Tennessee football 2019 recap: Top 10 Vols players of the season

When you talk about making a strong statement in your senior season to go out with a bang, nobody did that more than Nigel Warrior. A quiet force for Tennessee football in his previous three years, Warrior was just seen as a reliable starter who could pick up the defensive schemes quickly and remain a glue guy for everybody involved.

However, this year, the son of UT two-time All-American Dale Carer did his part to live up to his father’s legacy, and that’s hard to do. Warrior had to cover a lot of ground early in the year because the Vols’ defensive play-caller, Daniel Bituli, was out, and their top cornerback, Bryce Thompson, was suspended. As a result, he took blame for lots of busted coverages early.

Early enough, though, he showed just how good he is. Warrior had four interceptions this year, and two of them were key. The Vols may not beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs or the Kentucky Wildcats with Warrior’s interceptions in those games, and he also had a pick against the Alabama Crimson Tide that killed a touchdown drive by them and set up UT’s only touchdown drive.

Simply put, Warrior was a major playmaker all year. He finished the season with 70 tackles, two tackles for a loss, four interceptions and nine pass breakups. It was a great way for him to end his career as a legacy player on Rocky Top.