Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should have breakout seasons in 2022
Pick Analysis. Defensive back. r-Junior. Kamal Hadden. player. 839. Scouting Report. 3
6’1″ 190 pounds
No unit has more questions for Tennessee football than the secondary. The Vols struggled when it came to pass defense last year, and they then lost Alontae Taylor, their best cornerback, and Theo Jackson, their starting nickel. To address that, Josh Heupel brought in a bunch of newcomers.
Included among those newcomers are 2022 freshman signees Christian Harrison and Jourdan Thomas, Dee Williams out of junior college and transfers Andre Turrentine from the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wesley Walker from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, Harrison, Thomas, Turrentine and Walker all appear to be more in line to play safety.
That leaves less room for returning talent at cornerback. Williams can help out, but the two starters in last year’s Music City Bowl are the best options, Warren Burrell and Kamal Hadden. Burrell is a returning starter and struggled as the No. 1 cornerback. Hadden, though, showed a ton of promise.
As a result, Hadden should likely find a way into the starting lineup this year. If he could step up and become the No. 1 cornerback himself, it would be a huge deal, but it’s likely he can at least be a very effective No. 2 cornerback. Either way, as a projected full-time starter, he’s obviously destined to break out for Tennessee football.