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Tennessee football: 4 safest starting spots on Vols 2018 roster

By Caleb Calhoun

LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 28: Daniel Bituli #35 and Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate a recovered fumble against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 28: Daniel Bituli #35 and Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate a recovered fumble against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

The son of Tennessee football legendary cornerback Dale Carter Jr., this is another one that comes as no surprise to anybody. Nigel Warrior got snubbed out of all the preseason All-SEC teams earlier this year. But he joins Trey Smith as the two guys who proved enough last year for the Vols.

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Like Smith, Warrior earned this starting job by sheer skill. On top of that, the thinning out of the depth chart at safety allows Warrior even a greater chance to start. There are only three guys who can legitimately compete to start here.

Of those three, Warrior is the only guy who was productive last year. Micah Abernathy played but struggled a lot at times. Todd Kelly Jr., another legacy player whose father played for the Vols in the early 1990s, is the better safety, but he’s coming back from a season-ending injury and a hectic offseason.

So while those two compete, Warrior will be completely safe as the other starter. This guy was second on the team in tackles last year with 83, including three and a half tackles for a loss and a sack. On top of that, he deflected three passes, forced three fumbles while recovering one, and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Simply put, Warrior is a sure thing for the Vols’ defense. Entering his junior season, he’s one mark of stability for a unit undergoing a serious transition period. As a result, he clearly deserves a safe starting spot.

Next. Vols 2018 depth chart projection. dark

Tennessee football’s secondary overall is going to struggle severely this year due to the 3-4. The biggest culprits will be the cornerbacks. As a result, it’ll be up to the safeties to offset it as much as they can. Warrior’s football instincts and his intelligence should help with that a lot. So not only his he a safe starter. He’s a necessity to make sure everything doesn’t collapse for the Vols under Jeremy Pruitt and Kevin Sherrer this year.

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