Tennessee football: 10 things to watch for in 2021 spring game

4. Number of linebackers on the field at one time

Switching to a 4-3 based nickel-heavy defense already reduced the linebackers on Tennessee football’s roster from a year ago, when they ran a 3-4. However, Tim Banks is even more limited now with Henry To’o To’o, Quavaris Crouch and J.J. Peterson all in the transfer portal.

When it comes to players on the roster, returning linebackers Aaron Beasley and Martavius French are suspended for separate reasons, and Jeremy Banks has been held out due to injury. Aaron Willis, an incoming freshman, has also been suspended due to the same situation French was in, which occurred before the start of spring practice.

Taking all that into account, the Vols are severely limited at linebacker and likely to run fewer linebackers in their schemes anyway. Oh, and they are facing an offense that is all about tempo and often spreading the field. So how many linebackers will Banks put on the field at one time given everything he is dealing with at the position?

Is it possible Banks and the Vols run lots of dime packages? There are still players who are true linebackers and not edge rushers in the system, most notably Solon Page III. Bryson Eason, Byron Young and Morven Joseph could all fill that role as well. See who lines up there on Saturday, though, and this leads to our next point.