Tennessee football: Top 10 in-state Vols on 2020 roster

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 30: Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 30: Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images
Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

These are the best in-state 2020 Tennessee football Volunteers players.

Going national once again and re-establishing a recruiting pipeline into neighboring states has been a major focus of Jeremy Pruitt ever since he took over as Tennessee football head coach. With each recruiting class getting better than the last, it has appeared to work out.

However, Pruitt has not lost focus of his in-state talent, and he has made sure to keep the best players at home. As a result, entering 2020, the Vols have elite talent from Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and everything in between on their roster. They also have elite talent east of Knoxville.

Simply put, Tennessee football isn’t forgetting the in-state talent across the I-40 corridor. The Vols are entering 2020 with numerous veterans and rising stars from different parts of the state, and they have even added an elite transfer from the Knoxville area.

In this post, we’re going to rank the best players on the roster from within the state for 2020. These players all have experience competing at the FBS level. As a result, we’re going to leave out recruits, although they could break into this list with a solid season.

Overall, though, we’re judging these players based on what they have done in previous years and the role they are expected to play this year. Talent and projected playing time are both coming into play with this list.

It is all subject to change, obviously, as the season plays out. A couple of the top guys on the list this year were not anywhere to be found on it last year, albeit for different reasons. But these are the players from the state who will be crucial entering the year?

So which players are we talking about? Just how much are they going to mean to the Vols? Let’s break all of that down here. Here are the top 10 athletes on Tennessee football’s roster entering the 2020 season who are from the state of Tennessee.