Here are our projected starters for the 2020 Tennessee football Volunteers. Like Butler, Bumphus will be a part of the rotation and should play a lot. He's played safety in the past and could get a look back there, but for now we'll keep him at the Star position, where he thrived last season. But of course, they’re not required to tell us who they’re going to play, so why give South Carolina a heads up? Tennessee’s unofficial depth chart at South Carolina. ), Reserves: Ja'Quain Blakely (R-Sr.), Elijah Simmons (R-Fr. GET A VIP MEMBERSHIP TO GOVOLS247 — $1 FOR YOUR FIRST MONTH Quarterback For the offensive line, we will focus on a 2-deep rotation. It's been an eventful week for college football as several conferences, including the Big Ten and Pac-12, have elected to cancel the season, or at least postpone it with hopes of playing in the spring. Maybe the biggest thing was the lack of true freshmen on the depth chart, but as Austin Price points out, things will likely look different on Saturday night. Quite honestly, there aren’t too many takeaways from this. Given the level of gamesmanship Jeremy Pruitt has deployed in previous years, the most surprising part of what was revealed in the 2020 Tennessee football season-opening depth chart was how predictable it was. Bennett should step into the starting role vacated by second-round NFL Draft pick Darrell Taylor, while Joseph is half of a promising freshman tandem at outside linebacker. Tennessee is still awaiting the release of its finalized 10-game SEC-only schedule while closing in on the start of preseason practice, making it an ideal time for a depth chart projection. COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers leads his team to to the field prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. The annual Orange and White game will take place April 18 at Neyland Stadium. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Projected starter: Trevon Flowers (Jr.) or Theo Jackson (Sr.), Projected backup: Cheyenne Labruzza (R-Jr.). If you were looking for some rock solid answers on the Tennessee depth chart ahead of the opener against South Carolina, well — sorry. Slaughter is the prototypical Star and safety for the Vols, Tennessee's coaches are high on him and he's looked the part this summer, so if he can learn quickly he's another newcomer who could get on the field and contribute as a freshman. 21 Tennessee will open the season against South Carolina on Saturday (7:30 p.m. Now for the usual disclaimer: Depth charts on defense can be a little misleading because there are rotations at some positions and the Vols will use different lineups at some positions based on what sub packages are on the field. The headlines were dominated by the Big 10’s decision to cancel their 2020 season (which isn’t official yet), and players and coaches speaking up in favor of playing.