Among all of the newcomers on the 2016 Tennessee football team, the Volunteers secondary shines the most. Two freshmen appear to be the stars of this class.
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Earlier this week, the Vols removed the first helmet stripe among the Tennessee football newcomers. The player to have it removed was Baylen Buchanan. That was a shocker.
All recruiting services listed Buchanan as a low three-star defensive back for the 2016 class, but the son of former NFL defensive back Ray Buchanan clearly had the football knowledge to make an immediate impact.
We documented Buchanan’s helmet stripe removal here.
Then came Nigel Warrior. He is also the son of a former NFL defensive back, Dale Carter.
Carter is also a legendary Vol from the early 1990s, and Warrior was a highly rated four-star for this class. As a result, he drew lots more publicity than Buchanan.
Warrior’s helmet stripe was removed very soon afterward, according to 247Sports.
As two very similar players with similar profiles, it does not matter who had more hype. These are clearly the two most football-ready freshmen, and they are part of what could be the deepest unit on the football field for the Vols.
Tennessee football hopes to boast the best secondary in the country under Bob Shoop. The Vols have a chance with guys like Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley. Justin Martin, Rashaan Gaulden, and Malik Foreman are also huge assets. Adding safety help with Evan Berry, Micah Abernathy, and another legacy player in Todd Kelly Jr. makes for a loaded unit overall.
It is something that has Vols fans very excited.
Warrior and Buchanan only add to that. Perhaps this is the beginning of a future legendary duo in Knoxville.
Maybe one of them will steal a starting job down the stretch. That will be hard, though, considering how good the veterans are.