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Five things for Tennessee football to address between now and National Signing Day

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football /
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Catholic’s Jourdan Thomas (4) takes down Montgomery Academy’s Chance Wilson (12) in the first half on September 24, 2021.092421 Ma Vs Catholic
Catholic’s Jourdan Thomas (4) takes down Montgomery Academy’s Chance Wilson (12) in the first half on September 24, 2021.092421 Ma Vs Catholic /

2. Securing more depth in the secondary

Missing out on junior college safety Marquise Gilbert was a loss for Tennessee football. He committed to the Auburn Tigers earlier in the week. Currently, the Vols have three defensive backs committed, all of whom are three-stars across the board.

Two of those defensive backs are cornerbacks in Desmond Williams and Christian Harrison, the latter of whom is the son of legendary NFL safety Rodney Harrison. Jourdan Thomas, meanwhile, is listed as a safety. All of them will help provide depth, but the Vols need more.

Alontae Taylor, Kenneth George Jr. and Theo Jackson are all 100 percent gone. Sure, Brandon Turnage and Kamal Hadden seem ready to step in for them, but those are huge losses. Also, Trevon Flowers could leave, and he’ll definitely be gone after next year, and Jaylen McCollough is showing signs of being able to leave after next year as well.

Simply put, Rocky Top’s secondary is thinning out extremely fast, and they need lots of bodies back there. Getting just three guys in the 2022 class isn’t going to cut it. If he can’t get top guys in the transfer portal, Josh Heupel needs to stock up here. Given the system the Vols run, they always need to have depth at defensive back to be competitive.

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