All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: 10 players Vols can least afford to lose for 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) and teammates return to the locker room after warming up for the NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, October 9, 2021.Utvsc1007
Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) and teammates return to the locker room after warming up for the NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, October 9, 2021.Utvsc1007 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 10
Next
Tennessee defensive back Jaylen McCollough (22) during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football
Tennessee defensive back Jaylen McCollough (22) during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football /

Senior. 8. 839. Scouting Report. Defensive back. Jaylen McCollough. player. Pick Analysis

6’0″ 205 pounds

Warren Burrell is valuable because he’s Tennessee football’s only returning player at cornerback or nickel. A huge benefit for the Vols, though, is that they have both safeties back, which should help offset the departures in the other parts of the secondary. Key to that, though, is both safeties being able to play again.

Jaylen McCollough led the team in interceptions with three last year. He’s been a starter for the Vols ever since the second half of 2019, when a season-ending injury thrust him into the lineup as a true freshman to start alongside Nigel Warrior. Ever since then, he’s been a crucial part of the secondary, and while he’s had his issues, he’s gotten better every year.

Yes, McCollough struggled a bit with quarterback containment last year, which contributed to him having one of the lower PFF regular season grades, but he still did a lot of good things. Also, there’s not much proven experience behind him when it comes to the position.

Last year, Tamarion McDonald and Christian Charles backed up the safeties, and while they provide a lot of potential, neither has seen any significant action. As a result, McCollough is crucial to the success of the secondary, and if he improved that containment factor, he has All-SEC potential this year.

Home/Vols Football