All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football vs. WVU: 5 Vols to watch for against Mountaineers

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 18: Jonathan Kongbo #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after a sack against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Neyland Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 18: Jonathan Kongbo #1 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after a sack against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Neyland Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Nigel Warrior
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

Look, there’s no way around it. Tennessee football is going to struggle against Will Grier in this game. Their secondary is adjusting to the 3-4 defense and has a brand new collection of cornerbacks. As a result, you can expect Grier to torch them for lots of good plays.

Here’s the good thing for Rocky Top: Grier can make a lot of mistakes too. Last year, he had 12 interceptions, and that came despite missing the final two games of the year. West Virginia had 14 overall, something that comes with the air raid.

To help offset the damage that Grier will do to the cornerbacks and bring some big plays to the defense in general, the Vols need an elite safety. Lucky for them, they have just that guy in Nigel Warrior. After taking a step forward last year, Warrior is a guy who has a safe starting spot for the Vols this year.

A hard-hitter, a playmaker in the secondary, and a guy with a high football IQ, Warrior brings everything you need to the table at safety. He is one of the best players on the team, and even if the secondary struggles overall, you can expect Warrior to be there to help out.

In fact, Warrior has to be there. We already mentioned the questions at cornerback. The other safety spot involves Theo Jackson, a freshman, Micah Abernathy, who was horrible last year, and Todd Kelly Jr., who is coming back from injury and had a tumultuous offseason.

Warrior is the only guy in the secondary that Jeremy Pruitt and Kevin Sherrer will be able to trust. The Vols desperately need him to cover all the issues that will inevitably come with covering the pass in this game.

Home/Vols Football