6’3″ 245 pounds
South Carolina will be a crucial recruiting ground for Tennessee football if the Vols want to emerge again. They used to build their front four around talent from that state during their heyday under John Chavis. As a result, a guy like Byron Young out of Georgetown County, S.C., who went to Carvers Bay High School in Hemingway, S.C., is huge for them.
Young was a junior college transfer who signed with the Vols out of Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga., which is in Baldwin County. He was a late arrival due to some academic things that had to be tied up and didn’t even start the first two games with the team.
Despite that shortened season, Young finished the year tied for the team lead in tackles for a loss with 11.5 and tied for the team lead in sacks with five and a half, which was incredibly impressive. He won the main edge rusher role away from Tyler Baron, and while both will be crucial this year along with Roman Harrison, Young is the star.
As a result, this guy is one of the best players on the team in general. In addition to those big plays, he had two pass deflections, an interception and 46 tackles last year, 20 of which were solo, so this guy knows how to be all over the field.