Defensive MVP
Daniel: LB A.J. Johnson. It comes down to Johnson or cornerback Cam Sutton for me. While Sutton might be the better pro prospect and the better pure football player, I think Johnson has meant the most to this Tennessee team so far. He’s the emotional and physical leader of one of the most overachieving units in the conference. His league-leading 68 tackles is an impressive stats. But it’s more than that. He’s making plays – something he’s struggled to do in the pass. He had an interception and nice return, he’s batting passes down, tackling players behind the line of scrimmage and forcing fumbles. He’s holding everybody accountable, keeping spirits high and mentoring young players as well. As Butch Jones said before the season, getting him to come back for his senior season might’ve been the biggest recruiting job of the past offseason.
Houston: CB Cam Sutton. It’s really hard not to go with A.J. Johnson here due to his overall production, but most of what Sutton has done this season doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Sutton has truly been a ‘lockdown’ corner for Tennessee this season. He is put “on an island” with regularity and does nothing but make plays when given the opportunity. Chuckie Keeton, Hutson Mason and Jeff Driskel all learned the hard way exactly what happens when you try to pick on Sutton in the vertical passing game early in a football game…he picks back. Sutton’s ability to lock down half of the field has allowed Tennessee’s defense to transition into a single safety formation much more this year, which leaves an extra body free to pressure the quarterback or pursue the ball-carrier. A lot of the improvement by the defense stems from Cam’s ability to make plays, but also to free up other defenders to do the same. This guy is an All-American in my book.
Reed: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Sutton and Johnson are also worthy of this accolade but Reeves-Maybin is right there with them. He ranks 6th in the SEC in tackles per game and 5th in tackles for loss (2nd among linebackers)…in his first season playing significant snaps at linebacker. He’s been a spark for the defense and has come up with several big plays at big times. He’s been solid in pass coverage, has rarely misses tackles and has made a ton of impact plays close to (or behind) the line of scrimmage.
