Tennessee football: Five concerns for Vols 2020 offseason

2. Key leaders on defense are gone.

For all the excitement surrounding Tennessee football’s top 10 recruiting class and all the up and coming talent, it’s worth noting that the Vols lost their three best players on defense this past year. These were their senior leaders as well.

More from Vols Football

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

Linebackers Daniel Bituli and Darrell Taylor along with safety Nigel Warrior both graduated. Now, almost every other crucial player is back. But these three guys are huge losses. They were the leaders not just of the defense, but in many cases of the entire team. And at their respective positions, they became top playmakers.

Warrior led the team in interceptions this past year with four. The son of Dale Carter lived up to his father’s legacy. His reliability allowed the rest of the secondary and the front seven to be more aggressive. Meanwhile, Taylor once again led the team in sacks with eight and a half, and he spread them out over many more games this year.

Finally, there is Bituli. Despite missing the first two games, he still came away with 69 tackles, four and a half tackles for a loss and three sacks. Oh, and without him, UT started the season 0-2, the only two times they have lost under Jeremy Pruitt as an underdog.

Simply put, the Vols lost lots of key guys. Henry To’o To’o will look to replace Bituli, and there are some bodies at outside linebacker. But Pruitt will be searching for guys to match their production, and even with an improving roster, it’s hard to replace talent that crucial.