Tennessee football stock report following Week 5 of 2020
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Pass defense
Don’t panic about the pass defense. Tennessee football struggled to cover the slot in its opener because nickel Shawn Shamburger, it’s highest graded returning player, was out. Shamburger was out again against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday and Bryce Thompson, the Vols’ second-highest graded player, was banged up, only being able to play on third downs.
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When he was in, Thompson often played safety anyway despite being one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC. Simply put, there’s a reason this unit struggled between the 20-yard lines. However, Shamburger will be back eventually, and when he does, Thompson will be healthy permanently move back to cornerback. With Alontae Taylor playing well, this unit will improve dramatically.
Return game
Last week, this unit didn’t have any chances at a return. However, Eric Gray and Velus Jones Jr. are returning punts and kickoffs respectively, and at some point, one of them is going to run one back for a big play, and it will change a game. As a result, this is definitely an aspect of special teams that is likely to generate more headlines in the future.
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The only concern for the Vols is the fact that they didn’t have a special teams coach and then couldn’t practice that side of the ball during the offseason due to the high number of infections. As a result, it’s developing on the fly, but Jones and Gray are two of the best players in the nation with the ball in their hands, so bet on them.