Vols LB Tyler Baron Reflects on 'Blessing' to Earn Immediate Playing Time, Continued Development

Tyler Baron moved from Ensworth High School to Knoxville Catholic High School for his senior season. After a long recruitment, Baron chose to make Knoxville his home for the next few years. He joined several close friends and teammates in the decision to come to Tennessee, and he also joined his father, Patrick Abernathy, who is on the support staff in Knoxville.

In an unprecedented year, many freshmen across the country have been limited in opportunity, but Baron has thrived with the opportunity presented to him.

In fact, he found himself thrust into the mix early and often against South Carolina during Tennessee's season-opener. Baron finished the contest with two key solo tackles, and he helped the Vols solidify the edge after getting gashed early on.

Tuesday, Baron was asked what that moment meant to him. He said, "It was a blessing to be able to go in and help my team make those two stops on those two different drives. It’s been a great opportunity for me and I’m just thankful that the coaches trust me enough, from my practice habits, to put me in the game on those meaningful downs. It’s been great to go out there and help this team be successful.”

The work does not stop there for Baron, and he was asked several questions about his development, and it all started with the strength and conditioning program when he arrived on campus.

"I think A.J. (Artis) and his guys on the strength staff have done and incredible job. I feel like in all of my workouts, I get stronger every single day. It’s helped me stay healthy and I really do appreciate them. I feel like being a bigger guy, it helps me take on the blocks, but there’s still so many things I can improve on – block shedding, recognizing the blocks that I’m getting and transitioning in the pass rush quicker. The list goes on of things I can improve on," Baron told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

Baron expanded on some of the key things he has worked on by saying, "Hand placement is a huge one, but ball get-off is another thing I work on every day, as well as being able to recognize things. Coming in as a freshman, this game is a lot bigger than high school and a lot different. I’m just trying to learn how to play in this league and be successful here."

As much as physical development plays a key, for an athlete of Baron's caliber, mental development will take you to the next level. He said on that, "It’s been huge for me - spending extra time with my coaches and learning the game. Coming from high school, it was kind of see ball, get ball. Here, recognizing formations and the depth of the back to know what you’re going to get before the ball is snapped has been huge. A lot of my success is from having time to see formations and small things like that that can help you.”

Through six games, Baron has appeared in each contest, and he has totaled 14 tackles including two for a loss.