McCullough to STAR

[LittleVol]

I've been watching Theo Jackson's plays from 2021, and I can't but think Jaylen McCullough would thrive in the role. He's not a deep cover safety imo and he needs to be in the box. The more I look at the the new athletes on the team, the more I feel like we need that on the field now. And Tank is a good player. He had 50 tackles and 3 ints last season

At STAR i think he would have like 70 tackles 4 ints and 3 sacks!

My staring Lineup is
SDE Barron 6'5 265
DT Bumphis 6'3 300
DT Thomas 6'4 310
LEO Young 6'3 245
SLB Mitchell 6 '2 230
ILB Banks 6'1 230
STAR McCullough 6'0 210
CB Hadden 6'1 195
CB Charles 6'1 190
S Flowers 5'11 200
S Turrentine 5'11 195
( 5 In-State guys)

I really like the skill and speed of this starting unit.

Beasley and Burrell will probably start the season but will gradually give way.

 

[thunder5]

I've been watching Theo Jackson's plays from 2021, and I can't but think Jaylen McCullough would thrive in the role. He's not a deep cover safety imo and he needs to be in the box. The more I look at the the new athletes on the team, the more I feel like we need that on the field now. And Tank is a good player. He had 50 tackles and 3 ints last season

At STAR i think he would have like 70 tackles 4 ints and 3 sacks!

My staring Lineup is
SDE Barron 6'5 265
DT Bumphis 6'3 300
DT Thomas 6'4 310
LEO Young 6'3 245
SLB Mitchell 6 '2 230
ILB Banks 6'1 230
STAR McCullough 6'0 210
CB Hadden 6'1 195
CB Charles 6'1 190
S Flowers 5'11 200
S Turrentine 5'11 195
( 5 In-State guys)

I really like the skill and speed of this starting unit.

Beasley and Burrell will probably start the season but will gradually give way.

Switch Bumphus for Eason and I like what you’ve got there

 

[Brave Volunteer]

I've been watching Theo Jackson's plays from 2021, and I can't but think Jaylen McCullough would thrive in the role. He's not a deep cover safety imo and he needs to be in the box. The more I look at the the new athletes on the team, the more I feel like we need that on the field now. And Tank is a good player. He had 50 tackles and 3 ints last season

At STAR i think he would have like 70 tackles 4 ints and 3 sacks!

My staring Lineup is
SDE Barron 6'5 265
DT Bumphis 6'3 300
DT Thomas 6'4 310
LEO Young 6'3 245
SLB Mitchell 6 '2 230
ILB Banks 6'1 230
STAR McCullough 6'0 210
CB Hadden 6'1 195
CB Charles 6'1 190
S Flowers 5'11 200
S Turrentine 5'11 195
( 5 In-State guys)

I really like the skill and speed of this starting unit.

Beasley and Burrell will probably start the season but will gradually give way.

If we want to be good at stopping the run, Elijah Simmons has to step up and be that anchor at DT.

 

[thunder5]

If we want to be good at stopping the run, Elijah Simmons has to step up and be that anchor at DT.

I think a four man rotation of Thomas/Eason and Terry/Simmons will do wonders for the run D this year…we just had no depth up the middle last year…as good as Butler was you just can’t play 90 snaps a game without some drop off…if those four step up and stay healthy it should be a good year up the middle for our D

 

[vegasvolfan]

I think a four man rotation of Thomas/Eason and Terry/Simmons will do wonders for the run D this year…we just had no depth up the middle last year…as good as Butler was you just can’t play 90 snaps a game without some drop off…if those four step up and stay healthy it should be a good year up the middle for our D

I think with as fast as we score, we need to be rotating 6 guys. 3 deep across the board really. Good pitch to blue chip DLs. They will still get their snaps whether they are 1 or 3 deep.

 

[NighthawkVol]

I think a four man rotation of Thomas/Eason and Terry/Simmons will do wonders for the run D this year…we just had no depth up the middle last year…as good as Butler was you just can’t play 90 snaps a game without some drop off…if those four step up and stay healthy it should be a good year up the middle for our D

I think with those 4 and Bumphus able to play inside or SDE, we have the depth on the interior line that we have lacked for awhile. Also, Phillips got great reviews in bowl practice and McNeil has worked hard in the off-season to improve and changed his body, so one or both of those guys may be ready to provide some snaps.

 

[BoroVol93]

I've been watching Theo Jackson's plays from 2021, and I can't but think Jaylen McCullough would thrive in the role. He's not a deep cover safety imo and he needs to be in the box. The more I look at the the new athletes on the team, the more I feel like we need that on the field now. And Tank is a good player. He had 50 tackles and 3 ints last season

At STAR i think he would have like 70 tackles 4 ints and 3 sacks!

My staring Lineup is
SDE Barron 6'5 265
DT Bumphis 6'3 300
DT Thomas 6'4 310
LEO Young 6'3 245
SLB Mitchell 6 '2 230
ILB Banks 6'1 230
STAR McCullough 6'0 210
CB Hadden 6'1 195
CB Charles 6'1 190
S Flowers 5'11 200
S Turrentine 5'11 195
( 5 In-State guys)

I really like the skill and speed of this starting unit.

Beasley and Burrell will probably start the season but will gradually give way.

Turnage will be a starter and I like McDonald and slaughter to get a lot of playing time at star/safety as well we should have really good depth at db if they keep competing like the reports have been saying…

 

[njvols]

I think a four man rotation of Thomas/Eason and Terry/Simmons will do wonders for the run D this year…we just had no depth up the middle last year…as good as Butler was you just can’t play 90 snaps a game without some drop off…if those four step up and stay healthy it should be a good year up the middle for our D

Yes, it's more about the abilities of the 2 deep. Good starting group gets you a close half time score against our top level rivals...to avoid second half collapses, and improve on 3rd downs, quality depth is critical. Think we'll be better, but I'm not sure how much.

 

[thunder5]

I think with as fast as we score, we need to be rotating 6 guys. 3 deep across the board really. Good pitch to blue chip DLs. They will still get their snaps whether they are 1 or 3 deep.

I think with those 4 and Bumphus able to play inside or SDE, we have the depth on the interior line that we have lacked for awhile. Also, Phillips got great reviews in bowl practice and McNeil has worked hard in the off-season to improve and changed his body, so one or both of those guys may be ready to provide some snaps.

I definitely think there are some others who can provide even more depth to the interior...I also think (like you said) you'll have SDE's that move inside in certain packages so there definitely appears to be a lot more options than last year...I'm looking forward to seeing it play out

 

[sjt18]

I've been watching Theo Jackson's plays from 2021, and I can't but think Jaylen McCullough would thrive in the role. He's not a deep cover safety imo and he needs to be in the box. The more I look at the the new athletes on the team, the more I feel like we need that on the field now. And Tank is a good player. He had 50 tackles and 3 ints last season

At STAR i think he would have like 70 tackles 4 ints and 3 sacks!

I would worry about opponents scheming to get him one on one with a slot receiver. Jackson held up but I'm not sure McCullough would.

My staring Lineup is
SDE Barron 6'5 265
DT Bumphis 6'3 300
DT Thomas 6'4 310
LEO Young 6'3 245
SLB Mitchell 6 '2 230
ILB Banks 6'1 230
STAR McCullough 6'0 210
CB Hadden 6'1 195
CB Charles 6'1 190
S Flowers 5'11 200
S Turrentine 5'11 195
( 5 In-State guys)

I really like the skill and speed of this starting unit.

Beasley and Burrell will probably start the season but will gradually give way.

The fact that some have already argued that one player or another should be plugged in to replace one of these guys is a very good sign.

Don't want to burst anyone's bubble but I suspect Burrell will be a starter at CB. I know he struggled last year but he has experience and a year to improve.

 

[jeff1vol]

I would worry about opponents scheming to get him one on one with a slot receiver. Jackson held up but I'm not sure McCullough would.


The fact that some have already argued that one player or another should be plugged in to replace one of these guys is a very good sign.

Don't want to burst anyone's bubble but I suspect Burrell will be a starter at CB. I know he struggled last year but he has experience and a year to improve.

I agree! Burrell has as much or more pure CB talent than anyone else on the squad. He's fast and super fluid. All his faults are between the ears! IF he really got into the playbook and really studied the concepts (when to shade/release, etc) he could be all-SEC, IMO. He simply got caught out of position too much last year, IMO.

 

[American_PitVol]

Burrell was the one getting torched in the bowl game, right? He just got caught in the quick sand... Just like Shane Falco said happened to him. He has all the tools. I would love to see him put it all together. We need him to put it all together.

 

[sjt18]

I agree! Burrell has as much or more pure CB talent than anyone else on the squad. He's fast and super fluid. All his faults are between the ears! IF he really got into the playbook and really studied the concepts (when to shade/release, etc) he could be all-SEC, IMO. He simply got caught out of position too much last year, IMO.

To me, he got beat more times while appearing to be in position than anyone I've ever seen. He could be in a guy's shirt and they'd reach around him to catch the ball.

I honestly don't know what it is with him but I hope he fixes it. I have very little doubt that he's going to look like a starter in practice. Hopefully that's good... but it could be bad until someone shows more in games. Fortunately unlike the QB position, guys get subbed in at CB.

 

[jarnol32]

I agree! Burrell has as much or more pure CB talent than anyone else on the squad. He's fast and super fluid. All his faults are between the ears! IF he really got into the playbook and really studied the concepts (when to shade/release, etc) he could be all-SEC, IMO. He simply got caught out of position too much last year, IMO.

What leads you to believe this? Every since Pruitt hyped him up his freshman year when Thompson was suspended Burrell has been the worst corner we have put on the field. I hope he gets passed on the depth chart by the transfers and freshman. If not we will see him getting burnt this year just like he has his entire career.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Size wise I would put McCullough at SS and move one of the quicker guys like Flowers or Charles to Star. IDK how fast McCullough or the other secondary guys are either, I'm just looking at his size compared to other secondary players. Also, Flowers has gotten hurt a few times, so I want him to be less of a run stopper and more of a pass defender.

 

[37620VOL]

Charles gets a lot of love on vol nation, but do we know when he's going to get out of the red no contact jersey?

 

[LittleVol]

Turnage will definitely start somewhere. Can't believe I forgot about him

 

[tennesseepride84]

To me, he got beat more times while appearing to be in position than anyone I've ever seen. He could be in a guy's shirt and they'd reach around him to catch the ball.

I honestly don't know what it is with him but I hope he fixes it. I have very little doubt that he's going to look like a starter in practice. Hopefully that's good... but it could be bad until someone shows more in games. Fortunately unlike the QB position, guys get subbed in at CB.

I think part of Burrell’s problem is ball skills, and ball hawking ability to attack the football while it’s in flight. That is an instinct that you either possess or don’t, it’s that something inside of you that tells you every time that ball comes my way it’s mine. Burrell plays not to get beat, and that is ultimately what causes him to get beat. Think about it, if your going for the ball they can’t call PI because he has as much right to the football as the receiver he is covering.

 

[DougVol]

Switch Bumphus for Eason and I like what you’ve got there

What has Eason done?

 

[thunder5]

What has Eason done?

All the buzz in the practice reports are about him so as of now I’d believe he’s the front runner for that spot

 

[sjt18]

I think part of Burrell’s problem is ball skills, and ball hawking ability to attack the football while it’s in flight. That is an instinct that you either possess or don’t, it’s that something inside of you that tells you every time that ball comes my way it’s mine. Burrell plays not to get beat, and that is ultimately what causes him to get beat. Think about it, if your going for the ball they can’t call PI because he has as much right to the football as the receiver he is covering.

So basically he may be the JG of corner backs?

 

[sjt18]

What has Eason done?

Apparently he's gone from a 270ish pound LB to a 300ish pound DT and retained a lot of his quickness. The reports coming out are pretty exciting.

 

[tennesseepride84]

So basically he may be the JG of corner backs?

Lol Well I never thought of it that way, but I get the comparison

 

[LittleVol]

I think Banks gets these boys in the top 30 defense this season.

There's a lot of veterans on this defense.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

I think Banks gets these boys in the top 30 defense this season.

There's a lot of veterans on this defense.

Do we still finish 7-5 then?