These guys aren't in any sort of order other than how they stand out to me in my mind. Some will make huge impacts. Others won't stuff the statsheet but will play major roles as the season progresses. These are the relative unknowns (outside the program, anyway) who appear poised to be a big part of Team 121.
Marquez Callaway - I cannot emphasize this enough: Callaway looks like the best candidate to serve as Jauan Jenning's #2 this season. Josh Malone wouldn't have had the season he had last year without Jennings garnering attention, and Callaway has to be able to provide that for Jennings this season. I personally think he will. Callaway is an athletic specimen with the frame you love to see in a wide receiver. He has length, speed, and leaping ability, and his hands have progressed a fair bit from last season. He's still not a finished product, but he's probably not far off from where Jennings was last season. Callaway has guys pushing him to be better, and he seems to be answering the call while coming out of his shell more and more. He has star potential.
Ty Chandler - This seems obvious, but he really does bring an explosive element that the roster needed in order to help replace the loss of Alvin Kamara to the NFL. He's not the most impressive looking player physically right now, but despite looking a bit like a large slot receiver or small wideout, he runs out of the backfield like the type of speed back every team would love to have. He's not small, but he's not nearly as big as he'll become, and he doesn't look like he'll lose any of his speed and quickness as he grows and develops. Where most running backs are either quick or fast, Chandler is both.
Josh Palmer - If there's a threat to Callaway's chances of starting, it might very well come in the form of this true freshman. He looks much further along both physically and technique-wise than anyone, the coaches included, could have hoped for. Palmer was a consensus 3-star, not the biggest or fastest of the receivers in the class, but he does seem to be the one making the most noise now. Of course, he was a late-bloomer for St. Thomas Aquinas, but when he came on he finished the season as one of the team's best despite being part of a group of seniors that included players who committed to Miami, Ohio State, Illinois, FAU, and Kent State, and that was just the running backs and receivers. Quarterback Jake Allen is now enrolled at Florida, another running back landed with Iowa, and others landed with Notre Dame, Pitt, Michigan State, Mississippi State, and...oh yeah, Tennessee, in the form of Kivon Bennett. Bottom line, this is a very good team and Palmer still managed to shine in the second half of their season. Palmer has looked smooth, fluid, and mature at receiver, and on top of all that he's really only played one full season of American football as he is originally from Canada.
LaTrell Bumphus - This tight end came in well ahead of schedule, and he has looked very much like a freshman that can play right away. So much so, in fact, that he may be pushing Jakob Johnson, who is now fighting for the #2 job after essentially walking away as the clear second tight end after spring practice. Bumphus is big, athletic, and a willing blocker. He brings the tenacity of a high level defensive lineman to the tight end position, which makes sense considering he was recruited by many schools to play defensive end.
Marcus Tatum - Brett Kendrick may be the likely right tackle, but he's also had some trouble in the past staying healthy. Logic would say that Tatum won't just play this season, but he'll likely start at some point. He did last year too at maybe 265. Now he's close to twenty pounds heavier while remaining the athletic specimen he was coming out of high school. If Tatum can get back to where he was before missing a few practices, he might even be able to push Kendrick for the job. Probable backups like Tatum, Boulware, and Thomas give the staff a level of security they probably wouldn't have had a year ago.
Ryan Johnson - He was one of the higher rated commitments in the 2016 class, a 6-6, 280 pound, 4-star offensive lineman who was the top signee on the OL. Even so, he ultimately redshirted as a true freshman as he worked to convert into an interior lineman. Now, he's in position to become a potential key reserve at one of the guard spots while also getting work at the center position. Johnson is up over 300 pounds and is displaying the aggression and toughness that made him such a coveted recruit.
Matthew Butler - I feel like I've definitely mentioned him before, but this young man has looked good being lined up at all four spots on the defensive line. When he arrived on campus, he declared to the whole team that he could play anywhere on the defensive line, then he stepped on the field and proved it was more than just talk. He looks every bit of his 6-4, 274 pounds, and he has a high motor and good athleticism. He still needs to add to his arsenal of pass rush moves, but whether he's at end or at tackle, he can torment quarterbacks. If you're worried about him defending the run, he also had 100 tackles for loss in three seasons in high school. He looks like he was designed in a video game, and if reports from camp are any indication he can play like it too.
Deandre Johnson - Unheralded, oft-forgotten, and yet he is very likely to be in the two deep week one. Johnson arrived as an early enrollee at 6-4, 235 who wasn't exactly the top name on anybody's list of freshmen to watch, yet he was the second player to lose his stripe this spring after 5-star Trey Smith. He's close to 260 now and looks every bit the part of a college defensive end. He's motivated, talented, and has picked up on everything very quickly, which will likely mean he finds himself thrust into the two deep with two former 5-stars in Jonathan Kongbo and Kyle Phillips as well as 4-star Darrell Taylor.
Elliott Berry - Believe it or not, the forgotten Berry brother has been quietly having an excellent camp. It's hard to say exactly how he'll be used, but my suspicion is he might get looks as a nickel linebacker at his new, svelte 5-11, 206. He had a strong season last year after being forced into action due to injury, starting 4 games and playing in all 13 while racking up 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a pass defended after playing almost exclusively on special teams before that. He won't necessarily supplant Quart'e Sapp or Cortez McDowell, but he could have special packages designed to get him on the field to take advantage of his skill set.
Will Ignont - I don't know exactly what role Ignont will play this season yet, but I do know that he will play. In fact, his rapid progression throughout fall camp is actually opening up a possibility that the staff has tossed around: Darrin Kirkland and Daniel Bituli on the field at the same time. Kirkland and Bituli are two of the bigger and more physical linebackers on the roster along with Austin Smith, all of whom also have the athleticism to hold their own in coverage.
Kivon Bennett - Tennessee may have struck gold with this defensive line class, and the truth is none of the guys I've mentioned were their highest rated signee on the DL. Bennett, however, does come with a pedigree, and quite a good one at that. His father, Cornelius Bennett, was a big time player at Alabama and later in the NFL, and the younger Bennett will look to carve out his own legacy. He's not off to a bad start at all either, occasionally flashing on the field despite being a bit undersized at defensive tackle at 6-1, 275. He may not be the most physically imposing player, but he certainly is making a move on finding a spot in the rotation.
Theo Jackson - While not the biggest name in the class among the defensive backs, Jackson might now be positioning himself to make the biggest early impact. He has plenty of length at 6-2, and despite being on the skinny side at 178 he was a do-everything athlete in high school. He excelled on defense, picking off eight passes in two seasons while playing quarterback, receiver, and whatever else Overton High needed him to do. Jackson has picked up right where he left off in high school and he is breaking through at a spot where he isn't needed, but is very much welcomed.
Justin Martin - Emmanuel Moseley isn't yet 100%, Shaq Wiggins is still trying to figure out exactly how the coaches want him to do things in Knoxville, and the freshmen are, well, freshmen, but the player who has become the one constant right now at corner is Martin. He's always had all the physical tools you could want, but now he's figuring out the technique required to excel at corner in the SEC. Better late than never as he brings safety size, wideout speed, and the attitude you want to the corner spot. If he brings the technique to match, he could be an all-conference performer.
Tim Jordan - Chandler may have taken over the #2 spot behind starting running back John Kelly, but the #3 spot is up for grabs...or is it? Carlin Fils-aime is still fighting to be the #3 with Jordan, who is bigger, stronger, and might just be faster too. What he's not is as experienced as Fils-aime, but running back is usually a pretty quick transition from high school to college. Usually the physical demands of college football is what gets to a kid the most, but that doesn't seem likely to be an issue for Jordan, who looks like a senior physically. We'll see who really does spell Kelly and Chandler when the season kicks off, but right now I'm leaning toward Jordan.
Evan Berry - It's odd to say that a former All-American is a player to watch, but he may very well be. The emergence of Jackson at safety may be freeing up Evan Berry to become even more of a weapon than he already was. There's a chance that he will get looks on offense as the team tries to find the best ways to make use of the 5-11, 205 pound speedster. Offense, defense, and returns. Hmm...sounds like a nice way for a senior to build up a resume before he auditions for the NFL.
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