Vols Offseason Checklist: Secondary

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house at an undisclosed location across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss an offseason checklist of sorts for Tennessee’s quarterbacks and wide receivers.The secondary at Tennessee has always been a well-coached group under head coach Jeremy Pruitt and defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, and the Vols return plenty of experience from last season.Segment No. 1 of this episode focuses on Tennessee’s deep cornerback spots. That group — led by junior star Bryce Thompson — has the potential to become one of the SEC’s best in 2020, if junior Alontae Taylor, sophomore Warren Burrell, senior Kenneth George Jr. and others take a step forward.A strong finish last season from Shawn Shamburger helped Tennessee solidify the crucial nickel spot in the secondary, and Shamburger will return for his senior season to give the Vols another important piece of the puzzle. Some discussion on Shamburger and the other options at nickel are included in the first segment.The safeties take center stage in the second segment of this episode, and there’s plenty to discuss there, as well. Nigel Warrior last season finally became the All-SEC-caliber player so many expected him to be, but he was a senior and is currently preparing for the NFL Draft. Tennessee returns plenty of talent and experience at the safety positions, though, with sophomore Jaylen McCollough, junior Trevon Flowers and senior Theo Jackson expected to be the top three competitors for the starting spots. Others, including talented sophomore Tyus Fields, also hope to get themselves into the mix.Discussion on Tennessee’s two (and potentially three) secondary newcomers — versatile athletes Keyshawn Lawrence and Tamarion McDonald, and safety Doneiko Slaughter — hope to get themselves in the mix, as well, and discussion on all three of those freshmen is included in this episode. There’s also discussion senior Baylen Buchanan, a former starter who will be back in the mix at cornerback if he’s able to overcome a complicated health situation that forced him to redshirt last season.The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.