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Tennessee football 2020 preview by position: TE

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 30: Austin Pope #81 of the Tennessee Volunteers stands ready for a play 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: Austin Pope #81 of the Tennessee Volunteers stands ready for a play 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images /

Biggest questions

1. How hurt is Austin Pope?

We already talked about Austin Pope’s herniated disc that required back surgery, but it’s a big deal. There have been no reports on how much time he will miss or even if he will miss any time at all. As a result, everything with him is up in the air.

Pope started 11 games in 2019 while dealing with a bunch of minor injuries. He’s clearly tough. Without him, though, Tennessee football takes a hit when it comes to run-blocking, so the Vols need to know where they stand with him.

2. Will anybody emerge as the receiving tight end?

More from Vols Football

Although Princeton Fant got a lot of coverage here from us because of the other positions he has played, the fact of the matter is he only had two catches last year. In fact, all of the combined tight ends on the Vols’ roster had seven catches.

Dominick Wood-Anderson ended up not getting the stats people projected, but that’s because he drew a ton of attention, which allowed Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway to thrive. The Vols need that this year, and they don’t have anybody proven yet in that area.

3. Who will be the No. 2 starter?

This remains the biggest question for Tennessee football at tight end. Although we predicted Fant, we have no way of knowing how good Jordan Allen may be. Also, Jacob Warren, Sean Brown and Jackson Lowe were all highly touted recruits for the position.

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

Add in Dee Beckwith when there’s not a proven receiving tight end, and Jeremy Pruitt and Jim Chaney could turn anywhere. With the question surrounding Pope’s injury, we could be talking about which players fill both starting roles, so watch out.

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