Tennessee football: Top 10 out-of-state Vols on 2020 roster

Hometown: Wetumpka, Ala.

One of the biggest reasons for Tennessee football’s improvement down the stretch of last year was Brandon Kennedy’s emergence. Jeremy Pruitt secured Kennedy as a transfer from the Alabama Crimson Tide back in 2018. Kennedy was set to immediately step in at center but suffered a season-ending injury in the opener, a loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Last year, he got his starting role back at center, but he needed a month to get back into football shape. That month saw the Vols fall to 1-3. As Kennedy got better, UT got better. By mid-October, Kennedy had emerged as one of the best blockers on the team and was helping the offense improve dramatically, a big reason for the program’s strong finish.

Then, in the offseason, the 6’3″ 301-pound product of Wetumpka High School in Alabama received a sixth year of eligibility. As a result, he now enters 2020 finally fully healthy with a ton of experience in the pro-style offense. That speaks to the potential of how reliable he is expected to be for Jim Chaney’s offense this year. He’s a reason for UT’s offensive line hype.

In addition to potential, though, Kennedy has the proven production to back it up. Eric Gray emerged as a star, and Jarrett Guarantano began to improve, just as Kennedy turned into what everybody expected him to be as an interior blocker. He earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the South Carolina game, and by all accounts, he’s a top five SEC center entering 2020.