Oh, what a difference a year makes in Big Orange Country.
Twelve months ago, you would have been hard-pressed to put a smile on the face of any diehard University of Tennessee football fan if you'd handed that fan a winning lottery ticket.
Not only were the Volunteers coming off a deflating 3-7 season, there were strong rumors, later validated, that the NCAA was looking into possible violations by third-year coach Jeremy Pruitt. The future appeared so dark you needed a miner's helmet to see three feet in front of you.
Then it seemingly got worse. Pruitt was fired. The school admitted it had discovered Level I violations. Phil Fulmer stepped down as athletic director.
Hard to remember all that now, isn't it? Especially with Sunday's announcement by quarterback Hendon Hooker that he'll be returning to Rocky Top as a sixth-year senior after this fall's unexpected 7-5 regular season.
With Hooker back at quarterback, the Big Orange should have a really big year in 2022 - especially if UT coach Josh Heupel can navigate the transfer portal as well as he did his first season in Knoxville. And what offensive talent wouldn't want to enter the fun house that is Heupel's offense, what with its average of nearly 40 points per game average and Hooker already the Southeastern Conference's top returning quarterback by efficiency rating at 182.15.
Think about that for a minute. Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young - who also returns in 2022 - just won the Heisman Trophy, but Hooker actually had a higher efficiency rating. Beyond that, most programs experience their biggest improvement in a coach's second season, so however good Heupel's first season in orange was - and almost no reasonable UT fan would give him less than a 9.5 on a scale of 10 - it figures to be even better a year from now with Hooker's return.
Yes, the defense will miss Alontae Taylor. And Matt Butler. And Theo Jackson. And Ja'Quain Blakely. It will also be tough to replace Velus Jones Jr.'s offensive versatility. Others could transfer or exit for the NFL, including former starting quarterback Joe Milton.
But still others could choose to join a Heupel offense that seems all but foolproof, given its stunning and consistent success everywhere he has coached.
AP file photo by Wade Payne / Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel's first season in Knoxville went much better than outside observers expected, with the Vols 7-5 and headed to the Music City Bowl at the end of the month. With quarterback Hendon Hooker announcing Sunday he will return next year, are double-digit victories in sight for 2022?There's also this to consider for all Volniacs moving forward: Alabama and Florida must come to Knoxville next season, and the Georgia that UT faced in 2021 will likely be a wee bit less formidable in 2022.
It is far from far-fetched for the Vols to stand 10-2 this time next year, if not one win north of that. Heck, the only game on the schedule that would seem destined for defeat at this point is Bama, and, again, the Crimson Tide must visit Neyland Stadium.
As for everybody else, the road trip to Pittsburgh will take place without having to face Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett, who will be playing in the NFL next September. LSU in Baton Rouge could be tough, but Brian Kelly will find rebuilding the Bayou Bengals' roster tougher than what he did at Notre Dame, given the talent across the rest of the SEC.
In every other game save perhaps Georgia, UT will be the favorite.
And let the Vols go 11-1 with a lone loss to Bama and they'll be back in the SEC title game for the first time since 2007.
Nothing's guaranteed, of course. Injuries to the wrong players can instantly torpedo the most promising of seasons. SEC defensive coordinators, normally a pretty bright bunch, will have a lot more tape on Heupel's tendencies than this past season. And regardless of who comes back and who leaves, every season is different.
Chemistry is a fragile thing, especially when the expectation level, and thus outside pressure, will be far different for the Big Orange than it was this year.
Still, no matter what happens Wednesday as the NCAA's early signing period for the 2022 recruiting class begins, Christmas has come a few days early with the realization Hooker's around for one more season.
Now if we could only find a way for the rest of our lives to improve so much in a single year's time.
Mark WiedmerContact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @TFPWeeds.