Secondary
S Nigel Warrior
Initial ranking: ★★★★
Was it a good ranking? You could see the size and athleticism that evaluators got excited about during Warrior’s stints on the field in 2016. He only made one start on the season, however, and that was later in the season when the safety position was dealing with several injuries. It might be another year until he becomes a regular starter, but Warrior showed enough flashes to justify his lofty ratings coming out of high school. He’ll need to turn that potential into production in the coming years, but he seems to have the skills to do that.
Rerank: ★★★★
CB Marquill Osborne
Initial ranking: ★★★★
Was it a good ranking? Coming in as an early enrollee, it looked like Osborne might’ve been a player who could’ve helped the Vols out early in the secondary. He was largely a non-factor early in the season, however, though his role did expand a bit later in the season as he played in some of the sub-packages in the secondary and helped out in the return game. The Vols need more in the secondary next season, and Osborne will have a chance to increase his role even though he didn’t have a breakout campaign this year.
Rerank: ★★★
CB D.J. Henderson
Initial ranking: ★★★
Was it a good ranking? Henderson, a JUCO addition, never saw the field in 2016. He had a redshirt season to use, but it’s probably not a great sign that a player brought into provide immediate help in the secondary wasn’t able to contribute to a unit that struggled.
Rerank: ★★
CB Baylen Buchanan
Initial ranking: ★★★
Was it a good ranking? After a strong fall camp and some extensive early-season playing time, it looked like Buchanan might be the steal of the class. That momentum didn’t last, however, as he got burned a few too many times and didn’t see nearly as much time later in the year. He still got some valuable experience and will be asked to help the Vols in the secondary in the coming years. It initially looked like he might be a four-star candidate, but I’ll keep him at three for now.
Rerank: ★★★
