By Vince Ferrara
Defensive Backs at Tennessee is today’s early summer position focus as I look at the Tennessee football team.
This is the 8th in a series of nine straight days of separate posts by position. Check my blog page daily here at SportsRadioWNML.com for the other positions.
My current projected starters are in bold. I’ve listed the average star rating entering college from the four major recruiting websites (Rivals, 247Sports, Scout and ESPN.)
Vince’s View
Defensive Backs
LCB
12 Emmanuel Moseley SR 5’11 180 3*
3 Marquill Osborne SO 5’11 188 4*
15 Shawn Shamburger FR 5’11 190 3*
RCB
6 Shaq Wiggins R-SR 5’10 173 4*
8 Justin Martin SR 6’1 183 4*
38 DJ Henderson SR 6’1 180 3*
– Terrell Bailey FR 5’11 180 3*
N-CB
7 RaShaan Gaulden R-JR 6’1 185 3*
28 Baylen Buchanan SO 5’11 190 3*
9 Cheyenne Labruzza FR 5’11 190 3*
FS
18 Nigel Warrior SO 6’0 186 4*
29 Evan Berry SR 5’11 207 4*
10 Theo Jackson FR 6’2 175 3*
SS
24 Todd Kelly Jr. SR 5’11 208 4*
22 Micah Abernathy JR 6’0 195 4*
4 Maleik Gray FR 6’2 195 4*
Position summary: I’m pretty confident Louisville grad transfer Shaq Wiggins will come right in and start at one corner for the Vols. With the addition of Wiggins, the corners alone have 50 starts of experience. Quality of play is the problem. Looking at tape of Wiggins at Louisville and Georgia, he has the ability to play either side, but I penciled him in at RCB since I saw him there the most in games I saw.
No cornerbacks seized starting spots this spring. Justin Martin was complimented some, and we enjoyed finally being able to interview him, but will that improvement carry over into games or earn him the other starting spot? Moseley is a touch more consistent and a regular with the first team, so I went with him to start for now. Buchanan looked good as a freshmen initially when forced into playing time due to injuries, but then he took his lumps the rest of the way. I like Osborne’s competitiveness, strength and swagger.
Could a freshmen get in the mix like Labruzza, who I think has great upside and athleticism or Shamburger or Bailey? Labruzza could get a look at the nickel position, but he’d be stuck behind returning starter RaShaan Gaulden.
Will new DBs coach Charlton Warren look to experiment with some guys at new positions? Warren has to get this group going though. Too often, Shoop took chances with the blitz, and the guys on the back-end weren’t good enough to hold-up in many ways.
Safety has much better options for this Volunteers defense. Todd Kelly Jr. is the leader of the secondary, and one of the overall team leaders. I think Nigel Warrior is an emerging star. UT needs his play-making, ball-skills and decisiveness at that second safety spot. I think he starts over Micah Abernathy. True freshman Maleik Gray is another potential star safety. How much will he get in the mix. Evan Berry has seen some reserve time at safety as well. This is a solid group overall.
Hope you enjoyed my review of the University of Tennessee football defensive backs as we sit here in June. Go to my blog page for the rest of the position breakdowns. I have much more to say on UT football than this. Listen for me on Sports Radio WNML, call in and let’s talk some football. Thanks for reading and sharing.
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