Tennessee football: Five UAB Blazers to watch for against Vols

2. Tyler Johnston III

Quarterback; Sophomore

6’2″ 215 pounds

It was hard for us to pick which offensive weapon to choose from. After all, Tyler Johnston III has had three wide receivers turn into star-caliber players with the way he has spread the ball around, and there are by-committee backs who make plays.

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Kendall Parham leads the team in receiving with 655 yards and five touchdowns. But Austin Watkins is not far behind with 518 yards and six touchdowns. Although Myron Mitchell is a drop-off with 339 yards and three touchdowns, he also has a score in his own right with 10 kickoff returns for 270 yards and one touchdown on that front.

Meanwhile, Lucious Stanley, Spencer Brown and Jermaine Brown Jr. have all been effective running backs in Bill Clark’s by-committee system. But the fact of the matter is Johnston is the guy who makes it all go, and he’s in on all of this.

Sure, he has a turnover problem with 10 interceptions. But Johnston has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes, is averaging over 250 passing yards a game and also has 15 touchdowns. He also has another 201 rushing yards. So he’s a playmaker in every way and a very tough guy for anybody to defend.

It’s worth noting that Tennessee football struggled severely with a similar mobile quarterback early in the year, as Dan Ellington of the Georgia State Panthers torched them. They should be better now, but Johnston has to be a focus.