Tennessee football: 4 players whose return to health could rejuvenate Vols

Todd Kelly Jr. spent the final half of his college career just trying to get back into a rhythm, and Micah Abernathy struggled as well. So one player Tennessee football needed for safety depth was Trevon Flowers. The freshman early on was generating buzz on the level of Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson.

Despite being a three-star recruit, Flowers proved he was better than his star rating and that it truly was not going to the camps in the spring that held him back. However, an injury to Flowers was revealed during the bye week, just as it was to Riley Locklear.

Flowers suffered a broken collarbone and never fully recovered from that. Yes, it’s true that the Vols still managed to score wins over the Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats after that, as they did after Locklear. But Flowers could have provided more help in other games.

With depth being a desperate issue in the secondary and the struggles at safety last year, Flowers coming back to full health should be a huge boost for Jeremy Pruitt and new defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley, who just so happens to also be the new defensive coordinator. He could immediately fill a major void and is just another plus to all the improvements that could be happening this offseason.