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Tennessee football’s top five redshirt freshmen for 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee quarterback Sully McDermott (12) fakes the hand off to running back Dee Beckwith (21) during morning football practice on campus on Friday, August 20, 2021.Kns Ut Football Practice Bp
Tennessee quarterback Sully McDermott (12) fakes the hand off to running back Dee Beckwith (21) during morning football practice on campus on Friday, August 20, 2021.Kns Ut Football Practice Bp /
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Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

The NCAA’s COVID eligibility ruling last season, allowing players to play without it counting as a year against them, threw a complete wrench in the classification of student athletes. Combine that with the horrible slide Tennessee football had at the end of the season that resulted in tons of freshmen being thrown in, and there aren’t many redshirt freshmen at UT for 2021.

However, just because a player redshirted his first year doesn’t mean he won’t become a superstar in the future. Plenty of star players for the Vols took a redshirt in the past their first season and emerged as elite weapons for UT just a couple of years later.

In some cases, those players emerged the next year. As we get set to name such potential players for this season, know this is all about possibilities. There aren’t many expectations behind any of these guys, but all of them could become valuable in their own way. These are the top five Tennessee football redshirt freshmen for the 2021 season.

Long snapper. Will Albright. Greneville, Tenn.. 5. player. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis

6’1″ 220 pounds

Say what you want, but long snapper is an underrated position. Last year, Matthew Salansky became the new long snapper for the Vols and took every snap on special teams. There weren’t too many issues, but the consistency wasn’t always there. As a result, Will Albright could make a run at the position.

In fact, it would be a bit surprising if Albright didn’t see any action this year. He did play in one game as a freshman despite taking a redshirt, and there’s a chance he emerges a bit more this year. His blocking ability appears to be more refined than your average long snapper.

Don’t forget, Albright actually received recruiting ratings as an offensive lineman out of Greene County’s Greeneville High School. As a result, expect him to see more action this year on special teams, and even as a long snapper, that’s enough for us to put him on this list.

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