Tennessee football: Shawn Shamburger, Bryce Thompson will play at Georgia
Jeremy Pruitt said Tennessee football Volunteers defensive backs Shawn Shamburger and Bryce Thompson are fine.
One of the biggest problems Tennessee football had in the secondary the past two weeks was not having 100 percent participation from two of its best players. Nickel Shawn Shamburger has missed both games, and Bryce Thompson was out of position or limited.
Well, it looks like they’ll both be back at full speed this week. Jeremy Pruitt confirmed on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday morning that both will be fine when the Vols face the No. 3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Ga. Saturday, according to Grant Ramey of GoVols247.
While Shamburger was out, Thompson had to play safety for Tennessee football in the opener at the South Carolina Gamecocks despite him being the Vols’ best cornerback. He then was limited to only seeing the field on third down against the Missouri Tigers.
The departure of safety Nigel Warrior, UT’s best defensive back last year, made Shamburger and Thompson crucial to the secondary. Shamburger was rated by PFF as the best returning Vol in the offseason. Last year, he didn’t allow a touchdown in coverage and forced the worst quarterback rating on passes to slot receivers he was guarding of any defensive back in the nation.
In addition to Shamburger’s value at star, Thompson was a Freshman All-American and has had three interceptions each of the past two years. He is a potential superstar at cornerback, so moving him to safety or limiting him on third downs can be disastrous.
As a result, both guys being back is a major shot in the arm for the Vols’ secondary. Shamburger’s absence and Thompson being out of position is the biggest reason South Carolina receiver Shi Smith had over 100 yards and a touchdown through the air against them.
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Not having Shamburger against Mizzou and then Thompson being limited is a huge reason they were able to throw the ball down the field between the 20-yard lines once Connor Bazelak came into the game. It’ll be interesting to see how well Tennessee football’s secondary looks with both guys back. Of course, they have a major first test facing Georgia.