Tennessee football: Five players to watch for in 2021 spring game
6’2″ 220 pounds; Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
It’s pretty clear Tennessee football is thin at linebacker. Even if Tim Banks is going to run a 4-2-5 system most of the time and use the other linebacker as an edge rusher, he has almost nobody to work with at the inside linebacker position right now.
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Henry To’o To’o, Quavaris Crouch and J.J. Peterson being in the transfer portal already depleted the unit. Martavius French, Aaron Beasley and Aaron Willis being suspended depleted it further. Then there’s Jeremy Banks, who is out this spring due to injury. Simply put, the reduction in linebacker play is no help with all of these departures.
That leaves one guy who has been a rock in the system for a long time. Solon Page III has reportedly emerged as the leader of the unit, and he’s really been the only guy who could actually play the role. UT may need to rely on him heavily this fall, so pay attention to how the product of Kell High School in Georgia, who also first joined Rocky Top under Butch Jones in 2017, performs.
Over the past two years, Page has seen limited action with a total of eight tackles, five of which were solo and just half a tackle for a loss. However, he could have a dramatic breakout year this season, and Saturday’s spring game could reveal if that’s a possibility.