February is good month for UT Vols football

Mid-February is usually a quiet time for SEC football. National signing day is behind us, and spring practice hasn’t started.

But quiet isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, if you want to be optimistic about your next football season, what better time than February?

Take Tennessee, for example.

UT fans are optimistic that new coach Jeremy Pruitt will do a better job than former coach Butch Jones. In the wake of a 4-8 season, I can’t argue with that. And not much that happens the rest of February is apt to discourage such optimism.

Something else that’s great about February: You don’t lose much.

Tennessee lost more than games in 2017. Even in the best of times – when the Vols were winning nine games in 2015 and 2016 – they were losing players. Some were injured. Some were dismissed from the team. But many of them just left – occasionally, like offensive lineman Venzell Boulware in 2017, during the season.

More:Vols' football recruiting ranking lowest since first Butch Jones class

Mid-February is also a good time for injuries. They seldom happen.

Sure, there’s always the possibility a student-athlete suddenly will lose his balance and fall on a misplaced helmet. But even in a program that has had more than its share of injuries the past two seasons, falling on a helmet is a rare occurrence.

Another good thing about this time of year: the post-recruiting words of coaches are still ringing in fans’ ears. New Florida coach Dan Mullen talked about winning national championships. New Arkansas coach Chad Morris, whose first recruiting class ranked 49th nationally, talked about the importance of adding speed. And Pruitt, who managed a top-20 class against the odds, vowed the Vols would rank much higher in 2019.

Given Pruitt’s track record for recruiting as an assistant and Tennessee’s record for landing top-10 classes under various coaches, his optimism isn’t misplaced. Especially in February.

More:UT Vols rank near middle of college football at No. 58

What happens between his first and second recruiting classes might be less encouraging for UT fans. That includes spring practice.

My guess is Pruitt will want to toughen up his team next month in spring practice. That’s certainly a realistic goal. However, getting tougher is challenging when you can’t get well. The Vols suffered so many injuries last season you have to wonder how many of the injured players will be at full speed for spring practice.

Worse yet for Tennessee, it doesn’t know if all those players will be ready for preseason camp.

Alabama overcame a rash of injuries to its linebacking corps to win the 2017 national championship. Pruitt, who coordinated that defense, won’t have the same quality of depth on his first Tennessee team.

Nonetheless, optimism doesn’t have to end with the start of spring practice. Players changing positions, which Pruitt mentioned in his post-recruiting press conference, will be applauded by fans. Putting a player at a different position – particularly after a failed season – is akin to getting a new player. After going 0-8 in the SEC, Tennessee needs new players.

But most of all, it needs healthy players. And keeping players healthy is so much easier in February.  

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.