Rogan Ready to Increase his Role for the Volunteers

Former Falcon Dennis Rogan is entering his sophomore season with the University of Tennessee Volunteers and is looking to continue his role as a top returner in the SEC, and also increase his role and contributions on defensive. Rogan made several exciting plays and headlines this past Spring, as he started at CB opposite DeAngelo Willingham, due to injuries to 2007 starter Brent Vinson. In addition to being the starting Punt and Kick Returner, he projects to be the first DB off the bench and the starting nickel back.



Here are some articles and quotes from various previews of the 2008 season:

Tennessee football 2008: Special teams

Defensive back Dennis Rogan certainly played a big role in UT's return game last season as a true freshman.
The former Fulton High star averaged 29.5 yards on 13 kickoff returns, which would have ranked second only to Jones in the SEC and sixth in the nation if Rogan had reached the minimum 1.3 returns per game to be counted among statistical leaders.
After taking over punt-return duties from safety Jonathan Hefney in November, Rogan averaged 9.7 yards per return, which ranked fifth in the SEC behind James, Arenas, Georgia's Mikey Henderson and Mississippi State's Derek Pegues.

Getting you Ready: The Kicking Game

Dennis Rogan (5-10, 185, So.): The electric and elusive Rogan was an unexpected dynamo a year ago. All he did was wow fans, coaches and teammates alike with his work returning punts and kickoffs. His 9.7-yard punt average led all SEC rookies and was fifth-best in the league. His 29.5-yard kickoff average would've been tops, but he just missed having enough. That won't be an issue this year. And it's not far-fetched to think he'll return at least one punt and one kickoff for touchdowns -- unless teams kick away from him.

This season, Tennessee should again be good in the return game with Rogan. It took the coaching staff longer than it should have to trust a freshman to field punts and kickoffs, but once they punt Rogan back deep, the Knoxville native was dynamic and gave the Vols a huge lift. He finished fifth in the SEC averaging 9.7 yards a punt return. He didn't have enough kickoff returns to qualify for a ranking, but he did average 29.5 yards on each attempt. His kickoff return against Arkansas 78 yards set up a score and he earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his day against the Commodores, which included a 45 yard return to help the Vols cap off a fourth-quarter rally to beat Vanderbilt.

How good does Rogan's teammates think he is? Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley asked to be on the punt return team to help block for Rogan.

Handicapping the 2008 Vols Defense

This group had better live up to all the hype that they have been getting all offseason. It starts and ends with Eric Berry. He's clearly the best football player on either side of the ball for the Vols. He'll likely play this year and next and (barring injury) will turn pro a year early. Vinson and Willingham are pretty good CBs on the outside. Look for Dennis Rogan to be the Nickel back. There is some concern over Dee Morley's playing status for the fall at this point. I don't know who to believe anymore. But as of this writing, I fully expect him to be on the field at UCLA on Labor Day. The knock on Morley though is that he is a risk-taker and gets caught out of position on occasion. If he doesn't reign that in, opposing OC's will catch onto this habit and exploit him. Also, Tennessee's defensive backs have a history of regressing from Year 1 to Year 2 under John Chavis and Larry Slade. I can't answer as to why that is. But it is a trend that we've seen time and again. That factor and Morley's gambling are the two things keeping this unit from getting an 'A.'

ESPN article: Kicking it with Eric Berry

ESPN: Do you want to play on special teams this year?

Eric Berry: "Yeah, I want to block for Dennis Rogan (on punt returns). That's our goal this year. We want to get Rogan to the house. I told him, 'We're going to take care of the other stuff. You've just got to get past the punter this year.' I joke with him about that all the time. He'll shake DBs and make a linebacker miss, but he gets to the punter and freezes up. I'm like, Rogan, come on, man."

Rogan's 2007 UT Highlights: