A New Era Begins at Rocky Top

“It’s football time in Tennessee” as Bobby Denton announces over the Neyland Stadium public address system at the beginning of each home game. It always brings chill bumps for any Vol football fan but it seems even more special this opening game.
This season it will have even more meaning. A new era in Tennessee football is about to begin; the Lane Kiffin era.
On Saturday, September 5 at 12:20 p.m. against Western Kentucky the curtain raises. Lane Kiffin is excited. “I can’t wait to experience having more than 100,000 fans cheering in one of the greatest stadiums in college football” said Kiffin.
Coach Kiffin seems to be highly respected by most of his peers. “He has a brilliant football mind” said Jeff Fisher, head coach of the Tennessee Titans. “He was the mastermind of our offense at USC” said Reggie Bush, star running back with the New Orleans Saints. “He has one of the brightest minds in football” said Jeff Tedford, head coach at California.
Kiffin was offensive coordinator at USC when they won back to back national championships and was head coach of the Oakland Raiders for two seasons in the NFL.
Coach Kiffin has assembled a group of coaches that are unrivaled anywhere in the country. His staff has a total of 35 years NFL coaching experience and 118 years of collegiate coaching experience. They have won 13 national championships, 36 conference titles, 48 bowl games and one Super Bowl.
Kiffin’s coaching staff includes his dad; Monte Kiffin who was one of the most highly regarded defensive coaches in the NFL for 26 years and Ed Orgeron who rebuilt Ole Miss and has been involved in three national championships, Jim Chaney, Eddie Gran, Lance Thompson, Frank Wilson, David Reeves, Willie Garya and James Cregg.
Kiffin’s first recruiting class at Tennessee ranked in the top 10 nationally and included the number one ranked player in the nation, Bryce Brown. “We are committed to putting Tennessee back on top and we are dedicated to developing young men into the best players and adults they can be” said Kiffin.
After a successful spring, Kiffin seems very pleased with how pre-season practices and scrimmages have gone.
At UT media day this past Sunday, Coach Kiffin said, “We are making progress in all areas, especially the offensive line. They have improved consistently since spring by losing weight, weight training results and quickness. Running backs have made great strides especially the freshmen. They will play early if they can help the team.” Bryce Brown and David Oku are two running backs who the coach was referring to. Oku was ranked top 5 in the country while Brown was number one.
The quarterback race between Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens is very healthy. As of now, Crompton seems to have the edge. Crompton said, “Competition makes you better. We are both doing well over all but personally; I’ve got to eliminate my mistakes. I’m trying to get better every day and become more comfortable with the new system.” Crompton has had to learn a new offense each spring he has been a Volunteer.
Nick Stephens said, “I like the new system over the old one. Im excited about it. The running game has been great which helps the passing game. The new coaching staff has been a very good experience.
One of the most interesting interviews on Media Day came from star safety Heisman nominee, Eric Berry who said it best regarding Coach Kiffin and his system, “Coach Kiffin came in here and said what he was going to do and he is doing it. The staff treats us like pros. Most of our coaches have coached in the NFL and that’s how they treat us. I like the way it feels. They treat us with respect, everything is organized. It’s hard to explain. The whole team bought into the idea of what it takes to get this team back to where it needs to be. We want a championship. The team is looking good, but we have things we need to work on. The coaches cut their vacations short for this team and we owe them our best.”
The Volunteers seem to be back on the right track. In their interviews, the players seemed to be very good kids. There has not been one off field incident since Kiffin has been here. That speaks well of the coaches’ discipline policies for this team. As one player said, “their attitude is much better both on and off the field.”
This season will be very tough. Kiffin’s system will take time. The level of talent is still below what it should be although it is getting better. Kiffin’s approach is simplifying the system and let the athletes do what they do best by using their athletic ability.
Speaking from someone who has been close to the program for over 50 years, there seems to be a new electric atmosphere with this Tennessee football team which has not been there for many years. Fans should be excited. Most likely, there will not be a championship this season but it isn’t far off. The future of Tennessee football looks very bright!