Tennessee Vols standout's strong season confirmed by impressive numbers
College football performance statistics can sometimes belie true performance. Tennessee Vols DE James Pearce is an example of that. The Vols' star edge rusher hasn't piled up the stats, but he's still been at the top when it comes to putting pressure in the quarterback this season. However, sometimes the numbers confirm exactly what the […]
College football performance statistics can sometimes belie true performance. Tennessee Vols DE James Pearce is an example of that. The Vols' star edge rusher hasn't piled up the stats, but he's still been at the top when it comes to putting pressure in the quarterback this season.
However, sometimes the numbers confirm exactly what the eyeballs have seen. That is exactly the case with Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy in 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, McCoy has posted an 84.6 coverage grade and hasn't allowed a touchdown pass in 174 coverage snaps.
While the defensive line has gotten a lot of the praise this season regarding the success of Tennessee's defense – and fairly so – the Vols have been strong on the back end as well, and that success starts and ends with its best player in McCoy.
McCoy started his college career last season with Oregon State, where he played in 12 games with 5 starts. He transferred to Tennessee back in January and went through spring football practice.
It hasn't taken McCoy long to make his mark on Tim Banks' defense. Through seven games, he has allowed receivers to make the catch 50% of targets (14 of 28) on receivers he's covering with 4 pass breakups and an interception. Opposing passers have a 48.3 rating when throwing his way.
The Vols will need that high level of play to continue on Saturday, when Jalen Milroe and the explosive Alabama Crimson Tide come to Knoxville.
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