Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should redshirt in 2019

A four-star defensive back in the 2019 Tennessee football recruiting class and an early enrollee, Tyus Fields had a chance to get into the rotation in the spring. After all, the secondary has an open starting spot and plenty of room for backups in the rotation.

However, Fields was not able to break through. Two other freshman defensive backs, Jaylen McCullough and Warren Burrell stood out. McCullough even had two interceptions in the spring game. Meanwhile, Fields spent time trying to get healthy from an injury.

Add in Trevon Flowers and Theo Jackson still being rotational guys competing for starting spots and the fact that two more defensive backs are arriving in the summer, and Fields will have a hard time breaking through. As a result, his prospects of playing are slim to none for 2019.

Fields has talent, though, and he has a ton of potential. So he should take a redshirt this year while working to get fully healthy, and that will allow Jeremy Pruitt to have a bit more long-term stability in the secondary. By this time next year, Fields could then be fully healthy and as acclimated to the system as anybody else. It’s a win-win for everybody.