Tennessee football: Henry To’o To’o named a top player nobody’s talking about

Linebacker Henry To’o To’o of the Tennessee football Volunteers was named a top player nobody’s talking about.

After being named on three different awards watch lists within a week, including two for the nation’s best defensive player, rising Tennessee football sophomore Henry To’o To’o is starting to get a lot of love. However, to some people, he is still underrated.

The inside linebacker was named by 247Sports as one of the 10 players nobody’s talking about. These players all came from Power Five conferences and were listed among the group of potential stars for the 2020 season.

As Brad Crawford of 247Sports wrote in this article, these players could be considered “unsung heroes.” Here’s what he said about the Tennessee football defensive player who is expected to be a leader in the program this year.

"One of the nation’s top linebackers in last year’s signing class, To’o To’o made an instant impact in the SEC after finishing second on the Vols with 72 tackles over 12 starts. But he’s not just one of Tennessee’s most important players players entering his sophomore campaign — he is arguably a Top 10 performer at his position nationally. Still, much of the credit during the Vols’ second-half resurgence last fall rested on other, more well-known Tennessee starters and Jeremy Pruitt’s notable turnaround. Pruitt would be the first to tell you his defense will go as far as To’o To’o takes it this season in his third year in Knoxville."

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It is true that To’o To’o has more to prove coming out of Daniel Bituli’s shadow. Last year, the two started together for most of the season at linebacker. To’o To’o started the first two games by himself since Bituli was injured, and calling the plays for the defense, he struggled, which was a big reason for the program’s 0-2 start.

However, at the end of the season, To’o To’o developed significantly, earning Freshman All-American honors and Freshman All-SEC honors. In addition to those honors, he had to step up again when Bituli was hurt in the Vols’ comeback win over the Indiana Hoosiers in the Gator Bowl. That time, he was ready and looked like a star.

To’o To’o was placed on this list the same day he became one of 98 players on the preseason watch list for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded for the Football Writers Association of America to the nation’s best defensive player each year. That is one of many awards watch lists he has found himself on recently.

One day before making that list, To’o To’o was on the Butkus Award watch list, and that came a week after he was placed on the Bednarik Award watch list. Both are Maxwell Football Club awards, recognizing the best linebacker and defensive player respectively.

Simply put, very few Tennessee football players have as much hype as To’o To’o. Entering his sophomore year, he is one of the top young players expected to turn into a superstar. However, as 247Sports notes, he doesn’t appear to be getting the proper attention just yet.