Tennessee football’s top five juniors for 2020

Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.

Sticking with defensive backs, we go from a guy who will have to learn how to play without Nigel Warrior to a guy who may have to replace Warrior. Trevon Flowers began to emerge as Tennessee football’s starting safety alongside Warrior last year, but while coming down with an interception against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, he suffered a broken leg that ended his season.

Flowers was then replaced by Jaylen McCullough, who had a strong finish to the season as a true freshman. This year, though, Flowers is back along with McCullough, and Warrior is the one gone. As a result, there is likely to be a rotation at safety among Flowers, McCullough and Theo Jackson, the veteran of the group. Cheyenne Labruzza, another junior, will help provide depth.

However, provided he is fully back to health, Flowers has the chance to emerge into a star. In just 13 games and three starts through two years, the graduate of Tucker High School in Georgia has a total of 26 tackles, one interception and a pass deflection. Simply put, he knows how to be productive as long as he’s on the field and has a chance to showcase himself.

In 2018, many coaches overlooked Flowers, as playing baseball and not attending camps in the spring and summer limited his chance to expose himself to the nation. Jeremy Pruitt saw the talent in him, and he’s played safety like a center fielder. He’ll have more pressure on him this year, but he should be able to deliver.