Kendal Vickers Could Be Vols’ Breakout Player In 2015
By Zach Ragan
Defensive lineman Kendal Vickers has been in Knoxville for two years, but he’s barely seen the field during that time.
Vickers, who redshirted his true freshman season, played in only five games in 2014, failing to register any stats.
With true freshman Shy Tuttle impressing this spring and future stud Kahlil McKenzie coming to campus later this summer, it’s easy to think of Vickers as an afterthought.
But you better remember his name, because if this spring is any indication, you’ll be seeing a lot of Kendal Vickers in 2015.
Tennessee, who is returning defensive tackles Danny O’Brien and Owen Williams, will have one of the most talented defensive lines in the SEC in 2015. But depth, as always, is a concern.
Fortunately for the Vols, Vickers has stepped up in a big way for UT this spring. The North Carolina native has consistently received praise from defensive line coach Steve Stripling and head coach Butch Jones.
Sometimes the praise for players is just lip service from coaches, but in the case of Vickers, it looks like it might be true.
Jones singled out Vickers, once again, after the Vols’ spring game, pointing out that the redshirt sophomore had a “very, very good spring” and rose to the occasion when an opportunity was placed in front of him.
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Vickers won’t start for the Vols in the fall. There’s simply too much talent in front of him. But he will, however, provide Tennessee with not only depth, but quality depth.
The reason the Vols weren’t as successful in 2014 as they should be in 2015 is due in large part because they didn’t have quality depth. When a guy on defense was hurt, Jones had to comb through walk-ons and true freshmen to find a replacement. While that will still be the issue at times at certain positions in 2015, the Vols are in a much better situation with their 2015 roster.
Kendal Vickers isn’t going to be an All-SEC player in 2015. You might not hear his name a lot during telecasts, but I’m willing to bet that he’ll have a significant role in the Vols’ defense next season and he’ll be a big reason why the Vols surge to the top of the SEC East.