Tennessee football’s top five performers in 2021 from 2021 recruiting class
Byron Young. 1. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Edge rusher. Junior. player. 839
6’3″ 235 pounds
Yes, junior college is where Tennessee football got most of the production from its 2021 recruiting class. For context, if you have wondered up to this point, we included junior college players but not players the Vols picked up via the transfer portal on this list. Transfers will be another post.
Of defensive stars, Aaron Willis seemed like the best option to thrive given that he was a unanimous four-star linebacker. The freshman had just one tackle on the year, though. Byron Young, who came from Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga., had to miss the first three games due to an eligibility issue.
That didn’t stop him from playing like a superstar. With Tyler Baron, Roman Harrison and Morven Joseph on the roster, Young, also from South Carolina like Tiyon Evans, became the team’s best pass rusher. The graduate of Carvers Bay High School in Hemingway, S.C., which is in Williamsburg County, had 11.5 tackles for a loss and five and a half sacks on the year.
Next. Top 10 breakout Vols from 2021 season. dark
Both those stats tied Jeremy Banks for the team leader. He also had 46 overall tackles, 20 of which were solo, to go along with an interception and two pass deflections. Tennessee football will have him back next year, and he already looks like a superstar. Despite being a three-star across the board, he was the best player of UT’s 2021 recruiting class in 2021.