Tennessee football: 10 Vols freshmen most likely to play early in 2018

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Cheyenne Labruzza was coming off knee surgery going into the spring, and as a result, he worked with Tennessee football’s second team. In fact, much of the time he spent was at safety. However, that now works in his favor.

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Going into fall camp, Labruzza figures to spend more time at cornerback now. He’s even directly in the nickel rotation, which is a big deal. The guy could compete with Shawn Shamburger for a starting job at that spot. As a result, the guy has multiple opportunities to get on the field this year. He may be the top safety and the top nickel guy off the bench. That makes him a huge factor for the Vols.

At 5’11” 188 pounds, Labruzza is a bit more physical than many of the other freshman defensive backs. That’s a huge plus in his favor. Being able to get more physical only adds to his versatility.

On top of that, the second team defense actually outperformed the first team defense in the secondary in this past spring game. Now that could be a result of poor quarterback play on the second team offense. But there has to be something to that.

As a result, Labruzza is one of the top guys on this list who will get a chance to play early. He’s a versatile player with a full offseason of experience in the new system while playing in a unit that is wide open in its quest for starters. You can’t ask for a better situation.