KNOXVILLE – One of Tennessee’s lowest-rated defensive back signees in 2019 is likely about to get one of his biggest opportunities.
With Bryce Thompson’s indefinite suspension, his likely replacement in Saturday’s season opener is true freshman cornerback Warren Burrell, who aside from inside linebacker Henry To’o To’o (another likely starter) and running back Eric Gray has generated the most buzz of the newcomers in preseason camp.
But Burrell was only a three-star prospect in the 247Sports.com composite ratings, which averages the combined rankings of 247Sports, Rivals.com and ESPN. Only Rivals had him rated as a four-star prospect.
Of the Volunteers’ four 2019 secondary signees, only Kenney Solomon was rated lower. Jerrod Means, who since signing has been transitioned from receiver to cornerback, is another first-year player likely in the mix for playing time this season. He’s already listed as a second-team cornerback behind sophomore Alontae Taylor.
Coach Jeremy Pruitt already has shown that he will play true freshman defensive backs – Thompson and Taylor were the starting corners, and current starting safety Trevon Flowers started the season opener last season – and Burrell just appears to be the next in line.
“Warren has done a good job,” Pruitt said recently. “Does he need to get stronger? Absolutely. Does he need to improve his play at the line of scrimmage? He does. But the guy has ball skills, he’s smart, he’s coachable, he’s instinctive and he plays with toughness. When you go out and play, he always shows up.
“Is he perfect? No, but he’s a freshman; nobody is. It’s good that he’s here. I’m glad that he’s here and I’m glad that he’s here to compete with those other guys, because we need it.”
Pruitt knows talent at that position. His background has been coaching defensive backs, and he’s been quite successful at it. And defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley has coached five All-America defensive backs and 13 who have been selected in the NFL draft.
“We’ve got a lot of competition,” Ansley said at the start of preseason camp. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have played some ball. There are some guys that have proven themselves, but we’ve also got a bunch of other guys that are coming up that are eager to put their foot on the field and make their imprint on the defense. We have a lot of competition at the cornerback position, the star position and the safety position. These guys want to come into camp and attack the right way, and we’re going to see who rises to the top.”
But by all accounts, Burrell – who intercepted eight passes in his final two seasons at North Gwinnett High School – and To’o To’o, who is likely to start at inside linebacker this week, are up to the task.
“The conversation we’re having with those guys is ‘Next up,'” senior outside linebacker Darrell Taylor said Tuesday. “Try to do your job; make sure you do your job. Learn the playbook, study film and make sure you know what to do when you’re on the field.
“Those guys are prepared, though. They’ve been preparing all camp and been doing the right things on and off the field, so I think that will take care of itself when we step on the field Saturday.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.