Tennessee football: Top 10 SEC stars 2019 Vols have to account for

Numerous elite defensive backs will be looking to get the best of Tennessee football this year, but none have torched the Vols like C.J. Henderson each of the past two seasons. As a freshman in 2017, he was one of the guys who cashed in on Butch Jones’s incompetence, and he ended up with a pick-six, which was the critical play of the game before the Hail Mary.

In 2018, Henderson took part in the onslaught of the Florida Gators forcing turnovers on the Vols, as he came away with a forced fumble. So he has saved his best for when he faces Rocky Top his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Six interceptions in two years is already pretty impressive. But in the transition from Randy Shannon’s 4-3 defense to Todd Grantham’s 3-4 defense, Henderson showed another side of his elite skills. He came away with five tackles for a loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles. That more than offset his drop in interceptions from four to two.

The 6’1″ 202-pound junior has already shown star quality, but he could show superstar potential this year. Maybe Jim Chaney will get luckier avoiding him than Tyson Helton and Larry Scott did, but Jeremy Pruitt needs to be ready for Henderson at all times.