Tennessee football: 10 Vols most likely to win postseason awards in 2021
player. 839. Redshirt senior. Chase McGrath. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Place kicker. 3
6’0″ 195 pounds; Hometown: Newport Beach, Calif.
Once again, there’s no scheme. Tennessee football had issues in place kicking last year, but that was due to Brent Cimaglia playing with an injury for a while. Cimaglia likely would have been right here on this list this year if he had not transferred to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Luckily for UT, Josh Heupel lured Chase McGrath to Rocky Top as a graduate transfer from the USC Trojans.
In 2019, the graduate of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana was All Pac-12 honorable mention. That year, he hit 14 of 17 field goals, including every kick within 30 yards and 10 of 11 within 40, while also nailing all 54 extra point attempts.
Not only was McGrath reliable, but his leg was powerful. On attempts beyond 40 yards, he went 4-of-6 that year, including nailing his only field goal beyond 50 yards, a 52-yarder to be exact. Simply put, he’s got the leg and the power to be an All-SEC kicker.
McGrath shockingly lost his job last year to a rising star freshman in Parker Lewis, but that was more about Lewis’ skills, not McGrath’s deficiencies. As a result, the California kid should be fine kicking for the Vols this year, and his past production hints at him being an elite performer throughout the season.