1. How will they develop players?
This is easily the biggest and most important question facing Tennessee’s new hires. Recruiting hasn’t been an issue since Butch Jones took over as head coach; developing those highly-rated players, however, has been inconsistent at best.
Certain position groups have done a solid, consistent job at developing the talent on the roster. Tennessee’s defensive line and running backs have seen talent brought in and players live up to the hype or perform better than their star rating. Every other position group has seen both good and bad seasons in terms of development and have largely been inconsistent.
Will Tennessee’s new coaches do a better job of teaching the Vols’ players?
It’s one thing to have a ton of talent on the roster. It’s quite another to be able to take that talent and form a cohesive whole that goes out and wins. The Vols’ now have a number of new coaches, and some of those have better track records at player development than others.
The Vols have recruited at a high level over the last four years. There’s plenty of talent on this roster. Now Tennessee’s new coaches have to get the most out of that talent and help teach the young players the nuances of the game.
