Three Tennessee football newcomers made Freshman All-SEC, and one already has All-American recognition. That says a lot about the future of the Volunteers.
On Thursday, Tennessee football was one of three schools in the SEC to have three or more players represented on the All-SEC freshman team. The Vols were only behind the Texas A&M Aggies, who had four, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who had five.
Everybody is still sold on Jimbo Fisher for what he’s building in College Station, and Alabama is Alabama. So the Vols even being close to them in terms of numbers is pretty impressive and just one example of what Jeremy Pruitt is building on Rocky Top.
The winners for Tennessee football were two offensive tackles, Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright, and linebacker Henry To’o To’o. Meanwhile, To’o To’o has already earned freshman All-American honors from The Athletic.
Simply put, this team has talent building. It was hard to see this year because the seniors were so key down the stretch. Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings as the go-to receivers made a huge difference. Daniel Bituli, Darrell Taylor and Nigel Warrior were all the key playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.
And yes, it’s true that Pruitt is going to have to find a way to replace those guys. But what’s clear is that he has them on track to do it. Flying under the radar of all the senior production is the high number of underclassmen he is relying on, and this just proves that.
UT only lost to the Georgia State Panthers because it didn’t have Bituli, and To’o To’o wasn’t ready to handle the duties of inside linebacker. A week later, he improved dramatically, and now, everybody would put their faith in him to perform.
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Meanwhile, having both tackles being freshman is a huge deal. The Vols have struggled severely on the line recently, and Pruitt even had to move true guards over to tackle for immediate help in 2018. He doesn’t have to do that anymore.
Beyond these freshmen, though, are more young players stepping up. Warren Burrell and Jaylen McCullough both saw significant action and proved they have a future in the secondary at cornerback and safety respectively. Greg Emerson, a redshirt freshman, exploded onto the scene as a defensive lineman. Quavaris Crouch got better each week.
On offense, Eric Gray was a breakout player against the Vanderbilt Commodores at running back. We know about Brian Maurer and J.T. Shrout both getting experience playing quarterback, and Ramel Keyton had a key catch in the Vols’ win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Simply put, while they have a lot to replace after this year, the Vols finally have a crop of young talent that has built depth in the program and also has it ready to grow. It’s impossible to overstate how big of a deal that is.
Pruitt is finally beginning to stock the cupboard for Tennessee football. He may not be getting top 10 recruiting classes, but he’s making sure he fills his needs with proper talent. One more solid recruiting class that does that could make sure the Vols are set. The recognition of freshmen shows he’s doing something right.