Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for vs. Alabama
Pick Analysis. Senior. Aaron Beasley. 1. player. 839. Scouting Report. Defensive back
6’1″ 225 pounds
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Linebacker was Tennessee football’s weakest unit last year. They have shown improvement this year. Although Jeremy Banks has taken a step back, he has had more help in his roles with Juwan Mitchell returning, Aaron Beasley developing and Solon Page III still being there.
All of them will be crucial in this game, but Beasley will be the most important. When you talk about containment, you need a linebacker who can bring pressure but also keep the quarterback from having open lanes to run. That’ll be crucial regardless of whether Bryce Young or Jalen Milroe is able to go on Saturday.
A former safety who is now familiar with the system at linebacker, Beasley can do that more than anybody. He currently leads the team in overall tackles with 36 and is one behind Banks for the team leader in solo tackles with 15. This is his time to shine.
Beating Alabama is all about linebackers making plays. Last week, Jardin Gilbert had a tackle for a loss and an interception with A&M, and Fadil Diggs had two sacks and three tackles for a loss. Both are linebackers. Heck, Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford had two tackles for a loss against Alabama, and they almost won.
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Simply put, linebackers making big plays is the formula for beating Alabama. If Milroe plays, Tennessee football has an even better chance at that, but if Young plays, the Vols will still need that unit. Beasley is the most important of them.