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Tennessee football’s top 10 injury concerns for 2020

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: Defensive back Baylen Buchanan #28 of the Tennessee Volunteers between plays during the game between the UTEP Miners and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 24-0. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: Defensive back Baylen Buchanan #28 of the Tennessee Volunteers between plays during the game between the UTEP Miners and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 24-0. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images /

2. player. Pick Analysis. Offensive Lineman. Redshirt Senior. Brandon Kennedy. 839. Scouting Report

Of all the horrible breaks Tennessee football had Jeremy Pruitt’s first two years, the season-ending injury to center Brandon Kennedy in the Vols’ 2018 opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers was among the worst. Kennedy transferred to Rocky Top from the Alabama Crimson Tide and was immediately eligible to start for Pruitt and co.

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Once a four-star recruit in the 2015 class who hails from Wetumpka High School in Wetumpka, Ala., the 6’3″ 301-pound center did return last year. It took him about a month to get back into rhythm, but he emerged as the only reliable center by October, and that’s a big reason the Vols were able to turn things around after such a horrific start to the season.

Now, this year, Kennedy gets to play again after shockingly receiving a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. However, there’s a reason he gets a sixth year. He suffered two season-ending injuries. In addition to the season-ending knee injury in 2018, Kennedy suffered a broken leg that knocked him out of a season with Alabama in 2016. So he has been through this multiple times.

Related Story. 10 Vols who should redshirt in 2020. light

As a result, Kennedy is one of the top injury concerns on here despite playing all of last season. Two season-ending injuries can’t be overlooked, and the desperate need the Vols have at center only makes it more concerning. To have the offensive line live up to its preseason hype, Kennedy needs to be there. He is clearly back to form, which he proved in 2019, but he needs to stay back.

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