Making The Case: Which Defender Is Most Valuable to Tennessee’s Defense in 2022?

The 2022 Tennessee Volunteer soccer season is shortly approaching. Heading into every respective season there are all the time loads of storylines. Over the following few weeks, the Volunteer Nation workers will look into a few of these storylines, place group battles, and so on., and make the case for every matter being mentioned. On this section, we check out which defender is most precious to Tennessee’s defensive success in 2022.

Matt

That is powerful as a result of there are plenty of other ways one may go along with this. Byron Younger has a case due to his worth as a go rusher. Jeremy Banks case is greater than clear, as he ought to as soon as once more be the main tackler and a pressure within the center. All of the whereas, I believe if you’re Tennessee, you hope that in December this seems to be Omari Thomas as a result of it means you bought a a lot wanted step from the line of defense.

Nonetheless, on the finish of the day, given the depth issues at linebacker, I believe you need to go along with Jeremy Banks. His downhill hanging capacity will likely be crucial to Tennessee’s protection this fall. Banks performed nicely for almost all of the 2021 season, and he can construct on that much more this fall. If he can enhance in go protection, he needs to be one of the full linebackers within the convention this fall. 

Banks confirmed promise early in his profession as a three-down linebacker, and Tennessee wants him to maintain that this fall. The Vols have been greater than restricted final fall on the place, and Banks’s supporting solid needs to be extra improved this fall. Juwan Mitchell returns to the rotation, together with Aaron Beasley, Solon Web page and Elijah Herring. 

Jack

Byron Younger is a transparent candidate. As is Banks. Attending to the quarterback is one thing Byron Younger will undoubtedly have the ability to, and Banks’ toughness and expertise make him extraordinarily invaluable. 

However I am going to go along with a distinct method. 

Final 12 months, inside defensive lineman Matthew Butler was, to me, an important participant for the Tennessee protection. He was within the thick of every thing and served because the captain for a reasonably younger unit. For this query, I am sticking with the identical place as Butler and giving the nod to Omari Thomas. 

Thomas is not going to be almost as skilled as Butler was, as ‘Massive O’ is coming into his junior 12 months. However he discovered rather a lot from Butler and is able to turn into the chief of the line of defense. 

“Matt and I had an actual good connection outdoors of soccer,” Thomas stated this Spring. “We frolicked outdoors of the ability on a regular basis. We speak on a regular basis whereas he has been going by way of this (the draft) course of. I’ve been holding him uplifted and he has stored me uplifted with spring ball. Now we have an actual good connection; it has been actually good to get to know Matt and now we simply proceed to construct our brotherhood.”

Thomas impressed in his sophomore marketing campaign, seeing loads of snaps in 13 appearances and 6 begins. His security towards Ole Miss is scratching the floor of the heights Thomas can attain the following two years with Rodney Garner, beginning in 2021 as a candidate to be the defensive MVP for the Volunteers.