After an impressive freshman campaign a year ago, Tennessee sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o is expected to take an even bigger jump in his second season in college.
According to one analyst, To’o To’o is already among the upper echelon of SEC linebackers heading into his sophomore campaign for the 2020 season.
SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic ranked To’o To’o as the fifth-best linebacker in the league heading into this upcoming season, finishing behind Alabama’s Dylan Moses, Missouri’s Nick Bolton, Auburn’s K.J. Britt, and Georgia’s Monty Rice.
MY top 5 SEC Linebackers for 2020: pic.twitter.com/ONan5piNTK
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) July 5, 2020
Before signing with the Vols, To’o To’o was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 3 outside linebacker in the 2019 national signing class out of De La Salle High School in California. The dynamic linebacker chose Tennessee over Alabama, Washington, and many other offers.
As a freshman in 2019, To’o To’o appeared in all 13 games for Tennessee while starting 12 of them. He made an early impact in the Vols’ season opener against Georgia State, leading the team in tackles with 7, becoming the first freshman to lead the team in tackles in a season opener since Dwayne Goodrich did it against UNLV in 1996.
To’o To’o finished second on the team in tackles with 72 while adding five tackles for loss, a half-sack, a pair of pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery. His performance in his debut seasoned helped him earn Freshman All-American honors and Freshman All-SEC honors.
To’o To’o is expected to be a key piece on a Tennessee defense that ESPN’s S&P+ projected as a top 10 defense in 2020 earlier this offseason.
The young linebacker isn’t the only Vol player Cubelic is high on, however.
Cubelic has previously listed Trey Smith as the top returning offensive guard in the SEC, Brandon Kennedy as one of the top returning centers, and Wanya Morris as one of the top returning offensive tackles.
