Here's why I'm more concerned about Tennessee football's secondary for 2023 season | Adams

Tennessee football fans will eagerly await positive reports on quarterbacks when preseason practice begins next week.

They would like to hear that quarterback Joe Milton has thrown the football so hard it exploded in mid-air, and three different receivers caught the remnants. They also would like to hear more rave reviews about five-star signee Nico Iamaleava, who – thanks, in part, to speculation on his NIL deal – has achieved college fame without playing a game.

I understand the quarterback anticipation. But I’m also intrigued by how a less acclaimed area of the program might develop this preseason.

Fans at least should expect the secondary to be improved. Why? Because there’s so much room for improvement when you are the last line of defense for a team that ranked 127th in passing yards allowed last season.

Tennessee also can be encouraged that the secondary will be more experienced, and some of the opposing passers on its schedule figure to be less threatening than the quarterbacks who preceded them.

If you are desperate to compliment UT’s secondary, “balanced” might be a good choice. It’s hard to distinguish one defensive back from the other.

Safety Jaylen McCollough was second on the team with 58 tackles. Nickel back Tamarion McDonald had a team-high six passes defended. He also had a couple of interceptions. So did cornerback Kamal Hadden.

None of them made so much as preseason third-team All-SEC. Neither did any other member of Tennessee’s secondary. And you probably could choose a fourth-team all-conference secondary without mentioning a UT player.

This isn’t a new development.

No one has ever dubbed UT as “DBU.” But in recent years, the secondary has declined further.

Eric Berry was the exception. He couldn’t have stood out much more if a flashing neon sign had been attached to his helmet. He was a two-time All-America safety in 2008 and 2009 when the Vols posted back-to-back records of 5-7 and 7-6.

Since Berry departed, only one Tennessee defensive back has made first-team All-SEC. Safety Nigel Warrior was so honored in 2019. But the Vols haven’t had many second- or third-team picks since Berry, either.

Janzen Jackson and Prentiss Waggner made second-team all-conference in 2010. Theo Jackson was a second-teamer in 2021.

That’s it.

No one should expect a superstar to emerge in this season’s secondary. But overall progress as a unit is a reasonable expectation. Consistency also would be welcome.

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson passed for 453 yards and two touchdowns, but the Vols held on for a 38-33 victory last September. Alabama’s Bryce Young was even better in defeat. He completed 35 of 52 passes for 455 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-49 loss.

Georgia’s Stetson Bennett’s stats were misleading against Tennessee. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 victory. But the Bulldogs became extremely conservative after taking an early lead on a rainy afternoon. Otherwise, Bennett might have surpassed both Richardson and Young.

South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler surpassed them all with a performance of nightmarish proportions for Tennessee. He completed 30 of 37 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns. And no interceptions.

However, not every quarterback riddled Tennessee’s secondary. Kentucky’s Will Levis had an awful evening. And although heralded freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 30 of 57 passes for 320 yards, he didn’t throw for a touchdown in UT’s 31-14 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

ADAMS: South Carolina football over Tennessee? Our ranking of SEC East quarterbacks

That game was a morale booster for the entire defense, and especially the secondary. Defensive backs Wesley Walker and McDonald each had an interception. That was a welcome upgrade for a defense that had only nine interceptions during the regular season.

Maybe, that will prove to be a sign of things to come for the Tennessee secondary in 2023.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamsks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football secondary looks like a concern again in 2023