Tennessee football: 10 players Vols can’t afford to lose for 2019

Marcus Tatum is the one proven tackle for Tennessee football who can for sure go this fall. Ryan Johnson is the most versatile interior guard. But the interior line was the worst part of the historically bad unit last year, and that had to do with Johnson moving over to center, which he wasn’t ready to play, and Jeremy Pruitt looking elsewhere for another guard.

All of that was due to a season-ending injury suffered by Brandon Kennedy, who had transferred from the Alabama Crimson Tide in the summer of 2018, in the opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was penciled in as the starting center almost immediately upon arriving on campus given his experience in the pro-style, so his injury was devastating.

Now that he’s back and healthy, Pruitt and Jim Chaney will likely move him back to center. That can allow Johnson to move back to guard, bringing in double the amount of improvement. Because of that, the Vols simply can’t afford to lose Kennedy again. It’s hard enough to lose a center in general, but it’s even worse when you depth is this questionable.

As a result, Kennedy is very high on the list of players UT can’t afford to lose. He allows for a more stable rotation and keeps the coaches from having to force players into roles where they aren’t comfortable. Those are huge deals.