The firing of Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley last weekend guaranteed that there would be significant turnover in Knoxville at the end of this season.
If a roster bursting with NFL talent was to largely remain the same, the Vols' job might be the most exciting for any coaching considering replacing Dooley. That could be a big "if," however, as several of Tennessee's highly regarded prospects are thought to be considering making the early jump to the professional ranks -- not the least of which is junior quarterback Tyler Bray.
The 2-10 Wildcats can hardly be confused with an elite team but in tearing through SEC defenses at a pace that has helped him shatter school records held by Peyton Manning and others, there is no questioning Bray's talent. Coming off a game in which Bray was benched for poor performance, Saturday's game showed scouts an improved focus and maturity however, something that, frankly, had been a concern for the young signal-caller.
As scouts had hoped, Bray capped off a record-breaking junior season with a deadly efficient performance. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns (each to different receivers) with zero interceptions.
His first touchdown came on a perfectly thrown skinny post to senior Zach Rogers. Bray was aided by a nice move from Justin Hunter on his second score, but he correctly read Kentucky's Cover-2 and zipped a vertical route between Wildcat defenders for what became a 42-yard touchdown. Bray showed off his ability to quickly decipher coverages by turning his back to the defense on play-action fakes for each of his final two touchdowns of the game. With the Vols nursing just a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter, Bray faked an end-around to Cordarrelle Patterson and then hit senor tight end Mychal Rivera in stride for a 29-yard touchdown toss deep down the right sideline. Just moments later, Bray made a more traditional fake to his running back before hitting Patterson on a deep post for a 21-yard score.
For the year, Bray completed 59.6% of his passes for 3,612 yards and 34 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions. At 6-5, 215 pounds and possessing more accuracy on the move than the former SEC star he's often compared to (Ryan Mallett), there is simply no denying that Bray is the most gifted passer potentially eligible for the 2013 draft, which is precisely why he ranks atop NFLDraftScout.com's rankings of quarterbacks in the 2014 draft class.
To earn a draft selection as high as his tools warrant, however, Bray will have to convince NFL decision-makers that he has the leadership traits they're looking for at the position.
If a roster bursting with NFL talent was to largely remain the same, the Vols' job might be the most exciting for any coaching considering replacing Dooley. That could be a big "if," however, as several of Tennessee's highly regarded prospects are thought to be considering making the early jump to the professional ranks -- not the least of which is junior quarterback Tyler Bray.
The 2-10 Wildcats can hardly be confused with an elite team but in tearing through SEC defenses at a pace that has helped him shatter school records held by Peyton Manning and others, there is no questioning Bray's talent. Coming off a game in which Bray was benched for poor performance, Saturday's game showed scouts an improved focus and maturity however, something that, frankly, had been a concern for the young signal-caller.
As scouts had hoped, Bray capped off a record-breaking junior season with a deadly efficient performance. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns (each to different receivers) with zero interceptions.
His first touchdown came on a perfectly thrown skinny post to senior Zach Rogers. Bray was aided by a nice move from Justin Hunter on his second score, but he correctly read Kentucky's Cover-2 and zipped a vertical route between Wildcat defenders for what became a 42-yard touchdown. Bray showed off his ability to quickly decipher coverages by turning his back to the defense on play-action fakes for each of his final two touchdowns of the game. With the Vols nursing just a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter, Bray faked an end-around to Cordarrelle Patterson and then hit senor tight end Mychal Rivera in stride for a 29-yard touchdown toss deep down the right sideline. Just moments later, Bray made a more traditional fake to his running back before hitting Patterson on a deep post for a 21-yard score.
For the year, Bray completed 59.6% of his passes for 3,612 yards and 34 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions. At 6-5, 215 pounds and possessing more accuracy on the move than the former SEC star he's often compared to (Ryan Mallett), there is simply no denying that Bray is the most gifted passer potentially eligible for the 2013 draft, which is precisely why he ranks atop NFLDraftScout.com's rankings of quarterbacks in the 2014 draft class.
To earn a draft selection as high as his tools warrant, however, Bray will have to convince NFL decision-makers that he has the leadership traits they're looking for at the position.
