All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Top five needs for 2023 recruiting class

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.Kns Tennessee Kentucky Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.Kns Tennessee Kentucky Football /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Defensive line

Although it was a huge need in 2022, Tennessee football will have to address it again next year. The Vols did fine on the defensive line with Tyre West, Jordan Phillips and Jayson Jenkins to replace Matthew Butler, Ja’Quain Blakely and Caleb Tremblay. However, if Aubrey Solomon and LaTrell Bumphus don’t come back, they’ll be a lot thinner up front this year.

That means they’ll have to address this issue again next year no matter what. Either they’ll be thin this year and need an upgrade, or they’ll lose two more starters in Bumphus and Solomon and need to find multiple guys to restock the depth in the rotation.

Tim Banks likes to run a hybrid defensive lineman who can play on the end up front, and right now, he only has one such player in Jayson Jenkins. Anybody else who can play defensive end is a pure edge rusher. West and Phillips join Omari Thomas, Elijah Simmons, Da’Jon Terry and potentially Dominic Bailey on the inside

All of those guys make for a solid rotation if you assume they’ll work out, but again, some are limited in what role they can play, and others may not be capable of a larger role. As a result, Tennessee football will have to address its defensive line again next year no matter what.

Home/Vols Football