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Tennessee football’s 10 toughest players to replace for 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Theo Jackson (26) and defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Theo Jackson (26) and defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee running back Tiyon Evans (8) runs for a touchdown during a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football Bp
Tennessee running back Tiyon Evans (8) runs for a touchdown during a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football Bp /

Transfer portal. Tiyon Evans. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Running back. 3. 849

Transferred to Louisville Cardinals

Yes, he transferred midseason, and yes, Tennessee football has Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright back. However, anybody who saw the Vols play last year could see before he got hurt that Tiyon Evans was their best running back, and although they replaced him at the end of the year already, it’ll be hard to replace him for the whole year.

At 5’11” 220 pounds, Evans was a junior college transfer who finished the year with 81 carries for 525 yards and six touchdowns to go along with four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. He averaged six and a half yards a carry. Small averaged just over five and a half.

Simply put, Evans was a playmaker through and through, and at running back, the numbers aren’t what count. The elite skills are what count, and Evans showed that time and time again beyond any other running back for the Vols last season.

Evans’ performances in back to back weeks against the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks speak for themselves, and that’s why he’s so high. Two new recruits, Small’s and Wright’s development and Len’Neth Whitehead getting healthy can help here, but it’s not likely any of them are on the level Evans was at.

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