Tennessee football: Ranking 4 Vols in limbo by need for 2019
Tennessee football lost all three defensive linemen from this past year in Alexis Johnson, Kyle Phillips and Shy Tuttle. Heck, they even lost one of their backup contributors in Paul Bain. It’s rough to lose that much talent at one spot after a coach’s first year.
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What’s worse is that was their best unit. It shows with Johnson, Phillips and Tuttle signing with NFL rosters. So they need a lot of help there, to put it simply. Emmit Gooden is the only returning player with any experience up front.
That’s where Aubrey Solomon comes in. Jeremy Pruitt has found some help on defensive end with Matthew Butler and John Mincey, and he is getting some junior college transfers to help out like Savion Williams and Darel Middleton.
But Pruitt really needs to get the Michigan Wolverines transfer. A five-star recruit in 2017, the 6’5″ 306-pound junior was the best performer up front in the spring. He is the only other guy with proven experience at the college level playing defensive tackle. All he needs is a waiver to be eligible for this year and not have to sit out a season.
Related Story. Projecting the Vols' 2019 post-spring 2-deep depth chart. light
If Solomon gets the green light, Pruitt will have two proven contributors who can line up at defensive tackle and be good to go. That’ll keep the unit afloat after losing so much talent. A drop-off there could set back the development everywhere else significantly.