Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for at LSU
![Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 11 Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 11](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/931268c6749dcd9a38ad395ec2857b1f46ab5603da0f7b3e107e812b2a7f7b9f.jpg)
Linebacker. r-Senior. Jeremy Banks. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 4. player
6’1″ 224 pounds
It was a slow start for the All-SEC linebacker entering the season. In fact, Aaron Beasley was making more of an impact than Jeremy Banks early on, and Juwan Mitchell coming back also lessened some of his reps. However, Banks finally had one of his typical performances in Tennessee football’s win against Florida.
For that game, Banks had seven tackles, five of which were solo and a fumble recovery. What was key, though, was his help in containing Anthony Richardson. The focus all game was keeping Richardson from using his legs to go off, and Banks cut off his options up the middle in spy.
Well, against another mobile quarterback in Jayden Daniels, Banks will be crucial once again. This time, though, he will have to have more lateral quickness, as Daniels is more of a horizontal runner. Beasley will be key on this too, as will Mitchell, but Banks seems to be the best at containing such quarterbacks right now.
This is why Omari Thomas isn’t on the list. Thomas was also key against Florida, and he forced the Richardson fumble, but with Daniels not being as much of a north/south runner, Thomas won’t be as crucial in this game. The linebackers will have a larger role to play, and that includes Banks.