Specialists
1. Toby Wilson – Kickoff specialist (KOS)
Last year, Toby Wilson became to take over as the kickoff specialist in the second game of the season for Tennessee football, so although he’s not the starting place kicker, he’s still seeing action. Of his 81 kickoffs, 35 went for touchbacks. He’ll probably want a better percentage this year, but with more experience, that should happen.
2. Paxton Brooks – Holder, backup KOS
Before Wilson, Paxton Brooks was the kickoff specialist from 2018 through the first game of 2021. Of his 164 career kickoffs, 98 went for touchbacks. As a result, he’ll be the backup kickoff specialist here. He has also been the holder the past three years, so he’ll obviously resume that role this year as well.
3. Kolby Morgan – Backup holder
As the backup punter, Kolby Morgan is naturally going to be the backup holder this year too. Now, nobody else has held that role outside of Brooks, so this is just an assumption, but it’s a reasonable one to make. Maybe Morgan will get the role for more experience when 2023 comes.
Looking at Tennessee football’s special teams, the Vols have every aspect of their kicking back from last year as starters: place kicker, punter, kickoff specialist, long snapper and holder. With Brooks and Chase McGrath already solid players, that should allow for them to take the leap you’d expect with experience. As a result, this could serve as UT’s biggest strength.