Tennessee football: Top 10 dark horse Vols for 2021 season

6’3″ 290 pounds; Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.

Edge rusher is one of the most wide open positions for Tennessee football entering 2021 thanks to the transfers of Deandre Johnson and Kivon Bennett. There’s also a major question as to how the position will be managed.

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Currently, new defensive coordinator Tim Banks is listing them as linebackers, which they were listed as in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 scheme. Banks also hasn’t committed to a new scheme, although all signs point to him running his nickel-heavy 4-3 base as he has in the past. That makes the position even more wide open than other ones.

Tyler Baron, Roman Harrison and Morven Joseph are all guys who could fill the void. Byron Young is a junior college transfer who generated buzz in the spring. Amidst all of those players, Bryson Eason is getting lost in the shuffle.

However, Eason is a guy who could play up on the line or at linebacker, fitting in with whatever scheme Banks decides to run. He stood out more in the spring than lots of other guys as well, consistently drawing praise from the coaches. With appearances in six games last year, Eason also has enough experience to be able to burst onto the scene if needed.

There are lots of other breakout candidates here, but don’t count out the graduate of Whitaheven High School in Shelby County. He could become a surprise star for Tennessee football pretty early on, and with things so wide open, he has as much a chance as anybody to fill that void.