Spring Opponent Review: Tennessee

With spring practices finally wrapping up around the country, Inside the Gators will take a look at where each of Florida’s opponents on its 2017 schedule currently stand coming out of spring ball and heading into the summer.

A few weeks ago, we gave you a closer look at Florida’s season-opening opponent, Michigan, as both teams will kick off the 2017 season in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 2.

Today, we take a closer look at the next big challenge on Florida’s September slate, Tennessee. After entering Knoxville last season with an 11-game winning streak and seeing it snapped in a stunning 38-28 loss, the Gators will have revenge on their minds. This year, Florida hosts Tennessee in The Swamp on Sept. 16.

The Vols finished the 2016 season 9-4 (4-4 SEC) but second in the SEC East race to Florida, once again missing out on a trip to Atlanta. Tennessee also lost some notable contributors at season’s end to the draft, including quarterback Joshua Dobbs, defensive end Derek Barnett, running back Alvin Kamara, cornerback Cameron Sutton, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and wide receiver Josh Malone.

ITG interviewed Volquest.com senior writer Jesse Simonton to get his take on Tennessee coming out of spring practices, which concluded April 22. (You can follow Jesse Simonton on Twitter @JesseReSimonton.)

After the spring, which positions do you think Tennessee feels best about on the roster heading into the 2017 and why?

Simonton: “Tennessee is certainly confident in their offensive line. I think they believe that’s going to be the strength of the team. They had a number of key guys who were actually out this spring, but they believe they’ve built some added depth there. There’s a chance they can start five guys who are actually from the state of Tennessee up front.

“Five-star Trey Smith was an early enrollee who kind of walked in and immediately battled for a spot. He has a good chance of starting at one of the guard spots. There’s kind of an open competition at right tackle with a guy like Marcus Tatum, who’s from Florida, and a couple other guys. So, they certainly feel most confident about the offensive line. They also feel with the addition of Shaq Wiggins, that cornerback has kind of been solidified a bit in terms of adding a grad transfer there."