Tennessee football: Five positions battles heading into Vols 2020 spring practice

2. Inside Linebacker

One starting spot is locked up here. Henry To’o To’o is preparing to take the reins from Daniel Bituli as the signal-caller on defense. He emerged as a rising star last year with Tennessee football, and entering his sophomore season, expectations are through the roof. That all comes despite the fact that he struggled without Bituli in the first two games of the season last year.

Still, with Bituli gone once again, that means that there’s a major opening on the other side at inside linebacker. And that is a total mystery. We mentioned the fact that Quavaris Crouch is injured. As a result, nothing will be completely solved this spring. However, there are other guys in the running to start at that position, and all of them could be competing here.

J.J. Peterson seems like the leading candidate. He never really got into a rhythm in 2018 due to being a late arrival, and he has never really had a chance to shine since then. However, once a four-star recruit, that could all change this year. Beyond Peterson, there is Solon Page III and Aaron Beasley. Both will get increased looks during the spring as well.

With three guys vying for the spot no matter what, this will be an interesting position battle. Now, Crouch getting healthy and two more four-star inside linebackers arriving in the summer could change things. But the fact of the matter is this is a critical position for Jeremy Pruitt to pay attention to in the spring, and he likely will do just that.