Two Tennessee football Volunteers made First Team All-Southeastern Conference.
After no First Teamers, only one Second Teamer and only two Third Teamers heading into last year, Tennessee football has increased its projected productivity entering the 2020 season. That’s at least what the SEC coaches think.
The Vols had five players make Coaches Preseason All-SEC for 2020, including two First Teamers, two Second Teamers and one Third Teamer. Overall, they had two offensive players, two defensive players and one special teams player.
Senior offensive lineman Trey Smith and senior place kicker Brent Cimaglia both made First Team. Sophomore offensive lineman Wanya Morris and sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o made Second Team. Junior defensive back Bryce Thompson made Third Team.
Having two All-SEC offensive linemen is a testament to just how far Tennessee football has come up front under Jeremy Pruitt, as the unit was historically bad his first year. Also, two sophomores shows just how productive the freshmen were last year.
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Smith earning First Team is no surprise to anybody. He’s also a Preseason All-American and brings a ton of expectations as a starting guard, regardless of whether or not Georgia Bulldogs Cade Mays earns his eligibility waiver to join him.
Cimaglia had an argument to be the league’s most productive kicker last year. He nailed 23 of 27 field goals, including nine of 11 from beyond 40 and both of his attempts from beyond 50. He also hasn’t missed an extra point yet. With Rodrigo Blankenship gone, he and LSU Tigers place kicker Cade York are in contention to be the top SEC kicker.
To’o To’o and Morris both started every game last year as true freshmen for the Vols and got better as the year went on. Because of that, expectations are for them to take a major step forward this year, so those make sense as well.
Then there’s Thompson. If not for an off-the-field issue that kept him out of the early part of last season, he may have already made All-SEC. With six interceptions in two years, including three in one game, he is an elite cornerback. However, he still has to take that second step from what he did as a freshman to truly emerge.
Altogether, Tennessee football is clearly much more talented entering Jeremy Pruitt’s third season. At the same time, their schedule is much harder. As a result, they still have a tough road ahead, but these guys making Preseason All-SEC shows that the talent appears to be there.