Tennessee football’s five best options to replace Theo Jackson

A highly touted member of Tennessee football’s 2020 recruiting class, Doneiko Slaughter has the same level of versatility that Theo Jackson had.

For most of last year, Doneiko Slaughter was Tennessee football’s primary backup at nickel. Once a four-star safety across the board in the Vols’ 2020 recruiting class, Slaughter immediately showed his promise as a true freshman, appearing in all 10 games and actually making one start.

In his two years with the Vols, Slaughter has four tackles for a loss, two sacks and 24 total tackles, 16 of which were solo. Last year, he appeared in 11 games and registered three tackles for a loss, one sack and 16 tackles, 12 of which were solo. As a result, he’s already shown promise as a developing player, and the potential is there.

Honestly, when you break all of that down, it’s a bit shocking Slaughter isn’t No. 1 on this list with Jackson gone. However, that has to do with who else has emerged for Rocky Top at the position and who was added, which we’ll get to soon enough.

Still, Slaughter is the first guy on this list with a realistic chance of becoming the starter at nickel, not just entering the rotation. As a guy who can play nickel, safety or cornerback, you may see Slaughter finding his way onto the field in other roles too, so watch out for what he does.