Tennessee football: 10 Vols likeliest to win postseason awards in 2020

All-SEC, All-American, Ray Guy Award

After sitting behind Joe Doyle as the feature punter for all of 2018 and halfway through 2019, Paxton Brooks replaced him midway through the 2019 season. He certainly proved himself to be solid, but his 41.7 yards per punt average with 11 of 30 punts going inside the 20-yard line made him only the 10th best punter overall in the SEC.

Combining that with Doyle back would make it odd for us to put the 6’6″ 195-pound graduate of Airport High School in South Carolina on this list. However, history shows that punters don’t burst onto the scene until their second year actually punting, and provided they have the leg power and experience, they’ll almost always be able to do it.

Well, Brooks is entering his first season with actual starting experience as a punter, and as a kickoff specialist, he has proven he’s got a powerful leg. As a result, we have him as a guy who could possibly be an All-SEC, All-American and a Ray Guy Award winner. The latter two are unlikely, but Brooks has proven his leg, and he could definitely work his way into the conversation.

Taking that into account, it’s clear we expect the junior to help restore the Punter U title to Tennessee football this year. He’s a rising potential superstar, and provided the long snapping is in good hands with two new guys competing for that job, he could become a national star.