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Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols on their 2021 season

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) gets his hands on the ball but it falls incomplete in the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) gets his hands on the ball but it falls incomplete in the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /
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Tennessee linebacker Byron Young (6) and Tennessee linebacker Solon Page III (38) react after a play during a game Tennessee and Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021.Kns Tennessee Missouri Football
Tennessee linebacker Byron Young (6) and Tennessee linebacker Solon Page III (38) react after a play during a game Tennessee and Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021.Kns Tennessee Missouri Football /

Defensive grades

Defensive line: B-

They were in the bottom half of the SEC in sacks, but Tennessee football did lead the league in tackles for a loss, and Byron Young emerged as a star for them. Also, they were in the top half of the SEC in rush defense efficiency, coming in tied for sixth at 3.8 yards allowed per carry. While the unit wasn’t great, Young and Matthew Butler pushed it to above average.

Linebackers: C-

There are two ways to look at the linebackers. Jeremy Banks racked up stats across the board, and they are the reason UT led the league in tackles for a loss. However, containment was disastrous for them, especially Aaron Beasley, and they got torched in spy and the intermediate passing game. Juwan Mitchell getting hurt didn’t help, but that makes this grade just barely average.

Secondary: C+

Although the Vols were 13th in the SEC in passing yards allowed, they were tied for third in passing yards allowed per play. Alontae Taylor, Jaylen McCollough and Trevon Flowers were great in coverage, and Theo Jackson was elite everywhere. However, they only had 10 interceptions, and the safeties also struggled with containment. That pushes this grade to average.

Overall defensive grade: C+

Again, Josh Heupel’s system is key. Tennessee football will naturally allow more points than average, but efficiency is what matters, and the defense was more efficient than it looked on paper. That didn’t show against the Purdue Boilermakers, but it did show for much of the year. It still wasn’t great, which is why it’s in the average range, but it was better than it seemed.

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