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Tennessee football’s top 10 position battles for fall camp 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) and defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) and defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee’s Kamal Hadden (5) runs a drill during the first day of Tennessee football practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.Kns Tennessee Football Practice
Tennessee’s Kamal Hadden (5) runs a drill during the first day of Tennessee football practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.Kns Tennessee Football Practice /

1. Cornerback

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Alontae Taylor was by far Tennessee football’s biggest loss this past year. It became more clear in the Music City Bowl against the Purdue Boilermakers. He opted out of that game, and Warren Burrell, his assumed replacement, struggled severely in the No. 1 cornerback role.

As a result, it was clear this would always be a position battle, not just about who would start at cornerback but who would be the No. 1 cornerback. Burrell and Kamal Hadden were the two in line to start, but if neither can occupy the No. 1 cornerback spot, they would compete for the No. 2 spot with Burrell as the favorite.

Junior college transfer Dee Williams is another guy on this list, as is Christian Harrison, the son of Rodney Harrison, who committed as a safety but has started out seeing action at cornerback. Brandon Turnage, who is competing to start at nickel, could also start here.

Christian Charles and De’Shawn Rucker are two returning players expected to take a leap their sophomore years at cornerback, and both did block punts last year. These are the seven guys in the race. Here’s the problem: Burrell, Hadden and Rucker were all hurt in the spring, and Harrison had not yet arrived.

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Because of that, there is no clear leader for Tennessee football, and the position has way more questions than any other spot. That makes it easily the most intriguing position battle to pay attention to, and with the questions surrounding UT’s pass defense, it’s critical to follow.

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