Tennessee football: Former Vols LB Quart’e Sapp signs with Titans
Quart’e Sapp left Tennessee football early for the NFL Draft. Although his name wasn’t called, the former Volunteers linebacker signed with the Titans.
A four-star in the 2015 Tennessee football recruiting class, Quart’e Sapp surprisingly declared early for the NFL Draft this year. He had been in the program for four years but was a rising senior after taking an injury redshirt and clearly had more to prove.
Although he didn’t get selected, it appears as if he will be able to stay in Tennessee. The Titans appear to have given him a contract according to multiple reports, the first one from Sapp himself on Twitter.
No matter the circumstances I’m thankful for what God has in store for me. Tennessee is still my home #TitanUp
— Quart'e Sapp (@Dedicated_2Work) April 28, 2019
After that tweet, which was a bit cryptic, Wes Rucker of GoVols247 reported on Sapp signing with the Titans as well. As a result, it now seems pretty safe to assume that he has indeed inked a teal with the pro team in Nashville.
Similar to Kyle Philips and Shy Tuttle, Sapp was a part of that elite group of Tennessee football recruits in 2015 who suffered back to back season-ending injuries his freshman and sophomore years. But as a junior, he finally showed what he could do with 75 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss and 2 pass deflections.
The return of Darrin Kirkland Jr. to health, though, and the arrival of Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 scheme limited Sapp’s opportunities in 2018. He only had 29 tackles and started just one game, and his most notable incident came in the Florida Gators loss in which he left the game and had conflicting reports with Pruitt about why. After returning and it being “handled,” nothing else came of it.
However, given the state of things, it made sense for Sapp to go ahead and declare for the pros. He had already graduated, was not going to start next year and couldn’t risk further injury before signing a contract. So he made the right decision.
Next. Vols 2019 NFL Draft and post-draft primer. dark
Whether or not Sapp’s career works out in Tennessee remains to be seen. However, Mike Vrabel has switched them back to a 4-3, where he thrived early on with Tennessee football. So he definitely has a chance to make an impact, and if he stays healthy, he has proven himself to be a playmaker. So watch out for what he can do.