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Tennessee Football: Five Most Pleasant Surprises for 2016 Vols at Midseason

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (C) is carried off the field by team mates after catching the game winning touchdown pass against the Georgia Bulldogs on the last play on the game during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (C) is carried off the field by team mates after catching the game winning touchdown pass against the Georgia Bulldogs on the last play on the game during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Josh Reynolds (11) catches a pass as Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Baylen Buchanan (28) defends during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Josh Reynolds (11) catches a pass as Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Baylen Buchanan (28) defends during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Baylen Buchanan

This surprise goes all the way back to the beginning of Fall Camp. When we took a look at all the freshmen most likely to see early action this year, Baylen Buchanan was at the bottom of our list.

Sure, he was the son of Ray Buchanan, a legendary defensive back. But he seemed to be a major work in progress with limited physical abilities as a low-rated three-star recruit.

However, early on, his football intelligence showed. He became the first freshman to have his helmet stripe removed, and he continued to impress Butch Jones and Bob Shoop throughout the entire preseason.

Then the regular season came, and the Vols were hit with some unfortunate injuries in the secondary. Cameron Sutton, Justin Martin, and Malik Foreman have all been banged up. So the freshman three-star was tasked with stepping in and filling a role at cornerback that nobody would have expected at the beginning of the year.

He has been more than competent in the process.

Buchanan immediately had to come in and replace Sutton against the Ohio Bobcats and helped to shut down one side of the field. He then played a huge role in shutting down the Florida Gators offense in the second half.

And he has now emerged as a shockingly good option for this team at cornerback. Nobody saw that coming, so it’s one of the most impressive surprises of the year.

But while his early arrival is a pleasant surprise for Tennessee football, another defensive player’s improvement is even more pleasant.

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