Tennessee football: 10 players Vols can least afford to lose for 2018

Tennessee football already has lots of questions for 2018. Things will only get harder if the Volunteers lose any of these 10 players for the year.

Pretty much everything is up in the air when it comes to the Tennessee football depth chart for 2018. The Vols are looking for playmakers everywhere as they undergo the schematic changes that Jeremy Pruitt is installing on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

The changes on top of coming off a 4-8 season provide lots of concerns for the program. On top of that, it means that certain players are going to be critical to the season. Without them, things could only get worse.

Every year, Tennessee football has a collection of guys it desperately needs to stay in the depth chart. Without them, everything falters. We saw this in 2016 when they suffered crucial injuries at defensive tackle and last year when they suffered injuries, well, everywhere.

In this post, we’re going to rank the players the Vols can’t lose for the year. It’s important to note that this does not mean the best players on the season. We are basing this ranking on something completely different.

Talent comes into play, but so does the proven depth at a player’s respective position. We also have to factor in positions most vulnerable to the schematic changes, which could elevate specific players depending on where they are.

UT has enough issues on the season to worry about. If they lose any of these guys, things will only get significantly worse from there. With a new medical staff and strength coach, fans can only hope they won’t have the same injury issues they had under Butch Jones.

So which players are critical to this season for the Vols? Who is going to wreck the year if they go down with an injury or miss time for any reason. Let’s break it down now. These are the 10 players that Tennessee football can least afford to lose for 2018.