It wasn’t all that long ago we were preaching that Derek Barnett would soon be a household name outside of SEC territory.
Well, it appears that time has arrived.
NFL.Com recenty placed Barnett at #12 on their list of best defensive players in college football.
From NFL.Com:
"Barnett piled up 20.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks for the Volunteers in 2014, but his season was somewhat overshadowed by a dismal year for the team. Still, he was the best defensive freshman in the league. Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett was the more hyped freshman of the two, but Barnett was better against the run, and consider this: all 10 of Barnett’s sacks came in SEC play, while only three of Garrett’s did. Last year, he surprised the league as a first-year starter. This year, he’ll sneak up on nobody, and will draw more double-teaming."
Chase Goodbread, the author of the piece, mentions that Barnett won’t sneak up on anyone next season and will draw more double-teams.
While it’s true that Barnett won’t sneak up on anyone, I don’t think he’ll draw quite as many double-teams as you think.
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And that’s because the Vols’ defensive line is too good to double-team anyone.
Curt Maggitt actually led the Volunteers in sacks last season and then there’s the deadly freshmen combination of Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie.
Plus the Vols also have Danny O’Brien and Owen Williams returning.
O’Brien didn’t set the world on fire as a redshirt sophomore, but he proved to be a solid player while starting 12 games for Tennessee in 2014.
The Vols also have players like Corey Vereen and Kendal Vickers who are on the verge of breaking out and making a big impact.
In other words, and we can’t stress this enough, it’s ok to be extremely excited about the potential of Tennessee’s defense next season.
The defensive line unit, as good as it was in 2014, should only be better in 2015.