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Analyst: Tennessee football’s Brandon Kennedy a top five SEC center

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Tim Jordan #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with Brandon Kennedy #55 and Jerrod Means #14 after rushing for a fifteen yard touchdown during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Tim Jordan #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with Brandon Kennedy #55 and Jerrod Means #14 after rushing for a fifteen yard touchdown during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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An ESPN analyst has high praise for the Tennessee football Volunteers center.

All the hype surrounded Trey Smith announcing his intention to return to Tennessee football for his senior season and Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Cade Mays transferring to the Vols. So Brandon Kennedy may go unnoticed.

However, him getting a sixth year of eligibility was a big deal, and the national media is taking notice. One SEC Network analyst listed Kennedy as a top offensive lineman to keep an eye on heading into 2020.

Cole Cubelic of ESPN listed the 6’3″ 301-pound center as the No. 3 player at his position in the SEC for this year. The only two players ranked ahead of him were Drake Jackson of the Kentucky Wildcats and Trey Hill of the Georgia Bulldogs. He released his top five list on Twitter.

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Once a four-star recruit, Kennedy initially joined the Alabama Crimson Tide and took a redshirt in 2015. After two years as a backup in 2016 and 2017, he then transferred to the Vols in 2018 to join Jeremy Pruitt in his inaugural season on Rocky Top. He was then in line to start at center that year but suffered a season-ending injury.

In 2019, Kennedy came back from his injury and resumed his starting role, similar to Smith. He took about a month to get back into rhythm, but a big reason for the Vols’ turnaround was his emergence once October came, and he was huge in the development of Eric Gray in November.

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As a result, it’s legitimate for there to be a lot of hype behind Kennedy heading into this year. Him being able to take a medical redshirt for the 2018 season and return for his sixth year is a big reason for the hype behind Tennessee football’s offensive line. In fact, Kennedy could be the most critical player on the line. He was the center last year, so keep an eye on him.

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