‘He’s a guy that’s exceeded expectations’ – One of the Tennessee Vols’ most expensive transfer additions is paying off in a big way
One of the Tennessee Vols’ high price transfer additions is paying off in a big way early in fall camp.
One of the Tennessee Vols’ most expensive offseason transfer additions is living up to the hype so far.
The Vols landed Penn State transfer defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam in January over a host of other suitors.
According to ESPN, Tennessee is paying Gilliam north of $1 million.
Gilliam was an important addition for the Vols for two reasons: Tennessee badly needs the defensive line depth and he played under new UT defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at Penn State last season.
You never know for sure if a big-money transfer addition is going to be worth it, but the early returns on Gilliam are that he’s exceeding expectations on Rocky Top.
“I think Xavier Gilliam, the transfer from Penn State, has just been outstanding since he’s been here,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs this week on WNML’s SportsTalk. “I really do. I think he is a guy that has exceeded expectations. He’s got more twitch about him, more burst than maybe you thought he would have. I think he’s been really good. He’s going to have to emerge and continue to emerge as a bit of an anchor for the inside.”
That’s certainly good news for the Vols. One of Tennessee’s biggest question marks entering the season is the defensive line. The Vols have talent there, but it’s unproven.
Hubbs’ note about Gilliam’s “burst” and “twitch” is especially important given the concerns about the Vols’ pass rush.
Tennessee is paying Gilliam to be “a dude,” and it sounds like that’s what they’re getting.
