RTI contributor Murphy Carlton is the author of this article
247Sports released their True Freshman All-American team for the 2019 season, and a freshman duo for the Vols made the list of standout newcomers to college football.
Freshman left tackle Wanya Morris and freshman linebacker Henry To’o To’o were named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-American team for their performance during the 2019 season.
Both playere were brought in to Tennessee to play big roles from day one on campus, and both are proving to be budding stars for the Vols.
Morris, the No. 28 player in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2019 class, started nine of the 10 games he played in this season. He and fellow freshman tackle Darnell Wright are two cornerstone players for the Vols’ offensive line moving forward.
Once the most glaring issues for Tennessee last season, the offensive line showed vast improvement this year after last season’s line that was possibly the worst offensive line in program history. Morris played a big part in the turnaround, performing well in pass protection and creating holes for the running backs off the left side along with First Team All-SEC guard Trey Smith.
To’o To’o, the No. 44 player in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2019 class, has been a revelation at inside linebacker for the Vols. Playing alongside senior Daniel Bituli, the two formed a menacing tandem for opposing offenses to face each week.
The former four-star became the first true freshman to start at linebacker for Tennessee since 2011. He’s third on the team with 64 tackles, and a few of those were game-changing or game-saving tackles. To’o To’o showed great vision and pursuit all season long, and he has Vol fans excited to see what the future holds for their rising superstar.
The future looks bright for the Vols, as they had a number of other freshman contribute in 2019 and will look to improve next season and beyond. Both running back Eric Gray and safety Jaylen McCollough were named as honorable mentions on the Pro Football Focus College All-Freshman team as well.
Tennessee also has the makings of another very impressive recruiting class with the 2020 cycle, and a few more players in this class seem destined to make immediate impacts in the 2020 season as true freshman.
We could potentially see a few more Vols ending up on this list this time next year.
