Tennessee football: 10 safest starting spots on 2020 roster

Place kicker

Nobody can doubt this one. Brent Cimaglia competed with Aaron Medley for the starting place kicker job when he was a freshman back in 2017. Since then, he has emerged as a star for Tennessee football in this role.

More from All for Tennessee

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

The 6’0″ 210-pound graduate of Fred J. Page High School has made 33 of 40 field goals over the past two years. In 2019, he made three from beyond 50 yards, including a 53-yarder, the longest for a Vol since Jeff Hall in 1995. Three of his four misses were due to bad snaps or bad holds, including two in one game against the Missouri Tigers.

Simply put, Cimaglia has been a superb kicker. Now, entering his senior season, there’s no doubt he’ll be the starter here again. He’s got All-SEC and All-American potential, and it’s worth noting that he still hasn’t missed an extra point. The guy has been elite in every way anybody could ask of him to this point.

What really helps Cimaglia is that nobody else has any experience on the team as a place kicker. Marshall Ware, Toby Wilson and Luke Lynn are all of the other listed place kickers on the roster, and Paxton Brooks himself is listed as a dual-threat punter and place kicker. But Cimaglia is the only player who has actually played the role for the Vols.

As a result, no starting position is safer for Tennessee football. There’s a chance that Cimaglia becomes UT’s biggest weapon, and he could add to the program’s title as Punter U. A great season by him could just make Rocky Top Kicker U.