Tennessee football vs. South Carolina: Five Gamecocks to watch for against Vols
Scouting Report. Sophomore. player. 850. Pick Analysis. Linebacker. Ernest Jones. 5
He doesn’t make the splash plays that other members of the South Carolina Gamecocks do on defense. But Ernest Jones is a rising star at linebacker, and he may have even surpassed T.J. Brunson as the top glue guy in the middle for this team. The guy has been key for Will Muschamp’s defense all year.
Jones is the leading tackler on the team with 55, but he also has two and a half tackles for a loss, an interception and five pass deflections. We really could have gone with Jones or Brunson here, but Jones’s youth makes him more of a rising star. It’s similar to the combination of Daniel Bituli and Henry To’o To’o for Tennessee football, although Bituli is still unquestionably better.
Still, Jones is going to be a major force for the Vols to deal with at 6’2″ 235 pounds. He’s a very good player and a guy Jim Chaney will have to keep a serious eye on as he tried to establish the run game. After all, given the quarterback situation, the Vols have to stay on the ground.
They also need to keep an eye on where he is in the passing game if they are going to get anything going there to stretch the defense. Jones is a guy who does it all, and he’ll be incredibly difficult for the offense to handle on Saturday.