Vols Secondary Looks to Improve for Next Season

The Tennessee Volunteers have a lot of returning depth at secondary. Could this lead to a higher-caliber performance next season?

The only player in Tennessee's secondary to leave from this past season is safety Trevon Flowers. He will be trying his luck in the 2023 NFL Draft. Everyone else returns for Tennessee, which may just be what they need. They were a forgiving unit at times last season, giving up almost 300 yards a game and 7 yards per pass attempt to opponents. Improvement within its pass defense may be huge for the Volunteers.

In the loss to South Carolina, they gave up 438 yards and six touchdowns to Gamecocks' quarterback Spencer Rattler. This loss derailed the Vols' playoff hopes, and it came down to letting Rattler get comfortable within his passing game.

Doneiko Slaughter, Tennessee DB

The secondary has a lot of seniors coming into next season, including Jaylen McCollough, Wesley Walker, Doneiko Slaughter, Tamarion McDonald, and Warren Burrell. The two safeties on the list, McCollough and Walker, combined for 61 tackles last season. Slaughter and McDonald showed lots of spark last season as well. They combined for 64 tackles and four interceptions last season.

Burrell played in just two games for Tennessee last season. However, he is a redshirt senior with lots of experience and will be a key contributor to add depth to the already stacked unit. An improved secondary may be the thing the Volunteers need to push themselves back into title contention. Despite the questionable play last season, the experience of coming back may be what they needed to push themselves to play at a higher level. 

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