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Tennessee football: 10 Vols who need a good spring practice for 2019

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football has lots of players fighting for playing time this year. Here are 10 Volunteers who need a good spring practice for 2019 to secure that.

After losing so little talent from its 2018 team, you would think Tennessee football has lots of guys in secure starting spots. But that’s not the case at all with Jeremy Pruitt’s second spring practice underway, nor should it be.

The Vols went 5-7 in 2018 and lost six games by 25 or more points. As a result, it was clear that Pruitt and his coaching staff would want to bring in more competition. A top 12 recruiting class focused on shoring up needs does just that.

However, many of those recruits will not be here until the summer. On top of that, there are still guys trying to return to health. As a result, the Vols have tons of players who, if they want to earn a spot in any rotation this fall, have to perform at a high level in the spring.

Tennessee football enters the year with just 15 seniors. Some are way ahead in their starting roles, others are just roster spots, and many are part of a group that had four-year expectations when coming but now have one final chance to live up to them.

In addition to those seniors, there are redshirt juniors going through the same thing. If they want to have any chance at making a name for themselves on Rocky Top, this is their year to try to play. However, they have plenty of competition from younger guys and guys trying to get healthy.

Combining all of those things: age, position and expectations, we’re going to rank the 10 Vols who need to perform well over the next month and a half. These guys have lots of pressure among them to stand out, especially with four new assistant coaches and a new offensive and defensive coordinator in town.

Those coaches will want some of these guys to step up as well. After all, Pruitt’s team is still very young, so it’s not like he would be happy about having fewer veteran options. So let’s go ahead and break down the players who need to step up to give him those options. These are the 10 Tennessee football players who need a good spring practice for 2019.

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