Tennessee football: Strongest metro areas for Vols on 2019 roster

4. Knoxville, Tenn.

Knoxville was bound to be on here, and when it comes to people directly from the city, it’s actually third on the list. But when you factor in levels of contribution and the players from the surrounding regions, it falls to No. 4.

Still, Tennessee football has always relied somewhat on local talent to help out, and this year is no different. One of the projected starters for this year, redshirt sophomore punter Joe Doyle, comes from Knoxville. Meanwhile, redshirt junior tight end Austin Pope figures to be in the system, as he’ll be the second tight end behind Dominick Wood-Anderson.

After those guys, the city has a lot of young talent that provides depth. Redshirt freshman Jacob Warren is another tight end who could help out. Meanwhile, redshirt junior tight end Andrew Craig and redshirt freshman linebacker Cameron Miller are both walk-ons who bring depth.

Then there’s redshirt freshman offensive lineman Ollie Lane. He’s the one guy from the metro area not from the actual city. Lane comes from Corryton, Tenn., which is an unincorporated community in Knox County. Don’t sleep on him in the rotation.

So while Knoxville doesn’t overload the roster, it does provide some talent, particularly at tight end. Doyle being a punter just continues a tradition of punters from the area. After all, the whole Colquitt family is etched in Knoxville. Solid tight ends do come out of this area as well, which is why the makeup of the players on this team from the area is so typical.