Analysis: Vols getting do-it-all athlete in Whitehead

After beginning the season on a sour note, the Volunteer defense has weathered injuries, youth, position changes, and the transfer portal to emerge as a strength of this team. The Vols had a three week stretch where the SEC Defensive Player of the Week was clad in Orange and White, a streak that was broken with Tennessee's bye week. Two of the leaders of this defense have been Freshman All American Candidate Henry To'oto’o and the recipient of two of those Defensive Player of the Week Awards, senior Daniel Bituli. These two linebackers have been the heart of the Volunteer defense, but their performance has been so critical because the Vols are so thin behind them. That lack of depth, and Bituli's impending departure, have made inside linebacker a priority for the Vols in the 2020 recruiting class. Tennessee has already secured commitments from a pair of four-star linebackers in the Bryson Eason and Martavius French from Whitehaven in Memphis, but the Vols weren’t done. They have added another projected linebacker in four-star, Athens Academy (Athens, GA) product Len'Neth Whitehead.

Whitehead is a player that can help Tennessee on both sides of the ball, and he will get a look at running back as well as at linebacker. At 6’2” 230 pounds, Whitehead gives Tennessee a big body to plug in on either side of the ball. He possesses the size to come in and make an immediate impact in the middle of an SEC defense, which if he ends up on the defensive side of the ball, he is likely to do. Whitehead plays sideline to sideline with outstanding speed for his size. He is a linebacker that rarely allows an opponent to reach the corner. Even when opposing offensive lines account for him, Whitehead is exceedingly difficult to keep blocked. He plays through trash and moves from one side of the play to the other well. In the 3-4 scheme that Tennessee is going to ask Whitehead to step into the middle of, he needs to be able to take physical punishment from much larger offensive linemen and hold up. At 230 pounds, Whitehead is at the bottom of the weight that can achieve that, but he has a well-muscled frame and is very strong in his upper and lower body. That allows him to take the punishment, engage and disengage blockers, and bring down ball carriers, all without sacrificing his speed and quickness.

As a linebacker, Whitehead brings every tool that a coach could ask for. He is capable of starting a d contributing for Tennessee immediately in any of their linebacker positions. No matter the down and distance, no matter the sub package, Whitehead is a player that can stay on the field and do whatever job the coaches ask of him. He has the speed to get sideline-to-sideline in any situation, the size to step into a hole and stuff a lead blocker in short yardage situations, the quickness to run in coverage with running backs and tight ends, and the acceleration to be an effective blitzer off the edge or into the middle of the offensive line. That Whitehead can do every job in every situation a linebacker could be asked to handle is not only a boon in terms of depth and versatility, it also allows him to be a player that Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley use to exploit matchups they like. Whitehead is a player they can use to break defensive tendencies, allowing him to take a different responsibility in an alignment that he typically had a set job. That ability to be a chess piece for two outstanding defensive minds allows Whitehead's considerable talent to become a force multiplier on defense.

For all the physical ability, perhaps the most important thing that Whitehead brings to the table on defense is his tackling ability. Whitehead simply does not miss tackles. When he gets his hands on a ball carrier, the play is immediately over. Running back, tight end, quarterback, it makes no difference, when Len'Neth Whitehead gets his hands on them, they are going down. Whitehead is an outstanding form tackler, his commitment to refining that technique evident in person as well as on film. While he has excellent size and strength, Whitehead doesn’t rely on those to bring runners down. He has committed to refining his tackling technique and to getting it right each time he needs to make a stop. The result of that is when added to his size and speed, Whitehead puts every ball carrier he runs across into the turf. Defensively, it is such a boon to have a player in the middle of the defense that stops plays. Too often in college football additional yards are given up off broken tackles, often big plays when a gain should have been minimal. Those are plays where a coach made the right call, the players made the right reads, and a defense should win a play, but instead are gashed because of poor tackling form. Whitehead does not give up those kinds of plays. When the defense should win a play, on a run up the middle or a blitz on a passing quarterback, if Whitehead arrives at the ball carrier, he does not waste the opportunity.

Whitehead is a supremely gifted athlete, and while he may best translate to a linebacker for the Vols, he will also get a long, hard look at running back as well. Tennessee has struggled at times over the last two seasons in short yardage situations. Jeremy Pruitt has publically maligned his team's lack of a big, power running back. He may have just picked him up in the form of Whitehead. At 230 pounds, Whitehead is a load as a running back. In fact, he will likely be larger than some of the linebackers trying to bring him down. Furthermore, Whitehead isn't a rumbling 230 player, as noted above, he is a good athlete with impressive speed for his size. More than just big, Whitehead shows excellent quickness for a big back, able to pick his way when necessary and make defenders miss surprisingly well for a power runner. He shows the same excellent vision and play diagnosis as a ball carrier that he displays as a defender. This combination makes Whitehead a difficult back to tackle, though he remains at his best with a full head of steam, running hard behind his pads. Whitehead is capable of being a battering ram, knocking defenders flat as he drives on. In the open field, he shows speed enough to rip off long runs and score. There will be situations where SEC defensive backs will be able to catch Whitehead in the open field, but catching the big Athens Academy product and getting him down are two very different tasks. While Whitehead may not be an immediate starter at running back, he will certainly have a role for the Vols if they keep him on that side of the ball.

Tennessee secured one of their top targets in the class with Whitehead's commitment, and he is likely to remain one of the most highly rated players in the class as well. Whichever side of the ball Whitehead ultimately finds a home on, he will be able to contribute early on. It is not beyond the realm of possibility to see Whitehead potentially play snaps on both sides for Tennessee in the 2020 season, specializing in short yardage packages and playing more snaps on defense. The thing that is certain about Whitehead's future is that from the time he announced his commitment, Tennessee assistants began lobbying Jeremy Pruitt to assign the talented prospect to their position group. The Vols pulled a prized target out of an SEC East rival's back yard today, and he should be an immediate impact player wherever he lands. Whitehead makes Tennessee better by being on the roster, which has to make Pruitt and Company feel pleased.