Tennessee football: 5 most important walk-ons for Vols 2018 season

To people who followed Tennessee football last year, this is no surprise at all. Paul Bain has had experience each of the past two years playing in games for the Vols, and entering his senior season, he could actually see his role increase.

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The notable moment of Bain’s career came last year against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In the Vols’ only exciting win that season, Bain blocked Georgia Tech’s potential game-winning field goal in regulation to send the game to overtime.

So unlike anybody else on this list, Bain actually has a moment where he was the hero. Through five games over two years, he actually has a track record of production as well. In addition to the blocked field goal, Bain does have two tackles and assisted in a tackle for a loss as well.

It’s not much, but it’s enough to show he can provide value. And at 6’2″ 292 pounds, he could have just enough versatility to fit in Jeremy Pruitt’s scheme with his defensive line. That’s a big deal because Shy Tuttle is the only proven defensive tackle on the roster right now.

As a result, there’s no reason to be surprised if Bain starts to see significant action this year. No matter what, you should expect him to see some action. How much is up for question, but he could be a player on special teams and a key guy for depth.

Tennessee football has had walk-ons emerge into stars before. Sometimes, they just became solid players. That could happen here with Bain. He has shown enough in the past for fans to believe in him as somebody who could change a game. As a result, he’s our top walk-on for the Vols in 2018.