Tennessee football: Five biggest storylines of Vols 2019 season

2. Seniors reach their full potential.

While the freshmen spell a great future for Tennessee football, the the seniors who had been waiting for their big moment was an amazing story for the Vols as well. Almost all of them who didn’t redshirt had some standout moments, Many of them finally lived up to their hype.

Nigel Warrior was the biggest story on this. He had been a regular starter at safety but not a standout star. That changed this year, as he earned All-SEC honors with four interceptions on the season and was the leader in the secondary.

We knew what to expect from Daniel Bituli and Darrell Taylor. After missing the first two games, Bituli highlighted his return with a blocked punt for a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks and 19 tackles against the Kentucky Wildcats. Taylor, meanwhile, had eight and a half sacks, most notably one to save the Gator Bowl.

On offense, Tyler Byrd had a memorable game-clinching touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and Dominick Wood-Anderson had one against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Both had big moments.

But the wideouts were the standouts. Marquez Callaway had over 600 yards receiving, including four 100-yard receiving games, and also became an All-SEC punt returner with another punt return for a touchdown this year.

And then there’s Jauan Jennings. No senior deserves more praise than this guy. He was the leader of the group, making huge play after huge play and finishing with 59 catches for 969 yards and eight touchdowns. This guy was the star of Rocky Top, and he became one of the most beloved players ever. His emergence stood out above all seniors.