Episode 145: Vols still looking for OC as Early Signing Period nears

GoVols247's Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down the latest on Tennessee's search for a new offensive coordinator and a bunch of new football football players. Tennessee's search for a replacement for the departed Tyson Helton is now well into its third week, but Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt doesn't seem to be panicking. Pruitt continues speaking with candidates and confidantes about the position, but it doesn't seem like a hire will be made before next Wednesday's start of the Early Signing Period. Sources close to Pruitt insist the head coach is confident in the process, but that hasn't done much to assuage at least a good-sized chunk of Tennessee's fan base. Is there reason for concern or at least cause for pause regarding this search? That's a main topic of conversation in this episode. It's not the only topic of conversation in this episode, though. The NCAA's Early Signing Period opens Wednesday, and so many things could happen for the Vols between now and then. Several Tennessee commitments are set to sign as soon as possible next week, but some could wait until February's traditional National Signing Day, and in this episode we discuss those players and their potential reasons for delaying the arrivals of their National Letters of Intent. Several top Tennessee targets are set to commit — to the Vols or elsewhere — in the next week, and this episode features a thorough discussion of several of those prospects. If Tennessee wants to sign anywhere near a full class of 25 players, though, basic math demands that several players on the current roster will have to leave the program before next season. The NCAA allows just 85 scholarship players at the NCAA Division I FBS level, and signing a full class would put the Vols well above that line. Just two non-seniors (quarterback Will McBride and cornerback Marquill Osborne) have announced plans to transfer, but several more players will have to join that list at some point. We don't mention specific names of any potential transfers, but we don't ignore the fact that others will be out the door at some point, and we discuss that, as well. This episode features a couple of strong contenders for Grant's Gun Show Question of the Week, too.