JD PicKell: Tennessee fans are cautious entering 2022 season
With how the Jeremy Pruitt era ended in Knoxville, the Tennessee program was in desperate need of some energy during the 2021 season. Head coach Josh Heupel was able to bring some hope back for the Volunteers, achieving a surprising seven-win season and carrying some momentum into this fall.
However, according to On3’s J.D. PicKell, Tennessee fans are going to be cautious entering the 2022 season. Teams can occasionally struggle to live up to expectations in a second year under a head coach, especially after surpassing them in Year On3. PicKell thinks the Volunteer faithful understand the situation well and could be prepping for a similar type of year.
“In terms of the fan base, it’s a little bit of a different sentiment,” PicKell said. “Not in the sense that they don’t think they’re ready to take the next step but there is some caution involved. And I think that can best be explained as they’re worried there’s going to be a sophomore slump under Josh Heupel. They know they have so many pieces, they know Hendon Hooker is the man but after the first year, they’re worried.
“‘Okay, did we just kind of sneak up on people? Is the issue that we were just the surprised guess in the SEC? We wreck shop in Year One in terms of our expectations, winning seven games. And then, now people know what Hendon Hooker brings to the table. Now they know what Josh Heupel has under the hood, now they know what this offense is going to bring. So, now we just kind of plateau.'”
Hype with Tennessee could lead to sense of plateau in Knoxville
Outside of Heupel, there is one name generating a lot of buzz for Tennessee — quarterback Hendon Hooker. Already dubbed as one of the top signal callers in the country, let alone the SEC, Hooker is going to bring the offense to a whole new level as his first full season as the starter kicks off in September.
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While PicKell may not agree with the sentiment, he thinks Tennessee fans understand Hooker will be electric but the results may not be there. The want for progress is no doubt palpable but at the end of the day, seven wins once again may be on the docket.
“The worry is that it’s not going to be what’s cracked up in your mind,” said PicKell. “Because now there is so much opportunity to hype up Tennessee. So much opportunity to say ‘Hendon Hooker is winning the Heisman. But in 2022, we’re just left holding the same thing we were in 2021. That’s seven wins.’ That’s not what they want at Tennessee. Obviously, they want to grow, they want to progress.
“They want to win more than seven games but the concern is ‘are we a seven-win team and we just reached that under Year One of Heupel? I don’t subscribe to that, I don’t believe that’s the case but that’s the concern internally. They’re still excited about the season, don’t get me wrong. They’re juiced for football is Knoxville but they’re worried they’re going to plateau. That’s the pulse of the fan base, at least.”
Tennessee annually has one of the toughest schedules in the country. Alabama is their SEC West crossover game, while Georgia is in there as well. Add Pittsburgh in the nonconference and the Volunteers have a tough task ahead of them.