Tennessee football: Five Vanderbilt Commodores to watch for against Vols
Dashaun Jerkins. 4. Scouting Report. Defensive back. Junior. Pick Analysis. player. 887
6’0″ 190 pounds; Woodbridge, Va.
While Tennessee football’s secondary has been a major weakness all year, the Vanderbilt Commodores haven’t been much better. They have one interception on the season. The player to come down with it, Randall Haynie, has been out due to an undisclosed injury, so the Vols don’t have to worry about him on Saturday.
Cornerback Maxwell Worship is also out. That leaves Dashaun Jerkins as the one playmaker left, and make no mistake, he’s a playmaker. As the starting safety for the Commodores, Jerkins is fourth on the team with 41 tackles. He is tied for the team lead in passes defended, and he has also forced two fumbles and recovered one.
Jerkins is the one player on the team to force multiple turnovers on the year. Given the Vols’ issues at taking care of the ball ever since the second half of their game agains the Georgia Bulldogs, they have to take Jerkins into account.
To make it worse, UT’s proneness to throwing pick-sixes makes a safety like Jerkins even more of a threat. Of course, Jarrett Guarantano was the guy prone to that, but it’s also a reflection of the way plays develop. That won’t change with Harrison Bailey or J.T. Shrout.