Tennessee Football: 5 Most Underrated Players on the Vols Roster

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dduncan4163

dduncan4163

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Tennessee Football: 5 Most Underrated Players on the Vols Roster | Bleacher Report

Dylan Wiesman, Senior Guard

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Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

When Jones left Cincinnati to be the new coach at Tennessee, a pair of Bearcat commitments followed him in Dylan Wiesman and tight end A.J. Branisel.
At the time, Vols fans weren't real enamored with a lineman who was ranked as the No. 1,046 player and the 66th-rated center in the nation by the 247Sports composite rankings. The fear at the time was that Jones didn't realize what it took to recruit SEC athletes.
Over time, the fourth-year UT coach has proven that initial knee-jerk reaction laughable.
And while Branisel left the program for Florida International after some production as a freshman, Wiesman has more than lived up to expectations. After he flipped to the Vols, Ohio State offered him late, but he chose to stick with Tennessee.
The Vols are glad he did. As a junior a season ago, Wiesman was stellar. He went from a little-used lineman to starting all 13 games in a year that saw him earn second-team Associated Press All-SEC honors.
For a lineman not used to accolades and one who wasn't thought of really at all by recruiting services, the all-conference honors were, literally, unbelievable.
"I thought it was a joke," he told GoVols247's Wes Rucker about when his teammates told him. "I thought they were messing with me."
Known for his road-grading run-blocking skills, Wiesman may be the best Vols lineman in that area, and he's getting better at pass blocking. Now, as a rising senior, Wiesman isn't only going to be relied upon to be a stalwart. Tennessee expects him to be a star.
He's come a long way from a player who many thought was just a space filler as Jones tried to flesh out his first class. As it turns out, he was one of the first pieces of evidence that Jones knows how to evaluate talent and he knows how to recruit.


Great write up by Brad and I agree with Wiesman 100% I didn't think much of his commitment at the time but he has proven himself to be a top flight player


He will make a good Pro one day I truly believe.
 
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#2
#2
Malik Foreman, Senior Nickelback

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Wade Payne/Associated Press

It's difficult to quantify just how far Malik Foreman has come in his Tennessee career and even how much better he got from the beginning of 2015 to the end of last season.
Always known for his speed, the little-known Tri-Cities product from northeast Tennessee was a late offer by the Vols once Jones came on board, and he flipped from Vanderbilt to stay home.
But he wasn't as quick to get on the field.
After being a little-used player who featured mostly on special teams in his first couple of years, Foreman got his chance last year when cemented nickelback starter Rashaan Gaulden broke his foot in the preseason, costing him the entire season.
Foreman, quite simply, struggled mightily in his first few games, routinely giving up big plays. But as the season progressed, he settled in. By the end of the year, he was making the big plays instead of giving them up. He mastered one of the most difficult positions on the field.
Not only was Foreman reliable, he was playing at a very high level. If he continues to progress, it's not out of the question he could be the second consecutive player at the position to go from maligned corner to NFL nickelback, following in the footsteps of Patriots second-year pro Justin Coleman.
Foreman made some key plays against Georgia, but he really blossomed against South Carolina, holding Pharoh Cooper to four catches for 47 yards and making the game-saving strip of tight end Jerell Adams as he rumbled into field-goal range.
"[Malik is playing] with a lot of confidence," junior cornerback Cameron Sutton told the Knoxville News-Sentinel's Troy Provost-Heron following that game. "We have a lot of confidence in him as well. He's making plays throughout practice and he’s doing the little things, taking care of his body, watching film and doing the right things off the field as well."
The Vols expect those things to continue. Though freshman Marquill Osborne is pushing him, it'll be difficult to fend off Foreman's talent, speed and experience. Now he's the seasoned veteran, and if he makes as much progress this year as he did last season, the Vols have a good chance to be very strong in the secondary.


Foreman is another pleasant surprise. The kid just makes plays when we need them most. He saved the day against SCAR
 
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#3
#3
Malik wins the Whiplash Award for Most-Overrated-to-Most-Underrated in a Single Season. :)

I remember before the 2015 season started, there was a TON of hype on Foreman. He was getting just as much VolNation love as KMac and Shy and Kirkland and (before he was injured) Gaulden. Tons of hype.

Then he looked really rough in the Bowling Green and Oklahoma games, made some real bone-headed mistakes, and his stock tumbled. In mid-September, lot of folks in these threads were saying the kid was badly over-rated.

Luckily, he was getting better even as his stock was plunging. By mid-season, he was showing some real competence in the backfield. IIRC, he played a very good game against Bama, and continued playing very well after that; USCe stands out, of course. So entering his under-rated period.

Like a boomerang, he came back strong. Good on him, look forward to seeing Malik make a big difference this fall. Go Vols!
 
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#5
#5
I follow the Vols closely. I can name almost every player on the roster, tell you what position they play, and their jersey number. But I thought Malik Foreman was a freshman last year! How does THAT happen?!?!

Lol Go Vols
 
#6
#6
peyton4heisman said:
I follow the Vols closely. I can name almost every player on the roster, tell you what position they play, and their jersey number. But I thought Malik Foreman was a freshman last year! How does THAT happen?!?!

Lol Go Vols
Click to expand...
:)
Well he completed his freshman, sophomore, and junior years, that's how that happens.
 
#7
#7
Tri-Cities.......does it kill anyone to say Malik is from Kingsport By God Tennessee?

Dobbin Bent men be tough!
 
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#8
#8
How will Coleman Thomas grade out this year, can he become all SEC and or garner high accolades?
Go Vols
 
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#9
Coleman Thomas is best center that has been on the team in a long time. Can't remember someone with his size and his athleticism pulling at the center position with such success. As long as the kid ain't playing tackle, he's a mauler playing center.
 
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Plano Vol said:
Tri-Cities.......does it kill anyone to say Malik is from Kingsport By God Tennessee?

Dobbin Bent men be tough!
Click to expand...

****Dobyns-Bennett
The powerhouse of Tri Cities. Foreman is last good Vol to come out of Northeast TN since Witten, I think.
 
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Mr. Tri Star said:
****Dobyns-Bennett
The powerhouse of Tri Cities. Foreman is last good Vol to come out of Northeast TN since Witten, I think.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Jason would prefer to referenced as an Elizabethton boy rather than be generalized as a Tri-City boy.

Nobody want to be accused of being a Hilltopper.
 
#12
#12
Brandon Johnson is severely underrated. Will be one of if not our best WR coming out of the '16 class
 
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Vols_14 said:
Brandon Johnson is severely underrated. Will be one of if not our best WR coming out of the '16 class
Click to expand...

Good prospect.
Im curious to see his development.

Dormady will get to throw to him, so I think he has a chance to develop.
 
#17
#17
VolFootballlover said:
you guys blow me away...he was doing nothing in that video at a different speed lol
Click to expand...

I put all the qualifiers in...drills...whatnot. I think you're just looking to be dumbfounded. :) Step and a motion quicker than the surrounding players IMO. Drive safe. :hi:
 
#18
#18
Foreman was the most improved player by far.

Vereen is underrated. His sacks in the Bama game were clutch.
 
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