High expectations, apologies greet 2005 Volunteers

Tennessee, which finished last season 10-3 after a victory over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, is considered a top contender to win the Southeastern Conference championship, and coaches around the country ranked the Vols No. 3 in their preseason Top 25 released last week.

“It’s very difficult to argue with the folks who think we have a chance to be good because I hope we can. I think we can,” coach Phillip Fulmer said Saturday at Tennessee’s media day.

The Vols practiced for the first time on Friday, a day after an emotional team meeting that players say helped them move past the number of arrests in the offseason.

Seven players have been arrested since January and charged with crimes ranging from aggravated assault to driving on a suspended license. All but one case has been resolved in the courts, and four of those players will be suspended for at least one game.

“It was incredible to feel the emotion as they apologized to the team about what had transpired in the summer, embarrassing the program,” Fulmer said. “I think that’s something our team has latched onto as a group — that we’ve become closer because of some of this adversity that we’ve faced.”

Quarterback Rick Clausen, a captain, said the team can now focus on the future.

“It was good for guys to get it out in the open. A lot of stuff has been said in the newspapers, on TV and the Internet. But for the first time it came to us,” he said.

“It’s kind of like when you get in trouble and the family sits around the dinner table and talks about it.”

Tennessee returns 16 starters, and the Vols will need that experience to help with a rough early schedule that includes back-to-back road games at Florida and LSU on Sept. 17 and Sept. 24.

Fulmer will have to decide again this season who will start at quarterback. Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer started as freshmen last year before both were lost for the season with injuries. Clausen finished out the season as the starter, and he will vie with Ainge for the spot again.

Schaeffer left Tennessee in the spring. Highly-touted recruit Jonathan Crompton will not be a factor in the race because he is scheduled to have shoulder surgery this week.

“Here we are one year later, and we still have a very competitive quarterback situation. Right now I don’t know which one of these two guys will be the quarterback. Both bring a lot of outstanding qualities,” Fulmer said.

Ainge separated his shoulder during the Notre Dame game last year but did not have surgery because he was told it could hurt his ability to throw deep passes.

He used the offseason to get stronger and quicker, adding about 17 pounds to his frame to weigh in at 215.

“I feel like I’m a lot more agile on the field. I was always able to avoid sacks last year, but I think this year I’ll be able to do a little more play action, get out and get moving more,” Ainge said.

There was great concern about the center position after Richie Gandy, who was to replace last year’s starter Jason Respert, tore a knee ligament playing in an intramural basketball game. But Gandy’s recovery was ahead of schedule, Fulmer said.

The defense, which has eight returning starters, will get a boost from the return of linebacker Kevin Simon. He hurt his knee in the second game last year and missed the rest. He led the Vols in tackles with 115 in 2003, so far his only full season without a major injury.

“He’s as dominating a football player as we’ve had when he’s playing at his best,” Fulmer said.

The Associated Press will release its preseason poll on Aug. 20. The Vols open the season Sept. 3 at home against UAB.

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