Shawn Shamburger may just be the Tennessee football Volunteers’ best player.
PFF College has been higher on Tennessee football defensive back Shawn Shamburger than many other analysts. In fact, it has already suggested he is the Vols’ best returning player. Another data point released Sunday revealed why that may be.
The cornerback had the best stat nationally when it comes to his main role when playing nickel: covering the slot wide receivers. Shamburger forced the lowest passer rating of any returning cornerback when guarding the slot.
Just behind Shamburger were Kary Vincent Jr. of the LSU Tigers and Jevon Holland of the Oregon Ducks. But based on the organization’s tweet, the rising Tennessee football senior was far ahead of those two guys.
Lowest passer rating when targeted in the slot among returning CBs:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 5, 2020
1. Shawn Shamburger, Tenn - 61.6
2. Kary Vincent Jr, LSU - 64.5
3. Jevon Holland, Oregon - 65.2 pic.twitter.com/9CgRI3HqMv
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With all the hype surrounding rising junior cornerbacks Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor, it can be easy to forget about Shamburger. However, at 5’11’ 185 pounds, he is the experienced guy in the secondary this year after the loss of Nigel Warrior.
In 2019, Shamburger had an interception, three pass deflections and even three sacks. He had four and a half tackles for a loss and 47 tackles overall. Simply put, he is a guy who has thrived as a versatile talent in Jeremy Pruitt’s system.
Given his physical play, it makes sense that he would be great at covering slot guys. However, he does not get the recognition he deserves for such a role, and these types of stats suggest he is looking more and more like an NFL secondary player.
Remember, this is the second stat by PFF Focus within two weeks that show how great Shamburger is. Another stat from June 24 noted that he and Thompson combined to allow zero touchdowns in 2019 with nearly 700 coverage snaps.
As a result, it’s safe to say that Shamburger is one of the most prolific corners in the SEC, and he did it last year without Thompson for two games. Now, how he and Thompson both fare without Warrior is still up in the air, but Tennessee football appears to be in great hands at nickel with this veteran. Add in the return of Baylen Buchanan, and Pruitt also has depth again there.