Tennessee football’s top 10 impact players for 2021
7. Pick Analysis. Linebacker. Senior. Juwan Mitchell. player. Scouting Report. 839
6’1″ 226 pounds; Hometown: Newark, N.J.
By far Josh Heupel’s biggest offseason transfer pickup, Juwan Mitchell comes from the Texas Longhorns to help shore up a linebacker position that was decimated by transfers this offseason. Henry To’o To’o transferred to the Alabama Crimon Tide, Quavaris Crouch transferred to the Michigan State Spartans and J.J. Peterson is still in the transfer portal.
Adding insult to injury, Aaron Willis, one of the star recruits in Tennessee football’s 2021 class expected to make an early push, had to miss spring ball due to an off-field incident that Martavius French was also involved in. French then joined the portal as well, further decimating UT here.
Heupel’s options after that were Mitchell, Willis, Michigan Wolverines transfer William Mohan and three returning linebackers in Jeremy Banks, Aaron Beasley and Solon Page III. Of those, the graduate of Mater Dei High School New Jersey’s Monmouth County who is originally from Essex County is the only one with true starting experience.
Over the last two years, Mitchell has had 99 overall tackles, 58 solo tackles, eight tackles for a loss, five pass deflections and a fumble recovery. While he and Jeremy Banks are both listed as starters at linebacker, Mitchell is the one key player there. He’ll be the impact guy.