Zach Kerker from Channel 1450 added more details on the restrictions:

BREAKING; Rochester HC Derek Leonard: OSU blocking Wes Lunt transfer to SEC, PAC 12, BIG 12, S. Miss & E. Michigan

— Zach Kerker (@ZachKerker) May 17, 2013

Lunt was said to be considering five schools in Illinois, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Southern Miss, and now we know that three of the five have been restricted.

It’s still unclear why Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy barred Lunt from transferring into the SEC, as well as other destinations, and OSU spokesperson said the decision was strictly Gundy’s and Lunt’s business.

Coaches can and will restrict transfers to specific schools. Lunt can appeal if he wants to attend any of the restricted programs.

Really, Mike Gundy?

Photo Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Offense

QB work in progress: Justin Worley and Nathan Peterman both impressed Butch Jones this spring. Each brings different strengths to the table, as Worley is a pocket passer while Peterman is more mobile. The quarterback will depend on what type of offense Jones decides to run. However, between Worley and Peterman, the future may not even be on campus yet. The Vols have two elite 11 signal callers coming in this summer in Josh Dobbs and Riley Ferguson. I could potentially see a situation – depending in the offensive progress – where either Dobbs or Ferguson wins the job midway through 2013.

Biggest strength: Tennessee has one of the strongest offensive lines in the country. With four returning linemen, headlined by Ja’Wuan James and Tiny Richardson, this was one of the most underrated position groups in the SEC. Texas A&M and Alabama’s offensive line got all the ink, but it was Tennessee who allowed the least amount of sacks. That bodes well for the offense with a strong, steady base on which Jones can rely.

Biggest weakness: While the line is the biggest strength of the entire team, the wide receivers are arguably the weakest. The loss of Justin Hunter, Cordarrelle Patterson and Zach Rogers is enough to make any coach question his roster, but Tennessee just didn’t have any difference-makers at the position this spring. Jacob Carter, Jason Croom and Paul Harris were all injured at some point this spring, and incoming freshmen Ryan Jenkins and Marquez North must be ready to play, along with returners Pig Howard and Vincent Dallas.

Spring emerger: Freshman running back Alden Hill made a splash this spring. With Marlin Lane’s status still in question, Hill will battle Rajion Neal for the starting job in fall camp. He’s a great looking player.

Defense

The basics: Tennessee moved from the reckless 3-4 scheme back to a 4-3. The scheme alone should improve the SEC’s worst defense. The Vols also worked on the fundamentals of tackling this spring, along with shoring up the SEC’s worst secondary. Just by being put in the right position with John Jancek’s new scheme and play calls, the defense should be improved.

Becoming a contributor: Senior linebacker Dontavis Sapp was continually the most talked about player this spring. Sapp has registered just 42 tackles in three years, and he could double that output in 2013. The coaching change has worked wonders for Sapp’s expected playing time.

Photo Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

When: Saturday, April 20th
Where: Knoxville, TN
Time: 2:00 PM ET

Here’s what we’ll be watching Saturday:

A new system: Butch Jones is known for his ‘spread offense’ at Cincinnati, and I’m sure we’ll see some variation of it tomorrow. The wide receiver numbers simply aren’t there to run a true spread, but I’m interested to see the different formations and plays offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian calls. Likewise, defensive coordinator John Jancek brings back the much-welcomed 4-3 alignment, completely erasing Sal Sunseri’s 3-4 disaster.

A QB battle: Justin Worley and Nathan Peterman are on equal ground entering tomorrow’s spring game. Worley had the slight lead to start, but neither quarterback has progressed to become the ‘alpha-male’ Butch Jones is looking for. Maybe one takes a slight lead tomorrow, but this battle will progress well into fall camp.

Running back questions: With Marlin Lane suspended from the team, returner Rajion Neal is the veteran of the group. Freshman Alden Hill has been performing very well in practice, but he isn’t Lane. However, Butch Jones left the door open for Lane to return to the team, but there is certain “criteria” he must meet before being reinstated. So, Neal and Hill will be the primary backs tomorrow.

A position of utmost concern: What’s more concerning than the quarterback battle or any aspect on defense? Tennessee is ultra thin at wide receiver. Jacob Carter, Jason Croom and Paul Harris are all on the injured list, and none will participate in tomorrow’s game. WR coach Zach Azzanni has his work cut out for him and has been brutally honest about his position corps. “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “More than I thought we would (at this point).” Azzanni has not only been disappointed at the depth issues, but he’s looking for leadership from anyone at the position. Incoming true freshmen Ryan Jenkins and Marquez North have to be ready to play. Unfortunately, neither is already enrolled for the spring game.

Spring stars: Butch Jones has continually singled out a handful of guys who made a strong impact on him this spring, namely running backs Alden Hill and Rajion Neal, offensive linemen James Stone, Zach Fulton and Ja’Wuan James, linebacker Dontavis Sapp and defensive back Justin Coleman. Jones has been impressed by both quarterbacks, Peterman and Worley, too. The most talked about player, though, has been Sapp. The rising senior has registered just 42 total tackles in his career. He should have twice that amount in 2013 alone.

Photo Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell is one who thinks Hunter is the top pass catcher in the draft. Cosell thinks Hunter is the “most intriguing” and “most physically talented” receiver on the board – above Patterson.

“(Hunter) is, without question, the most explosive as a route runner with his long body, route fluidity, vertical speed and playmaking ability at the catch point,” Cosell writes on Yahoo!’s Shutdown Corner blog.

There’s really no argument that Tennessee has two of the top five receivers in the draft in Hunter and Patterson. And let’s not forget about Da’Rick Rogers either, who transferred to Tennessee Tech before the season started. Wide Receiver U?

Patterson is definitely rawer and more physically talented as a playmaker after the catch, but Hunter is probably a more polished receiver with enviable measurables and a chance of a higher ceiling. Hunter posted a crazy 39.5 vertical, 11-4 broad jump and 4.40 40, and we haven’t event talked about his 6-4, 200-pound frame yet.

Hunter returned in 2012 from an ACL injury suffered against Florida in 2011 and still went for over 1,000 yards on the season. In fact, he notched 73 catches for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns, but despite the output, Hunter played boring at times, dropping several simple catches and showing mental mistakes.

Hunter has been compared to both Randy Moss and AJ Green by NFL scouts, because of his height, length and movement.

However, based on what I saw in 2012, I would prefer Patterson over Hunter. Hunter, at times, seemed hesitant going up to make the big play. That may have something to do with his surgically repaired knee, but Patterson is the better playmaker of the two. Teams can put Patterson returning punts and kicks, in addition to receiver. Hunter is a pure receiver, but with a superior ceiling.

Both are billed as future Pro Bowl caliber players, and teams can’t go wrong drafting either player. It will be fun seeing how this draft order shakes out between two former teammates.

Photo credit: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE

Lane missed Saturday’s scrimmage due to “disciplinary reasons”, Butch Jones confirmed after practice.

Jones did not say when or whether Lane would return this spring or at all, which leaves an uneasy feeling about the current depth chart and roster.

Lane missed practice the previous week due to a family illness, and assistants deferred all questions regarding Lane to Jones Thursday. Then, we find out he missed last Saturday’s scrimmage due to disciplinary reasons.

It’s almost imperative that Tennessee finds a way to keep Lane, assuming the disciplinary reasons don’t warrant dismissal  Aside from the Daytona Beach native, the Vols have only proven player is Rajion Neal. Neal is a talented back who excels hitting the big play, not necessarily pounding it into the teeth of the defense. Neal rushed for 708 yards and five touchdowns, averaging just 4.5 yards per carry in 2012.

But Lane is that kind of hard-nosed runner with potential packed in his 5-11, 205-pound frame.

He could thrive in Butch Jones’ new system as a between-the-tackles runner, a back coveted by every SEC team, but he can also bounce it outside for a big play with his elite speed. He’s nearly an every-down back in the SEC, and he rushed for 658 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per tote in 2012. Several wonder why Derek Dooley did not utilize Lane more last season, as he had 36 fewer carries than Neal.

If the Vols can hold onto Lane, it bodes well for an improvement in the running game. Tennessee finished 8th in the SEC, but WR extraordinaire Cordarrelle Patterson added to the rushing total.

Cincinnati finished No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in rushing offense the last two seasons. The Bearcats, led by Jones and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, averaged over 201 yards rushing per game in 2012 and averaged over 178 yards per game in 2011.

Jones had a 1,000-yard rusher each of his three seasons at Cincinnati. The Vols haven’t had a 1,000-yard back since Tauren Poole’s in 2010. Lane surely has enough talent to surpass the rushing mark should he return to the team in Jones’ new system.

Outside of Lane and Neal, redshirt freshman Alden Hill is No. 3 on the depth chart. But this position group is scary-thin even with Lane in the lineup.

Tennessee needs Marlin Lane in the worst way in 2013.

Photo Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Jones has accomplished more in four months than Dooley did in three years without even coaching a game yet.

Tennessee fans were upset upon hiring Jones. But had Dave Hart targeted Jones as ‘his man’ from the get-go and not ‘missed’ on three coaches, little would have been said about Jones’ hiring at all. He’s a proven winner, and that’s what Tennessee needs.

But any doubts about whether Butch Jones was the right hire or whether he could recruit have been seemingly silenced in four months.

Just by observing what players are saying about practices and offseason workouts, it’s night-and-day different from the lethargic Dooley era. It’s getting my heart rate up just talking about it. Jones often grabs the mic at practice and belts out instructions himself to both his players and his staff, while players and coaches continually run from station to station. That started with winter workouts.

“In our workouts in the winter, this staff always emphasized energy and always being up from start to finish,” said redshirt freshman defensive end LaTroy Lewis. “You could see that from when we first got out there that everybody was up and it was high-energy.”

Jones seems surprised how his players have embraced his coaching staff and expectations so far. It’s funny what a little bit of leadership and gained respect will do to a team and its eagerness to learn and accept constructive criticism.

“I like the way our players have embraced our coaching,” Jones said “I like the way they have embraced the expectations for practice. Teams that have great leadership, they coach each other. I saw that.”

Jones established the “VOLympics”, a project in which players divided into 10 teams via a draft. Each team will earn or lose points all spring based on different criteria ranging from community service, the classroom and on-field production. It’s called leadership and continuity; and Jones is building it.

Not only is Jones delivering high-energy practices and building leadership, but he’s getting former players more involved, too. Dozens of former standouts donned the sidelines of the very first practice – Leonard Little, Erik Ainge, Jamal Lewis, Xavier Mitchell and Johnny Majors. Those are the very same players who helped shape the face of the winning history of the program Butch Jones calls his dream job.

“(Former players) are the program,” Jones said. “I tell them, ‘That logo never comes off.’ ”

It’s called tradition, and Jones embraces it.

He called on the alumni base to show up at three different stops for post-National Signing Day celebrations in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. They showed up in bundles.

Jones got to work immediately after being hired, urging in a new era of Tennessee football just by being socially engaged on Twitter. Every recruit and player who have a pulse are on Twitter, and Jones knows that. So, he takes to social media to start building a brand perception for not only Tennessee, but also for himself as a head coach.

Jones has already managed to lock up the state’s top player for 2014 in running back Jalen Hurd, who admitted last November ‘he never had much of a relationship with Dooley’. Hurd’s relationship with Tennessee started with former running backs coach Jay Graham. Graham bolted for FSU last month, leaving Jones in charge of Hurd’s recruitment. No problem.

Jones recently sent 102 letters to elite Georgia tailback Stanton Truitt. Why? Because he knows he has to get in the game or he won’t even be in the game at all. Nick Saban once sent 105 letters to Georgia running back Alvin Kamara, who he eventually locked up this past recruiting cycle. It’s called being relentless, and Jones attacks it.

The changed perception and welcomed momentum is great for the offseason, but how long will it continue to build in 2013 season?

Jones not only walks into a program on life support, but he walks directly into one of the tougher schedules in college football. Road trips to Oregon, Florida, Alabama and Missouri are nauseating, while home games against Georgia, Auburn and Vanderbilt will be tough, too. Combined, Tennessee’s opponents had a .581 winning percentage in 2012, but Auburn and Kentucky will be better, as both combined for just five wins in ‘12.

Jones and Tennessee’s momentum will last certainly through August, but he welcomes Bobby Petrino and Western Kentucky in the first week of September. Then, back-to-back road trips to Oregon and Florida could be a blood bath and all-out football war.

No matter if Tennessee starts 2-2, Jones has a big future. It often takes coaches two recruiting classes to get their players in the program to change the culture of a team. A bowl game is the goal, once the much-maligned defense starts showing a pulse.

Patience is something Tennessee fans haven’t had, but they’re going to have to learn patience with a coach who is rebuilding a historical power.

Photo Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Feldman spoke with massive 6-6, 330-pound offensive tackle Antonio “Tiny” Richardson, who was the anchor of one of the most underrated and strongest position groups in college football in ‘12. The Vols’ line finished 3rd best in the country, only yielding eight sacks the entire season. And Tyler Bray isn’t exactly the most mobile quarterback either.

Richardson only allowed two sacks in 12 games, which is even more impressive. But one of the two he yielded came from one of the offseason’s most talked about players in South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Tennessee was on the road in Columbia down 38-35 with 1:19 left and driving, inside the Gamecocks’ 20-yard line. Then, Clowney sprung lose from outside – from Richardson’s side – and strip-sacked Tyler Bray. Game over.

“He just hit me with a little counter inside head fake and went back out,” Richardson recalled. “That was really his bread-and-butter the whole game. I just kinda got lazy with my footwork that play and he beat me. It was the fourth quarter and we were moving down the field pretty quick. I thought I was in the groove of things but just for some reason, he got me. He is a big-time player.”

Richardson took the loss personally, blaming himself. That one play has irritated him all offseason, and he made sure to circle Clowney and South Carolina’s visit to Neyland Stadium on his calendar.

“I have it marked on my calendar [Oct. 19 in Knoxville] when we play them again,” Richardson said. “It’s going to be a good challenge for me. He is, hands down, the best defensive end in the nation. I took responsibility for that play last year.

“I was really disappointed. Of course, you want to be 100 percent but also because that is when the game was on the line, and big-time players have to make those plays when the game is on the line. That was just a little technique flaw by me. Little things like that are what makes the difference. I just can’t do that.”

Clowney racked up 13 sacks in 2012 and returns as one of the best defensive linemen in the history of college football. The in-game matchup between Richardson and Clowney won’t be the last time these hook up, either. Both are NFL-caliber players for years to come.

Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

John Jancek, Tennessee defensive coordinator

Coaching History

John Jancek summed up Tennessee’s defense best after yesterday’s practice, the first day the Vols’ pads started popping, via Knox-News Sentinel.

“I think we’re a poor tackling team right now,” said defensive coordinator John Jancek after practice. “There are a lot of things we need to get cleaned up.”

Tennessee’s defense in 2012 was statistically the worst defense in the Vols’ illustrious history. Players were often out of position and nowhere in the neighborhood of being put in the correct position to even be successful. Sure, players missed assignments and tackles, but Sal Sunseri’s 3-4 scheme couldn’t bust a grape.

The bad news for John Jancek is that Al Wilson, Leonard Little and Eric Berry aren’t walking through that door – but he does have eight returning starters to work with and develop, headlined by one of the top linebackers in the league in AJ Johnson.

The Vols’ defense got a boost just by hiring Jancek, and once he puts them in the correct scheme and in a position to succeed, this unit will improve.

So, John Jancek is tasked with rebuilding the worst defense in Tennessee history into a winner. Who is he and where does he come from?

Jancek followed Butch Jones from Cincinnati after being the team’s sole defensive coordinator for just one season. Jancek was the co-defensive coordinator for two years with the Bearcats before Jones promoted him in 2012. Cincinnati finished with the 6th best defense in the Big East last season and finished 6th and 7th respectively in 2011 and 2012.

Jancek does have SEC experience, as he coached at Georgia from 2005 through 2009. Jancek served as the co-coordinator in 2009 and served as the linebackers coach for four years. Ironically, the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator during his time at Georgia was Millie Martinez, currently the Vols’ defensive backs coach. Georgia finished 7th in the SEC in total defense when Jancek was the co-coordinator. UGA accrued 48 wins, an SEC Championship and two BCS appearances and finished in the top 10 three times during his tenure.

Jancek started his coaching career at his alma mater, Grand Valley State. He became Wayne State’s defensive coordinator in just his second year as a coach, and he’s been the sole defensive coordinator for 11 seasons throughout his 23-year career.

But this is the stiffest slope he’s had to climb yet. The SEC is a line of scrimmage league, and Jancek’s first order of business is his front seven and stopping the run. The Vols yielded over 188 yards per game rushing to opponents last season and allowed an average of over 471 total yards per game. You think that was bad? Tennessee spotted their opponents an SEC-worst 35.7 points per game.

Jancek arguably faces the toughest test of any new coordinator in the SEC, and he’ll earn every penny of his $475,000 salary.

Photo Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee and top running backs have historically been like peanut butter and jelly – they just go together. But the Vols have been absent a dynamic difference maker and cornerstone-type player at the position since 2009.

However, Tennessee and Butch Jones just landed a commitment from the biggest priority on the board and the top player in the state.

Hurd’s recruitment was thought to have taken a hit when running backs coach Jay Graham, Hurd’s primary recruiter, bolted for Florida State, but the 6-3, 225-pound star is officially a Vol, for now.

Hurd rushed for a state-record 3,357 yards and 43 touchdowns on 317 attempts in 2012, and electrifying doesn’t do him justice.

Butch Jones has gotten on more big-time recruits in four months than Derek Dooley did in three years.

But recruiting changes daily, and it’s a long 11 months until next National Signing Day. Still, Jones is off to a fantastic start for the 2014 class.

Photo Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports