Nigel Warrior joins Baylen Buchanan as the other son of a former NFL defensive back coming from Georgia. Like Buchanan, he is entering his senior season. And like Buchanan, he comes from Gwinnett County just outside of Atlanta. In fact, Warrior’s hometown of Duluth is only about 20 minutes from Buchanan’s hometown of Lawrenceville.
These two are also tied together in the sense that they both were the first freshmen newcomers to have their helmet stickers removed in the Fall of 2016. However, unlike Buchanan, Warrior is a Tennessee football legacy player, as he’s the son of two-time All-American Dale Carter.
Through three years, Warrior’s role in the Vols’ defense has increased. He was solid last year with the 3-4 switch, finishing second on the team in tackles with 64 and coming away with a tackle for a loss and a pass deflection. Warrior is the glue guy for the defense and has kept it together the past couple of years.
This year, though, after a season to get acclimated to the 3-4, he could burst onto the scene as a bigger star. Warrior is a complete player, after all, at safety. As a senior, he could emerge into a star. That would do wonders to improve the UT pipeline into the state of Georgia, especially those with football backgrounds.