University of Tennessee has to fill key roster spots before ’08 opener

KNOXVILLE — Phillip Fulmer’s annual media golf tournament got off to its typical start early Friday morning.

The University of Tennessee’s football coach stepped behind a podium at the Gettysvue Golf, Polo and Country Club, wasting little time before finding his coach-speak groove.

Moments later, though, the inevitable, undeniable truth about this season’s Volunteers came in one sentence.

“This is an interesting football team,” Fulmer said.

And he’s right.

Twenty-six players with starting experience have returned from last season’s SEC Eastern Division championship roster. It seems like there are countless questions to answer, but there are just a few.

It’s not the number of holes. It’s the location.

“Every year, players leave the program,” Fulmer said. “Most of the time, you’re sad to see them go. Sometimes, you’re kind of glad that one or two of them might not be there any longer. But in last year’s case, we’re going to miss a whole bunch of them.”

Teams don’t win championships without heart, and UT has three huge holes to fill in the middle the field. To further complicate matters, quarterback Erik Ainge, middle linebacker Jerod Mayo, H-back Chris Brown and safety Jonathan Hefney were a significant portion of the leadership that led the Vols’ improbable late-season run to a fourth-quarter lead over eventual national champion LSU in the SEC championship game.

Aside from the new faces, UT has to learn first-year coordinator Dave Clawson’s offense. The team’s top six offensive lineman from last season’s turnaround have gotten a crash course on Clawson’s changes, but center Josh McNeil — another middle man — sat out spring practice while recovering from knee surgery.

Defensively, senior linebacker Ryan Karl rarely played at full speed last season, but his leadership rarely went unnoticed.

“This team, they’ve got that taste in their mouths of what it’s like to be in Atlanta and play in that kind of game,” Fulmer said. “I was really proud of that team last year, and I’m very hopeful that this team will build on what we were able to accomplish last year.

“But it’s not without its challenges when you lose a group of players like we had last year.”

The Vols have done little to discourage Fulmer this offseason, setting several program weightlifting records and generally avoiding off-the-field incidents. Two dynamically talented transfers — former Florida State tight end Brandon Warren and versatile junior college defender Gerald Williams — are still on track to gain eligibility for the fall, too.

None of that will matter if the Vols don’t translate that momentum into Saturday success, though.

“We were so close to winning the SEC last year, and we know what we have to do to get back there and finish it,” senior receiver Josh Briscoe said. “As a team, we’ve been working our (tails) off all offseason to make it happen.”

The Vols shouldn’t look completely different in the middle. Senior tailback Arian Foster and sophomore safety Eric Berry are getting some preseason All-America votes, and last season’s top three defensive tackles — junior Dan Williams, senior Walter Fisher and senior Demonte Bolden from Tyner Academy — have reportedly had solid summers. Kicker Daniel Lincoln was named to ESPN.com’s All-America team last season as a redshirt freshman.

Fulmer mentioned those names, and several others, as potential candidates to replace players like Ainge, Mayo and Hefney as team leaders. That won’t be easy. Hefney started a more than 50 games in his career, Ainge started at least portions of four seasons under center, and Mayo was the No. 10 overall pick in spring’s NFL draft.

“You can’t play with a better guy than Jerod Mayo,” All-SEC weakside linebacker Rico McCoy said earlier this week. “He graduated early, he was always there for workouts, he never got in trouble — that’s the perfect example. That’s as close as you can get to perfect. I was fortunate to play a season by him.”

Lessons learned from Mayo helped McCoy rebound from a disappointing end to last season, as McCoy was one of six Vols ruled academically ineligible for January’s Outback Bowl. McCoy, Bolden and 1,000-yard receiver Lucas Taylor all atoned for their errors in the spring by making the honor roll — which McCoy called “just a start.” Bolden also broke the program’s defensive line record with a 565-pound bench press this summer.

“We’re trying to recognize guys that we would like leading our football team, and put them in the position to improve from a leadership standpoint,” Fulmer said. “That is still a work in progress.

“It’s not unlike other situations that we’ve had at certain times. Every school has them at times in different years. When you have players who have played a lot of football for you at key positions and also have those dynamics from a personality standpoint, then it’s really much easier to reach your team. We’re not there at this particular time.”