This player is Tennessee football’s most pleasant surprise so far in 2021

In a year marked by so much attrition and such a heavy reliance on transfers, Tennessee football was naturally going to have lots of surprise standouts. That’s happened on both sides of the ball with transfers from other schools, transfers from junior colleges and unheralded recruits just making the most of their opportunities.

However, one name who has flown under the radar but has emerged as one of UT’s top producers is Byron Young. The junior college edge rusher, who joined the Vols’ 2021 class out of Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga., was a three-star across the board.

Young couldn’t even play in Tennessee football’s first two games due to eligibility issues. He saw his first action against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and then struggled against the Florida Gators. Since then, though, he may have been UT’s best player.

Over the past three weeks, Young has had one of the three highest PFF grades on the defensive side of the ball, never going below a score of 74. Since the Missouri Tigers game, Young has come away with five tackles for a loss and one and a half sacks. For the year, he also has two pass deflections and 27 overall tackles, nine of which were solo.

Early on in the season, Tyler Baron was expected to be the breakout star at edge rusher for the Vols. Baron has still been productive with five tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks and a pass deflection. However, since settling in, Young has been the most productive edge rusher.

There are plenty of other guys who have shockingly stepped up this year as transfers and unheralded recruits. JaVonta Payton is a transfer from the Mississippi State Bulldogs who was once a three-star too but now has five touchdowns on the year.

Tiyon Evans was a four-star on some services, but he was still a junior college transfer, and he leads the team in rushing with 512 yards and six touchdowns. Cedric Tillman wasn’t a transfer but was once a two-star who has broken out into the team’s best wideout with 30 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, Caleb Tremblay transferred from the USC Trojans and has three tackles for a loss. Kansas Jayhawks transfer Da’Jon Terry has a sack. USC transfer kicker Chase McGrath has been reliable on special teams, hitting every extra point and every kick within 40 yards.

Then there’s the quarterback situation. Both Joe Milton III and Hendon Hooker are transfers this year, and Hooker has blossomed into a superstar at quarterback. That has happened despite him not starting the season.

Among all them, though, Young stands out. Not only does he meet the criteria of not being heralded and also being a transfer of sorts, but he also was slowed by not being able to play early on. Taking all of that into account, he’s easily Tennessee football’s most pleasantly surprising player on the year so far.

To be fair, Young has had a lot of help from Matthew Butler getting a push in the middle. Butler has six and a half tackles for a loss, three sacks and a forced fumble this year. He and Theo Jackson are cases of breakout stars who have waited their chance to shine and are taking advantage of it.

Still, Young has to cash in when Butler sets him up, and he’s done a tremendous job of that. Now, with the team on a bye and the chance to get fully healthy, Young is in rhythm and has a chance to get more integrated into the offense. Watch out for what he can do over the final few games of the season when Tennessee football resumes play.