Tennessee football’s top 10 winners from spring practice 2022

6’2″ 227 pounds

Linebacker is technically not a position battle with everybody back plus Juwan Mitchell getting healthy. However, the performance there was so weak last year that everybody should have a chance to get into the rotation for Tennessee football, and Elijah Herring did enough to at least get a look for being in there.

Josh Heupel’s first commitment for his first full class who is initially from Georgia but graduate from Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., stood out in the scrimmage and received enough shoutouts to make this list. Those shoutouts weren’t significant, but they mattered.

In the scrimmage open to the public, Herring had an interception and returned it 20 yards. True, he was working with the scout team at that point, but it still matters. When asked about young guys stepping up in his press conference, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary specifically touted Herring and the job he has done.

As a true freshman originally from Newnan, Ga., Herring’s brother, Caleb Herring, made waves by recently committing to UT as well. However, he’s the one who seems to be making the earliest impression, and that’s enough to put him high on this list. Don’t be surprised if he competes for playing time early on in the season.