Tennessee football 2019 preview by position: Vols linebackers

Final take

Tennessee football has one proven inside linebacker and one proven outside linebacker in Daniel Bituli and Darrell Taylor respectively. Both figure to be breakout stars for the Vols throughout the 2019 season.

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However, after those two guys, they have a ton of potential. In fact, linebacker more than any other position is probably what Jeremy Pruitt was referring to when he touted his team’s improvement at SEC Media Days but said they’re on the more potential side of things.

The Vols’ linebackers after those two guys includes 10 guys, four of whom are three-stars and six of whom are four-stars. Three of those six four-stars were members of the Vols’ 2019 recruiting class, and another two were from the 2018 class.

So Pruitt is finally at the point where he’s got mostly his guys in the system, and now it’s time to find the ones who will stand out. As we have been saying, he wants players who can play all four positions, and Bituli is already one of those guys.

Among those 10 linebackers vying for playing time, including seven who legitimately find starting roles, there has to be a few guys who can play all four roles. Simply put, to many players handpicked by Pruitt are already in the system for this unit not to have enough depth.

As a result, Tennessee football should be in good shape at linebacker. Having 10 guys to fill two spots and maybe two more depth spots, so four spots overall, along with two proven guys means they should take another huge step forward this year. It’s one of many units that should be much better for the Vols in 2019.