Tennessee football: Strongest metro areas for Vols on 2019 roster
1. Nashville, Tenn.
As deep as the Atlanta area is for Tennessee football, and as much as Knoxville and Memphis provide talent for the program, Nashville is the heart of where the Vols come from. And it’s not even close when it comes to dominance.
Not only are the majority of players overwhelmingly from Nashville, but they are all major contributors. Eric Gray is a Memphis running back with potential? Well junior Ty Chandler is THE running back starting right now, and he comes from Nashville. And he’s the best playmaker on the team.
Now, to be fair, almost all of the guys on the roster from Nashville that are returning are reserve guys who are either walk-ons or will never play. That includes Toby Wilson, Jay Shoop, Chip Omer, Landon Knoll and Nyles Gaddy.
But after Chandler there’s still junior defensive back Theo Jackson, who is likely to be the top guy not starting in the defensive back rotation this year. Then there’s redshirt sophomore Princeton Fant, who’s moved around a lot but could be a utility guy to provide depth.
When it comes to surrounding areas on the team, you obviously start with Brentwood. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Ryan Johnson comes from there and is Tennessee football’s most versatile player up front. However, redshirt junior offensive lineman Brian Garvey is a walk-on from there.
Redshirt senior long-snapper Riley Lovingood is from Hendersonville. Junior starting kicker Brent Cimaglia is from Franklin. Another walk-on, redshirt freshman outside linebacker, Gatkek Kueth hails from Gallatin. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Maleik Gray is from La Vergne, Tenn. But as we mentioned on the last slide it’s debatable if that’s Nashville or Murfreesboro.
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And with all of that, we haven’t even mentioned the new Tennessee football recruits from Nashville. They include four-star offensive lineman Jackson Lampley and three-star defensive lineman Elijah Simmons. So, simply put, this city and this area still dominates Rocky Top, which is why it is No. 1.