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Tennessee football: Ranking every starter from 2020 who returned by performance in 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) high-fives fans after defeating South Carolina 45-20 in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football
Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) high-fives fans after defeating South Carolina 45-20 in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football /
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Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren (87) warming up before the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120
Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren (87) warming up before the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120 /

Redshirt junior. Jacob Warren. player. 839. Pick Analysis. Scouting Report. Tight end. 11

6’6″ 246 pounds

While Princeton Fant was more the receiving tight end throughout games, Jacob Warren played that role when it got down to the red zone. His four inches on Fant gave him an advantage in the passing game, and he made sure to take advantage of that, delivering for Tennessee football multiple times throughout the season.

Warren had 18 catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns. He was there specifically to try to score when it got close. Doing that so effectively puts him slightly above Fant in our rankings, as both were major contributors for the Vols at tight end back in 2020.

Now, once again, though, Warren had issues. His PFF regular season grade was actually lower than Fant’s, scoring out at 57.1, and this was due to a weakness for both players. Neither was great at blocking, which was a huge reason the Vols allowed so many sacks on the year.

Heading into next season, Warren is coming back as well, and Josh Heupel will need both of these guys to be better when it comes to blocking while Fant is better in the receiving game. They have the potential to do so, and that could put them much higher on this list next year.

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