2008 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	5–7 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Phillip Fulmer (16th season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Clawson (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	John Chavis (14th as DC; 21st overall season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium (Capacity: 102,037)
Seasons ← 2007 2009 →

2008 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 1 Florida x$#		7	–	1					13	–	1
No. 13 Georgia		6	–	2					10	–	3
Vanderbilt		4	–	4					7	–	6
South Carolina		4	–	4					7	–	6
Tennessee		3	–	5					5	–	7
Kentucky		2	–	6					7	–	6
Western Division
No. 6 Alabama x%		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 14 Ole Miss		5	–	3					9	–	4
LSU		3	–	5					8	–	5
Arkansas		2	–	6					5	–	7
Auburn		2	–	6					5	–	7
Mississippi State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Championship: Florida 31, Alabama 20
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head football coach Phillip Fulmer in his 16th and final season as head coach. The Vols played their home games in Neyland Stadium and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The 2008 campaign followed a 10–4 2007 season, which saw the Vols win the Eastern Division of the conference and the Outback Bowl. This season marked the ten year anniversary of Tennessee's 1998 BCS National Championship. On November 3, Fulmer announced that, after winning some 150 games over his career, he would step down from coaching his alma mater at the end of the season.^[1]

Before the season

Recruiting

The Vols followed the previous year of a top 5 class, with an effort that found the team ranked outside of the top 25 by both major recruiting websites, Rivals.com and Scout.com.^[2][3] The top players of the class were considered to be tight end Aaron Douglas out of Maryville, Tennessee and wide receiver/linebacker E.J. Abrams-Ward out of Thomasville, North Carolina.

Douglas played at Tennessee as a redshirt freshman 2009, transferred to Arizona Western College in the 2010 season and winter of 2010 signed with Alabama, where he participated in spring drills. Douglas was recruited to Tennessee as a tight end, and was moved to tackle by then first year coach Lane Kiffin. When Kiffin left Tennessee for USC, Douglas failed to report for spring drills under new coach Derek Dooley (American football) and eventually transferred to Arizona Western.

Douglas redshirted his first season at Tennessee under then coach Phillip Fulmer, and a year later developed into an elite offensive lineman under Kiffin and line coach James Cregg. Douglas told the News Sentinel in May 2010 that a third coach in three years flipped the plan he had mapped out for himself “upside down.”

On Thursday, May 12, 2011, Police received a call at 8:13 a.m. Thursday and, upon investigation, they found Douglas' body on the second-floor balcony of a Fernandina Beach, Florida residence. Douglas was pronounced dead at the scene.^[4] Of what was characterized as an accidental drug overdose.^[5]

Abrams-Ward, a receiver redshirted for the 2008 season, selecting UT over North Carolina in a heated recruiting battle. On January 22, 2009, UT announced that E.J. Abrams-Ward and Ramone Johnson where no longer members of Tennessee's football team. UT said that the two were dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons.^[6][7]

US college sports recruiting information for 2008 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
E.J. Abrams-Ward LB	Thomasville, North Carolina	Thomasville HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Feb 6, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Carson Anderson G	Florence, Alabama	Florence HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Mar 31, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Preston Bailey T	Nashville, Tennessee	Montgomery Bell Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	Aug 29, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Ben Bartholomew FB	Nashville, Tennessee	Montgomery Bell Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Apr 22, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Willie Bohannon DE	Prichard, Alabama	Mattie T. Blount HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jan 28, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Aaron Douglas TE	Maryville, Tennessee	Maryville HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jul 31, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Steven Folkes DE	College Park, Georgia	Banneker HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Aug 21, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Montori Hughes DT	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	Siegel HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jan 28, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Austin Johnson LB/RB	Hickory, North Carolina	Hickory HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Sep 24, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Casey Kelly QB	Sarasota, Florida	Sarasota HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jan 30, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Herman Lathers LB	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Scotlandville Magnet HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Oct 19, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Tauren Poole RB	Toccoa, Georgia	Stephens County HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Oct 26, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
StePhan Raines DB	Coffeyville, Kansas	Coffeyville CC	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jan 20, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Dallas Thomas T	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Scotlandville Magnet HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Feb 6, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Prentis Waggner CB	Clinton, Louisiana	Clinton HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jan 28, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Marlon Walls LB1	Olive Branch, Mississippi	Olive Branch HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jan 26, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Rodriguez Wilks WR	Smyrna, Tennessee	Smyrna HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sep 19, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Gerald Williams DE/LB	San Francisco, California	San Francisco CC	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Dec 13, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 35   Rivals: 36
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2008 Tennessee Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2008. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Tennessee". Scout.com. Retrieved February 11, 2008. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 11, 2008. "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2008.

Coaching changes

Tennessee lost 4 members of their offensive staff. Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe accepted the head coaching position at Duke. Cutcliffe took along OL/TE coach Matt Luke, and RB coach Kurt Roper. Roper joined the Blue Devils' staff as offensive coordinator. WR coach Trooper Taylor also left the Vols for a coordinator position, accepting a job as Co-Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State.^[8]

Cutcliffe was replaced by Dave Clawson, who comes to Tennessee from the University of Richmond, where he was the head coach. Joining Clawson from Richmond is Latrell Scott, who replaced Taylor as the wide receivers coach. Stan Drayton, formerly the running backs coach at Florida, was hired to replace Roper as the running backs coach. Jason Michael, formerly on the staff for the New York Jets, was hired to coach the tight ends, replacing Matt Luke.^[9]

Defensive coordinator John Chavis interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons but chose to stay at Tennessee.^[10] This decision followed a similar decision by defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell. In December 2007 Caldwell chose to stay with Tennessee and turned down an offer to be the defensive coordinator at Arkansas.^[11]

Player news

Tennessee was bolstered by the return of safety Demetrice Morley. Morley was a five star recruit out of Miami, Florida who played for the Vols in 2005 and 2006 before being dismissed^[12] from the football team and leaving school for academic reasons. After sitting out the 2007 season, Morley was readmitted to the university in January 2008 and will rejoin the team.^[13] Morley told the media that he had been living in his car following his dismissal from the team, but that the birth of his son motivated him to return.^[14]

Another defensive back, Antonio Gaines, was awarded a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA in February. Gaines had missed the majority of both the 2003 and 2007 seasons due to injuries.^[15]

The Vols are also welcoming two major transfer student athletes. Gerald Williams, who originally signed with Tennessee in 2005 has been cleared to join the team after spending finishing up at San Francisco Junior College. Brandon Warren, a Freshman All American at Florida State has been cleared to play by the NCAA.

Discipline

The Volunteer football team has also seen its share of off of the field issues since the close of the 2007 season.^{[citation needed]} The first incident of the offseason occurred during a recruiting weekend.^{[citation needed]} Wide receivers Gerald Jones and Ahmad Paige were cited for a misdemeanor possession of marijuana while hosting a recruit. Neither were suspended, but both were required to undertake more frequent drug testing and participate in a police ride along program.^[16]

Another incident involved redshirt freshman running back Daryl Vereen. Vereen was arrested and charged with public intoxication and underage consumption after an on campus fight.^[17] Vereen was required to perform community service and was under a semester-long curfew. Fulmer also required the entire team to attend 6 A.M. running as punishment for the offense.^[16]

Offensive lineman Anthony Parker was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in January. Parker's punishment included morning runs, curfew, community service and the police ride along program. Parker was charged after failing to obey the commands of a Knoxville police officer with whom he had previous run-ins.^[18] This incident was followed by the arrest of incoming walk-on Vincent Faison for DUI. Faison was suspended for two games.^[19]

In February, linebacker Dorian Davis and defensive back Antonio Wardlow were dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules.^[20] The most recent incident of the offseason involved decorated punter Britton Colquitt. Colquitt was suspended for five games after being arrested and charge with both DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. Colquitt also had his scholarship revoked.^[21]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	8:00 pm	at UCLA*	No. 18	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	ESPN	L 24–27 OT	68,546
September 13	12:30 pm	UAB*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Raycom	W 35–3	98,205
September 20	3:30 pm	No. 4 Florida		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	L 6–30	106,138
September 27	3:30 pm	at No. 15 Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	CBS	L 12–14	87,451
October 4	7:00 pm	Northern Illinois*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	PPV	W 13–9	99,539
October 11	3:30 pm	at No. 10 Georgia		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	CBS	L 14–26	92,746
October 18	7:00 pm	Mississippi State		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	PPV	W 34–3	98,239
October 25	7:45 pm	No. 2 Alabama		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)	ESPN	L 9–29	106,138
November 1	7:00 pm	at South Carolina		Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 6–27	81,731
November 8	1:00 pm	Wyoming*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		L 7–13	99,489
November 22	12:30 pm	at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	Raycom	W 20–10	38,725
November 29	6:30 pm	Kentucky		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Battle for the Barrel)	ESPN2	W 28–10	102,388
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Players

Starting lineups and coaches

Head coach: Phillip Fulmer

Offense

Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks: Dave Clawson
Offensive Scheme: Multiple

Wide Receivers: Latrell Scott
Offensive Line: Greg Atkins
Running Backs: Ronald Gallant Jr.
Tight Ends: Jason Michael

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=2008_Tennessee_Volunteers_football_team
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