Lane Kiffin Review

By most accounts, new University of Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin has brought a new attitude to the orange and white.
The players, while not directly saying it, have said Kiffin's style is much more demanding than former coach Phillip Fulmer, who was fired last year after having two losing seasons in four years.

The practices are more intense as are the off-season workouts. Seniority doesn't play a role. The best players are going to play, regardless of class.

That can only be a good thing.

But going into the 2009 season, don't expect a huge turnaround. For the most part, these are the same players that produced the dreadful 5-7 record from 2008.

The prime example is Jonathan Crompton. The soon-to-be redshirt senior is still atop the depth chart at quarterback. That's not good considering he only threw for 889 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games last year.

There should be some improvement in the fall for Crompton since the new offense is said to be much easier to grasp than that of former offensive coordinator Dave Clawson.

Still, in the Orange and White game on Saturday, Crompton was less than stellar. Against a basic defense that showcased very little, he was 14 of 27 for 143 yards with a touchdown and interception. Those numbers won't be good enough against the likes of Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

Instead, expect 7-8 wins this year under Kiffin. It won't be until at least 2010 and more likely 2011 when the Vols might show any relevance on the national level.

At that point, Kiffin will have a couple recruiting classes under his belt, and he has proven that his strong suit by reeling in Rivals' No. 1 player in Bryce Brown. He also brought in a top-10 class despite only having a few months to recruit when he was hired in December.

It remains to be seen, however, if the former Oakland Raiders head man can coach. We'll find out in a couple years.

But we do know a new attitude is in Knoxville. Just don't expect a huge short-term turnaround.