Tennessee football positional assessment — cornerbacks
Tennessee secondary coach Willie Martinez is replacing both corners and he starter at the star position from 2023 as the Vols head into summer workouts ahead of the 2024 season.
But in looking at the cornerback position the Vols could end up being more productive from the back half of 2023 after the loss of Kamal Hadden.
The truth is Tennessee’s secondary was simply not as effective after the loss of Hadden. Prior to Hadden’s injury, the Vols gave up an average of 172 yards a game through the air. Once Hadden went out, the number jumped to 245 yards a game and that includes Iowa’s lowly 60 yards in the bowl game.
The loss of Hadden has huge the numbers show it and so does his new NFL contract with the Chiefs. Hadden can play. In addition to the mid-season loss of Hadden, Doneiko Slaughter and Tamarion McDonald hit the portal and Gabe Jeudy-Lally graduated.
So it’s time for plenty of new faces in the secondary at the corner and nickel spot to go with new faces at safety.
To help with the transition at corner, Tennessee went to the portal and landed Oregon State’s Jermod McCoy who will start at one corner. On the opposite side, sophomore Rickey Gibson who saw more opportunities down the stretch of last season should be the other starter. Temple transfer Jalen McMurray provides experienced depth and competition for Gibson at cornerback. Jordan Matthews will likely be in the two deep. William Wright has played in critical situations and you have newcomers Edrees Farooq, who made some plays in spring, Kaleb Beasley who is recovering from a broken foot and Marcus Goree, Jr.
Tennessee has numbers at corner, they just don’t have much SEC experience outside of Gibson who’s played less than 200 snaps.
“It is still gonna be about how fast you play. You want them to play fast, obviously you don’t want them to sit there and think like they’re processing through the whole process. But I think they’ve done a really good job. I mean, we get time with them. We’ve had many of them since December and we did get all of them in January and they’ve done, for the most part. They’ve really handled the package pretty good.”
At the star position, Jourdan Thomas took over for McDonald when we was injured and had his best work in the bowl game, although Iowa wasn’t a real threat offensively. Thomas has the athleticism and skillset you are looking for, but staying healthy has been an issue for him. Pushing Thomas is freshman Boo Carter. The ultra-talented Carter, has the swagger you want from a defensive back and the talent to back it up. Carter has created a buzz over plays he has made on the practice field since he arrived on campus in December.
The X-factor
For me it’s Carter. Is he the best option at nickel? Is it better to make that move right out of the gate to start the season? Coaches always talk about playing the best player, but the x-factor in that is the trust they have in the player. Carter is the most talented defensive back. He could play corner, safety or nickel. That’s not really a debate. But where is the coaches trust fact in him?
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