Tennessee football’s top five sophomores for 2020

Hometown: Austell, Ga.

Two true freshmen started in the secondary at different times last year for Tennessee football. Warren Burrell filled in for Bryce Thompson at cornerback through the first two games. Then Jaylen McCollough stepped in for Trevon Flowers after he suffered a season-ending injury by breaking his leg while intercepting a pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

McCollough’s insertion into the starting lineup directly coincided with the Vols turning things around. They won that game, then they lost the next week. However, McCollough got his first start alongside Nigel Warrior against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the Vols won every game from then on out, with him starting all of them. Simply put, he proved his value to Derrick Ansley.

In the process, McCollough finished the season with 33 tackle, three tackles for a loss, a sack and two pass deflections. He was a PFF All-Freshman Honorable Mention, proving his value. Don’t forget that he was an early enrollee in the 2019 recruiting class, working with the team that spring, and managed to come away with two interceptions in the Orange and White game.

This year, the product of Hillgrove in High School in Georgia is likely to resume a starting role at safety, even with Flowers back and Theo Jackson’s veteran presence. If he can handle the loss of Warrior, he’s in a great position to have a breakout year. Burrell will still be behind Kenneth George Jr., Alontae Taylor and Thompson. Jeremy Pruitt will have great use for McCollough.