Tennessee football: Top five true freshman of Vols 2019 season by impact

A four-star commitment in the Vols’ 2019 class, Jaylen McCullough was not likely to be a starter this first season. He showed flashes with two interceptions in the spring game, but Nigel Warrior, Trevon Flowers and Theo Jackson appeared to have the safety spots locked up this year. Tennessee football was supposed to be set.

However, in a 20-10 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Flowers suffered a season-ending injury on an interception. Two games later, after the Vols’ 35-13 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, McCullough earned the first start of his career, coming against the South Carolina Gamecocks. He got burned a couple of times early on but settled down in the second half.

The Austell, Ga. native played in every game down the stretch and started in five of the Vols’ final six games. There are a few reasons UT went from 2-5 to 8-5 on the year, and McCullough is a big part of that. He proved just how effective he can be as a physical player and a guy in coverage.

Playing safety, McCullough had 33 tackles on the year, three tackles for a loss, a sack and a pass breakup. He had seven tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup in the Vols’ Gator Bowl win over the Indiana Hoosiers. Now, McCullough is seasoned enough to where he could become a star next year, even with Warrior’s departure. His future is as bright as we expected it to be.