Tennessee football: Ranking Vols 10 position units for 2019

8. Tight ends

Last year, Dominick Wood-Anderson was supposed to become an elite superstar. A four-star junior college transfer known for his receiving abilities and lured away from Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, the 6’4″ 257-pound transfer had tons of hype. But then he only had two touchdowns and less than 200 yards receiving on the year.

Now, though, with Jim Chaney replacing Tyson Helton and the prospects of better protection, Wood-Anderson is in perfect position to succeed. His potential as a returning player puts the unit ahead of the defensive line, and the fact that he wasn’t awful puts the unit ahead of the offensive line.

The problem is we have to see more from Wood-Anderson to move this unit up the list. And with the transfer of Eli Wolf, there is a lack of proven depth at the position, which is why it’s third from the bottom on this list.

Still, Jeremy Pruitt has a bunch of young prospects on the roster, including two new freshman in Sean Brown and Jackson Lowe, a redshirt freshman in Jacob Warren, and a utility redshirt sophomore in Princeton Fant.

Then there’s Austin Pope, who showed enough versatility to line up at fullback last year. As a result, there is potential here with the number of bodies. But it’s not proven enough yet to be higher on this list. Brian Niedermeyer is getting recognized as one of the nation’s top assistants. Focusing solely on tight ends, he has a great chance to prove it with this group.