Tennessee football: 2021 JuCo DE Byron Young signs, fills immediate need

The Tennessee football Volunteers added junior college edge rusher Byron Young in the early signing period.

It was a somewhat uneventful first day of the early signing period for Tennessee football overall, but the Vols were able to add at least one player for their 2021 class. Given his experience, he will help fill a void that will be on the team next year as well.

Junior college transfer edge rusher Byron Young, initially from South Carolina, committed to and signed with the Vols on Wednesday. A three-star across the board, Young played for the Georgia Military College Bulldogs in Milledgeville, Ga. in 2019 and came away with 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks and 31 total tackles, 25 of which were solo.

Standing at 6’3″ 240 pounds, Young could play weakside defensive end or outside linebacker. A product of Carvers Bay High School out of Hemingway, S.C., Young announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

Given his versatility, young will help fill a major gap in the Vols next year. Deandre Johnson could be gone since he is a senior and may choose to move on. Meanwhile, Kivon Bennett has already been dismissed from the program.

That could leave Roman Harrison as the only outside linebacker with any proven experience at outside linebacker on the roster next year. With his experience, Young could step in and immediately become a rotational player at the position.

If he plays defensive end, he could provide even more help. Matthew Butler, LaTrell Bumphus and Ja’Quain Blakely are all seniors. It’s likely that Butler moves on, but we have no idea what the other two players will do. Simply put, Young is a major boost for this depth chart. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Young is great at getting an angle on the inside to attack the backfield. That’s a useful tool in the SEC, but he’ll need to show a bit more versatility. Getting around blocks like that, though, is already a great start.

By joining three-star Trinity Bell and four-star Dylan Brooks as the two edge rushers in the program, Young is helping Jeremy Pruitt add more depth there. Pruitt clearly targeted him, though, to play early, and that could be a major boost for Tennessee football next year.