A clear defensive leader has emerged for the Tennessee Vols this spring
The offensive losses the Tennessee Vols suffered this offseason have been well documented. Gone are names like Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Princeton Fant, Darnell Wright, and Jerome Carvin. Those will be tough roles to fill, but the Vols feel like they have players who will step up and perform at a high level […]
The offensive losses the Tennessee Vols suffered this offseason have been well documented.
Gone are names like Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Princeton Fant, Darnell Wright, and Jerome Carvin. Those will be tough roles to fill, but the Vols feel like they have players who will step up and perform at a high level while replacing those guys.
The defensive losses that Tennessee suffered haven't been discussed quite as widely.
A couple of key defensive players also moved on this offseason. And several of those players were important leaders. Edge rusher Byron Young and defensive back Trevon Flowers will be tough players and people to replace. Linebacker Jeremy Banks, a ball of energy on the field who was a critical part of the defense, is also off to the NFL and will need to be replaced.
Fortunately for Tennessee, there's a clear defensive leader that's stepped up this spring.
Linebacker Aaron Beasley has been consistently praised by coaches and teammates this spring as a guy that's developed into a key team leader.
"Aaron (Beasley), we all saw how he finished the season," said linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary this week. "[I] always believed he had the potential to be an outstanding football player. He's taken more of a leadership role. He's one of the elder statesmen in the room. We have a younger room this year, and he's taken that leadership role."
"The big thing with him is he's taken his game to the next level," added Jean-Mary. "We need him to be more of a playmaker, kind of the way he finished the year. We need him to take the next step and he's accepted that challenge. Like I said, is one of the elder statesmen, not just in the linebacker room but on defense. We like the trajectory he's going in right now too as far as a playmaker and a leader."
Vols sophomore linebacker Elijah Herring echoed Jean-Mary's sentiments this week when it comes to Beasley's impact as a leader.
"I would most definitely say Aaron Beasley because he is the oldest guy, a senior," said Herring this week when asked who he looks up to on the team. "He makes plays, a smart guy, very locked in with everything that he does. I mean everybody looks up to Beasley as a leader for the linebacker group."
Having strong leaders on both sides of the ball is an extremely important ingredient to success in college football. We know Tennessee has a great leader on the offensive side of the ball in Joe Milton. It sounds like they have a great one on the defensive side of the ball in Beasley, too.
