Tennessee Vols: Under-the-radar player plans to step up as a leader for UT in 2020
There are plenty of reasons why the Tennessee Vols were able to right the ship after a 1-4 start to the 2019 season. But one of the main reasons the Vols were able to turn the season around was the senior leadership on the team. Players like Jauan Jennings, Darrell Taylor and Marquez Callaway proved […]
There are plenty of reasons why the Tennessee Vols were able to right the ship after a 1-4 start to the 2019 season.
But one of the main reasons the Vols were able to turn the season around was the senior leadership on the team.
Players like Jauan Jennings, Darrell Taylor and Marquez Callaway proved to be invaluable team leaders for UT head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
The leadership of Tennessee's seniors was a key factor in the Vols winning six of their final seven games.
With those players moving on after this season, though, it means some players on the roster will be forced to step into those roles in 2020.
Fortunately for the Vols, there's at least one player, who might be a bit under-the-radar, who is ready to step up and be a leader for Tennessee next season.
Redshirt sophomore Kivon Bennett, a former three-star recruit who signed with UT in 2017, told reporters on Thursday "I have to take myself to a new mental level". He added "I gotta be the leader, it's gotta be my team next year. I have to step up."
It's obvious that the leadership qualities of players like Jennings and Taylor have rubbed off on the rest of the team. Bennett, who finished the 2019 season with 24 total tackles (including four tackles for loss and two sacks), is eager to step up next season and help lead the team in Pruitt's third season at the helm.
Winning is contagious. And the Vols got a taste of how it feels to go on a winning streak during the second half of the season.
It sounds like the culture has officially flipped on Rocky Top. The players saw this season how hard work translates to success.
And there's no better motivation than success.
Featured image via Randy Sartin/USA Today
