Tennessee football vs. UTEP: 5 Miners to watch for against Vols
No.3 – A.J. Hotchkins, Senior Linebacker
The transfer from Oregon, A.J. Hotchkins makes our list in the number three position. The three-star prospect committed to the University of Oregon but now finds himself as a grad transfer playing for the Miners.
Hotchkins had an impressive amount of teams offer him a scholarship including Arkansas, Washington State, Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, and many others.
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In his first season at Oregon, he accounted for 35 total tackles with 19 of them solo. He also registered 1.5 sacks that year.
In two games so far this season, Hotchkins has 21 total tackles with one sack which ranks as fifth best in the Conference USA.
Hotchkins has been used mostly as an inside linebacker, but UTEP uses him on the outside because of the speed he has to get to the perimeter.
He can cover sideline to sideline and will be involved in a lot of tackles due to a weak defensive line he is playing behind.
As we mentioned early, the Miners have one of the worst rushing defenses in the entire nation. That stems from a poor push up front on the line of scrimmage. Opposing running backs are able to get to the second and third levels with ease.
Don’t be surprised is Hotchkins has double-digit tackles during the game against the Vols. He should lead the Miners in that category.