Tennessee’s football team has concerns.

Oh, boy, do they have concerns.

The past 8 months have been filled with alleged NCAA violations, coaching staff turnover and player defections. How will the Vols respond to all of that adversity, much of which has been self-inflicted?

I’ve been tasked with knocking the list of concerns down to 5, and being the professional writer that I am … that’s what I’ll do in this article.

1. Will a QB step up?

The old adage in football is that if you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.

Well, what if you have three quarterbacks?

The holdover is sophomore Harrison Bailey. The newcomers are Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker and Michigan transfer Joe Milton. Vols fans have seen a bunch of Bailey and got a quick look at Hooker during the Orange & White Game last spring. Milton however, is an unknown on Rocky Top.

While each has positive qualities, there is no slam dunk to be had here. Hooker was shaky in the spring scrimmage. Bailey had his moments in 2020, but often looked like you’d expect a true freshman to look. Milton is at Tennessee because he couldn’t keep the starting job at Michigan. The early leaders for the most playing time appear to be Bailey and Milton, but the competition is open.

With the exception of the Joshua Dobbs era, Tennessee has seen a revolving door of starting quarterbacks every year since Tyler Bray was putting up huge numbers in 2012. If that trend continues, we shouldn’t read too much into who gets the first snaps against Bowling Green. You probably won’t see one guy getting all of the meaningful snaps in 2021.

And that concerns me.

2. Is Josh Heupel ready for the SEC?

New Tennessee AD Danny White was up against it when he had to find a replacement for the fired Jeremy Pruitt. White was never going to find a “big name” to take on the challenge of rebuilding a rapidly depleting roster with possible NCAA penalties looming.

He gave the job to his UCF buddy Josh Heupel, immediately tying their futures together at UT.

Heupel has 3 years of head coaching experience, all at UCF. He has some SEC knowledge, spending 2 years as an assistant at Missouri. But does that mean he’s ready for the all encompassing nature that comes with being the head coach at a place like Tennessee?

Coaching at UT is much different from coaching at UCF. There is so much fan and media interest from Knoxville, where the Vols are the big show in town 365 days a year. UCF football might not crack the top 5 entertainment options in Orlando.

We have seen Derek Dooley and Butch Jones crack under the pressure. We have yet to learn exactly how badly Pruitt let things get out of control.

It would be wise to reserve judgment on Heupel when he hasn’t even coached a game at Tennessee. But unless your coach is named Saban or Dabo, there’s no guarantee it’s going to work out.

3. Is the offensive line capable?

Tennessee’s quarterback troubles have been well documented. Jarrett Guarantano is gone, having transferred to Washington State. His replacement is still unknown.

Whoever is taking snaps, he will be protected by an offensive line that has not lived up to expectations in recent years. And now they’ve lost their top two players. Trey Smith is with the Kansas City Chiefs and Wanya Morris transferred to Oklahoma.

The o-line has talent with the Mays brothers (Cade and Cooper), Darnell Wright, Jerome Carvin and K’Rojhn Calbert.

But with a new offensive system to be learned, will they be up to the task?

4. How will Tennessee replace Henry To’o To’o?

The transfer portal was not kind to Tennessee. The biggest loss was linebacker Henry To’o To’o, who picked rival Alabama. With 148 tackles, To’o To’o was the Vols’ best player the past 2 years.

Yes, Jeremy Banks is back and Texas transfer Juwan Mitchell is also in the fold, but can they become the leaders and impact players that the Vols will need in the middle of that defense?

5. Can Jabari Small be an every down back?

Tennessee’s top two running backs, Eric Gray and Ty Chandler, also transferred.

That leaves sophomore Jabari Small as the presumed starting running back.

Small got 26 carries and gained 117 yards in 2020. He looked good, but there’s a huge difference between getting 3 carries a game and becoming one of the key cogs in Heupel’s offense.

Again, like for the offensive line, the new offense will be a work in progress. Small would be called on in the passing game as well, making him the most important skill player (other than the quarterback) on this Tennessee offense.