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Tennessee football: 2023 DB class stacked at safety during dead period

By Caleb Calhoun

The Volunteer waves a Tennessee flag during the Vol Walk before an SEC football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021.Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football
The Volunteer waves a Tennessee flag during the Vol Walk before an SEC football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021.Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football /
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Nobody’s going to doubt that the secondary is the biggest question surrounding Tennessee football this year. A below average pass defense across the board lost its best cornerback in Alontae Taylor and its nickel in Theo Jackson. For the future. though, there are even more questions, as two seniors will line up at safety this year.

Josh Heupel did a good job this offseason trying to reshape the depth at this position by securing a junior college transfer and two other transfers from Power Five schools. He also still has two transfers who were added last year, and the Vols added quite a few recruits.

However, there is lots of work to do. In looking at Tennessee football’s 2023 recruiting class, there are four commitments, and it’s heavy at safety. What does that mean going forward? Who is still available for them to get? How many more commitments do they need? Let’s break that down in our evaluation of their class in the secondary during the dead period.

Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) during warmups before a football game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Alabam Football Bp
Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) during warmups before a football game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Alabam Football Bp /

DBs on roster who will be out of eligibility 2023

Trevon Flowers

Cheyenne Labruzza

The first part of any evaluation is still to look at who from the roster will be gone next year. In this case, we’re looking at two scholarship players who stayed as many years as possible, including extra years for each of them due to the COVID eligibility ruling, and one who has been a regular starter in the program for a while.

Trevon Flowers has started at free safety the past two years and will occupy the spot again. He is one of the most reliable and experienced defensive backs out there, and losing him will be a huge deal when 2023 arrives. Remember, he was also starting in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury midway through the year.

Like Flowers, Cheyenne Labruzza is a guy familiar with playing safety, but he’s also got experience playing nickel. Although he hasn’t played much for Tennessee football in five years, he’s been in the system, and like Solon Page III last year, this could be his season to break out. Either way, he’s a loss for depth purposes.

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