Tennessee football: Ranking every starter from 2020 who returned by performance in 2021
![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](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/c017324d1108e45683bc5890848d1c2c0284654cb3ad20d1def5fcd926e81705.jpg)
Jerome Carvin. Senior. 9. player. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Offensive lineman
6’5″ 318 pounds
Given the fact that his PFF regular season grade of 52.4 was the lowest of anybody who played 100 snaps for Tennessee football on offense this year, Jerome Carving being at No. 9 seems a bit high. However, that grade doesn’t take a lot of things into account.
Carvin had to move over to left guard and was forced to play every position on the interior at some point this year. The need for him to be that versatile was naturally going to result in him not having a very high grade. He made up for it by filling in where others can’t, and it’s worth noting that despite the sacks issue, Carvin didn’t allow one all year.
Now, everything about Carvin wasn’t great. UT struggled severely on short-yardage plays all season when teams knew they would try to run, and that was evident in the Music City Bowl all the way down to Purdue seemingly stopping them on 4th and goal in overtime.
There is excitement about Carvin coming back next year, and for continuity purposes along with his potential, that’s understandable. However, he’s still got a lot of improving to do, especially when it comes to run blocking, so he couldn’t be too high on the list this year.