Special Teams
K: Brent Cimaglia
P: Joe Doyle/Paxton Brooks
PR: Jordan Murphy, Bryce Thompson
KR: Tyler Byrd/Ty Chandler, Jordan Murphy
Unlike in years past, the media hasn’t seen a lot of special teams work in practice this fall. Most of our guesses on special teams have been based on what we’ve gleaned from Jeremy Pruitt’s comments and what players have said.
But as of right now, here’s how UT’s special teams unit is playing out.
Sophomore Brent Cimaglia looks to be the main guy for Tennessee’s kicking duties. He has a strong leg and has been working on his accuracy. Laszlo Toser will be the backup in case Cimaglia can’t get the job done.
Punter is a little more cloudy. Paxton Brooks was an early enrollee and certainly has a good leg, but walk-on Joe Doyle has been giving him plenty of competition. Tennessee may or may not run with two punters this year unless one of them really proves his worth during the season.
In the return game, Jordan Murphy brings a lot of potential as a punt returner and maybe a kick returner as well. But his playing time on offense may dictate how much he plays on special teams, and Bryce Thompson is a name to watch as a returner if Murphy isn’t the guy. On kick-offs, Ty Chandler has been effective in the past, but he may be needed more in the run game, Tyler Byrd and Murphy will be names to watch there. Nigel Warrior returned kicks in the Orange & White Game, but it’s unlikely he gets the nod there for the actual season.
