Tennessee football has many true freshmen Jeremy Pruitt added to the cast of Volunteers returning starters. Here are those most likely to play in 2019.
When a team returns 18 starters, you would assume it unlikely that lots of freshmen make it into the rotation. However, when they return 18 starters but were 5-7 the previous year and lost six games by 25 points, well, a few might turn some heads. Such is the case for Tennessee football entering Jeremy Pruitt’s second season.
The Vols did not have one of their greatest recruiting classes ever in 2019, but they did upgrade in key areas. Their best area just happens to be where the worst unit on the team was last year, so that leaves plenty of chances for a freshman to see the field.
In the past, Tennessee football has had some of its best moments with true freshmen. Does anybody remember 1997? The Vols inserted Jamal Lewis against the Ole Miss Rebels, and he joined senior Peyton Manning to make up the greatest backfield in school history en route to an SEC Championship.
Could Pruitt and his staff find somebody like that this year? It’s always possible, and that’s something that could definitely happen this year. After all, despite the numerous reasons to expect dramatic improvement, it’s clear that UT needs immediate help.
So in this post, we’re going to look at those young guys who could provide the immediate help. These are members of the Vols’ 2019 recruiting class who were not junior college transfers. They are on the roster now as well.
With fall camp underway, Pruitt and co. are already getting a good look at these players. And many of them had the advantage of getting a head start by raising eyebrows in the spring. We’ll take those things combined with the hype behind the players and the need at their respective position all into account.
When you break it all down, that allows for plenty of chances for the 32 youngsters, 20 of whom were in the recruiting class, to get into a rotation somewhere. Let’s look at who the most likely ones are. These are the 10 Tennessee football true freshmen who have the best chance of playing early in 2019.