Byrd (or even all three) making the two-deep by Florida week.
