Tennessee football: Top 10 winners from Vols 2019 spring practice

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Josh Palmer #84 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for yards after a catch during a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

This is one player where the spring game alone put him on the list. Jaylen McCullough was with the second team defense for Tennessee football, which was the White team, in the Orange and White game.

However, he managed to be the defensive star of the game and may have even deserved MVP. The guy came away with two interceptions on Saturday, and both of them set up touchdowns for the offense.

A freshman defensive back, McCullough was part of that stacked position in the 2019 recruiting class. Jeremy Pruitt brought him and others in to shore up depth. However, as an early enrollee, we didn’t hear much about him throughout the spring. Then Saturday happened, and he had a breakout scrimmage.

Yes, spring game play matters. It shows what you can be in front of crowd and on television. When the pressure turns up, McCullough, at least so far, has shown that he thrives in it. Add in the fact that he was an early enrollee, and he already has a leg up on other defensive backs.

All of a sudden, maybe he’ll surprisingly steal a starting job. Even having the chance to just be in the rotation is something worth celebrating. He might get that after what he was able to do in the spring game.

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