Making the Case: Is a Freshman Signee Set to Make an Impact Off the Edge?

The 2020 season will see the Tennessee Volunteers needing to fill some key roster spots if they hope to be successful. The Vols ended the 2019 season on a six-game winning streak, culminating with a come from behind win over Indiana in the Gator Bowl. Momentum was important for the Vols on the field in 2019, and that carried over to the recruiting trail. The Vols are trending in the right direction because they showed success on the field, but they also landed a Top Ten recruiting class in the nation with their 2020 signing class. Jeremy Pruitt and his staff will need this class to live up to their ranking in order to see the Vols have success over the long term, however, some of the new arrivals will be called on immediately to step in and play.

This series will see our staff members looking at several positions of need on the Tennessee roster that could be filled by an incoming freshman. The staff will make a case for which freshman they feel can rise to fill the role in question. Today's piece looks at the outside linebacker/edge rusher spot.

In 2019, Tennessee saw one of their seniors turn in the best campaign of his career from the outside linebacker spot. Darrell Taylor led the Vols in sacks for the second season in a row in 2019, but his senior campaign was more consistent than his junior one. In 2019, even if Taylor didn't finish plays with sacks, he seemed to impact more plays, more consistently with his presence. Taylor grew each of his seasons in Knoxville but seemed to blossom his final two seasons under Pruitt and his staff. Taylor was a defensive force for the Vols in 2019, by far their most effective and disruptive pass rusher. This helped to see him selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. The Vols had several other players make an impact getting to the quarterback in 2019, but Taylor was very much the premier rusher drawing most of the attention, while the other rushers operated off of scheme and as a committee. Replacing Taylor effectively with a rusher the staff can build around is critical for the 2020 Tennessee defense.

Brandon: The Vols have several different freshmen they could use to replace Taylor, and they represent several styles of defender. Tennessee knew that landing edge pass rushers would be absolutely critical in the 2020 class, and they managed to secure some talented players. I'm making the case for Morven Joseph to earn the starting spot for the Vols. First, to say that Joseph has a body ready for the SEC isn't giving him enough credit. Joseph has the physique of a bodybuilder and athletic gifts that are still more impressive. Joseph has a first step and top-end speed that are hard to believe for an athlete of his size. The Lake Gibson product is a physical freak that would be difficult to keep off the field based on his athletic talent alone. Joseph also played against excellent competition in high school in Florida, played all over the front seven, and shows polished, effective pass-rushing moves already. While Joseph will typically be asked to pin his ears back and come get the quarterback, his familiarity with dropping into coverage and playing as a linebacker should help him get on the field earlier at the next level, as he is more experienced playing all facets of the position. That, and the fact that he is such an incredible athlete that it is hard to wrap your head around.