Tennessee football: 5 toughest Vols to replace for 2019

Micah Abernathy is a rare guy. He was inconsistent throughout his final three years on Rocky Top, but at the same time, he was a mark of stability in the sense that you could always count on him as a body to go to.

In 2018, Abernathy started eight games for Tennessee football. He was a big part of their upset over the Kentucky Wildcats with seven tackles overall, and despite playing with injuries, he did everything he could for the program.

Remember, this was a difficult year for Abernathy as he had to adjust to Jeremy Pruitt’s new 3-4 scheme. However, he and Nigel Warrior were the only returning starters at safety to begin the season, and they had to carry the load. It became very difficult at times.

Still, Abernathy was able to make lots of plays when he was in games, and had he been healthy against the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Vols likely win that game. Outside of Warrior and Trevon Flowers, who is recovering from injury, nobody else is proven at safety right now, so Abernathy is a very tough guy to replace.

However, this is why Pruitt spent a lot of time recruiting the defensive backs in the offseason. He knew he’d need some help at safety as quickly as possible, and Abernathy’s departure is a huge reason for that.