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Tennessee football roster: Projecting the Vols’ 2017 2-deep depth chart

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium at halftime during the game between Tennessee Volunteers and the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium at halftime during the game between Tennessee Volunteers and the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo (1) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 63 to 37. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo (1) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 63 to 37. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Strongside Defensive End

1. Jonathan Kongbo

This five-star junior college transfer was the prized bull of the 2016 Tennessee football recruiting class. Now, Jonathan Kongbo is expected to fill a major void left by Derek Barnett, the greatest defensive end in the history of the Vols. No pressure, right?

Well, Kongbo was off to a great start in the spring before he got dinged up. So he needs to spend this summer getting healthy. Still, we project that he will maintain his starting spot at strongside defensive end and build off of what he did last year.

Remember, due to injuries he had to move inside to defensive tackle at times. Now, the 6’6″ 270-pound junior is fully dedicated to defensive end, and with a sack, three tackles for a loss, and even a pick-six as a backup this year, Tennessee football fans should be really excited to see what this guy can do as a full-time starter.

2. Deandre Johnson

A three-star defensive end as a member of the 2017 Tennessee football recruiting class, Deandre Johnson gets to take advantage of all the departures at this position and has already worked his way into the rotation.

Johnson had a very impressive spring as an early enrollee and had his helmet stripe removed in early April. With no other proven commodities at this spot, we project Johnson’s apparent talent combined with the experience he gained in the spring will assure him the backup strongside defensive end job. Not bad for a true freshman who was a three-star.

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