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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 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Nigel Warrior (18) and Ohio Bobcats running back Papi White (4) dive for a fumble during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Nigel Warrior (18) and Ohio Bobcats running back Papi White (4) dive for a fumble during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Free Safety

1. Nigel Warrior

The son of two-time Tennessee football All-American Dale Carter, Nigel Warrior arrived on campus in 2016 with already a ton of hype as a four-star legacy recruit. Now, though, he has turned that legacy status into major expectations.

As Warrior enters his sophomore year, he was by far the most impressive guy early on in the spring. In fact, Bob Shoop called him the best performer in the spring early on. Although he leveled off, he still took all the reps.

And given his raw talent, we project that it was enough for the 6’0″ 186-pound sophomore to take the starting job at free safety this year. He has not necessarily won it yet, but by the end of August practices, Nigel Warrior will be the guy starting here when the Vols take the field against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The guy showed flashes last year despite making some freshman errors. This year, though, with a new defensive backs coach in Charlton Warren and Shoop leading the way, Warrior could break out into a star.

2. Evan Berry

Evan Berry had to recover from a season-ending injury this past spring, and since his speed is the biggest thing he relies on at free safety, that now makes him the clear-cut backup. To be fair, Berry was always more of a specialist. Playing in position in the secondary wasn’t his strong suit.

Still, Berry should be a solid, reliable backup to Nigel Warrior, and as a result, we have him at No. 2 on this two-deep depth chart. He’ll see some defensive action for Tennessee football this Fall, and he can definitely make plays if he gets his hands on the ball as a safety.

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