Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should redshirt in 2019

Tennessee football is so wide open and looking for help at defensive line that this is one position where you would think nobody should take a redshirt. And for younger players, that’s certainly the case. They should see if they have a chance to steal a starting job.

However, a guy like LaTrell Bumphus is a different case. Bumphus has moved around and played multiple positions on Rocky Top, so he’s not fully settled in at defensive end. Then, in the spring, Matthew Butler and John Mincey were clearly ahead of him in the one available defensive end spot.

Add in the upcoming arrival of four-star Roman Harrison this summer, and Bumphus needs to spend his time focusing on staying just behind Butler. In the process, he needs to take a redshirt so he has a year to himself after Butler leaves. They are both juniors, so if Bumphus doesn’t do anything, he’ll be stuck as a backup.

One thing working against Bumphus is his size. At 263 pounds, he’s not big enough to move inside. So he has to stay at defensive end. And he’s got raw talent. But his best chance at showing that is redshirting, developing, and trying to take over the role in 2021 when Butler is gone. He doesn’t need to waste 2019 getting used to the system.