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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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Sep 10, 2016; Bristol, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Justin Martin (8) and Virginia Tech Hokies tight end Bucky Hodges (7) battle for the ball during the first half at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Bristol, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Justin Martin (8) and Virginia Tech Hokies tight end Bucky Hodges (7) battle for the ball during the first half at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Cornerback

1. Justin Martin

Once a four-star junior college transfer, Justin Martin is a speed cornerback who has not been able to fully reach his potential due to injuries. That changed this past spring, and he made an amazing first impression on new Tennessee football defensive backs coach Charlton Warren.

Martin, entering his senior year, was named the most improved player this spring and wowed everybody. With the cornerback position wide open due to Cameron Sutton’s departure, we have Martin taking the No. 1 spot as a result. He will finally realize his full potential at the position.

2. Emmanuel Moseley

While Martin is a speed cornerback, Emmanuel Moseley is more of a fundamentals cornerback. Still, he has looked a lot better in practice the past two years than games. He is physical, but he doesn’t cover the field as well as he should.

We think going into his senior year, with another offseason of experience and development, will change that. Moseley is still a very talented cornerback, and he will be a reliable guy to line up opposite Martin.

However, since we explained why we ran our three-linebacker rotation, that requires us to run a three-cornerback rotation instead of a four-cornerback rotation on this depth chart.

That’s because we have two nickel guys, and just keep in mind that either of the nickel guys could fill in here if needed. That makes for a combination of eight outside linebackers and cornerbacks, which you’re supposed to have in a 4-3 set. So let’s go onto our third cornerback.

3. Shaq Wiggins

A graduate transfer from the Louisville Cardinals, Shaq Wiggins was once a four-star recruit who has transferred a few times. He was an elite playmaker at Louisville two years ago. However, this year with the Tennessee football program will be his final go-around.

We predict that Wiggins will be a very good cornerback for the Vols and make an impact this year. But he’s gong to be the third guy in this rotation because of his lack of experience in the system.

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