Tennessee football 2008: Defensive backs

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Arkansas tailback Michael Smith, center, is tackled by Tennessee’s DeAngelo Willingham, left, Eric Berry, second from right, and Antonio Reynolds during last season’s game at Neyland Stadium.

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Arkansas tailback Michael Smith, center, is tackled by Tennessee’s DeAngelo Willingham, left, Eric Berry, second from right, and Antonio Reynolds during last season’s game at Neyland Stadium.

If anyone questions how good Tennessee's secondary can be, just ask Josh Briscoe.

The senior wide receiver has gone up against those players all summer long in seven-on-seven drills, and he can attest to the supreme abilities of safety Eric Berry and the rest of UT's defensive backs.

"They're real talented," Briscoe said. "Having Demetrice (Morley) back helps out a lot, too. He's a great athlete. With him and EB, I think we have the two best safeties in the country."

Berry, a freshman All-American and second-team All-SEC selection as a true freshman, and Morley, a Parade All-American who started 10 games in 2006 before missing last season because of academics, give the Vols one of their best safety tandems in school history.

And a deep pool of players at cornerback (four players with starting experience will battle for two starting jobs) could give the Vols one of their best secondaries ever.

"I think potential is a good word," defensive coordinator John Chavis said. "Potentially, we have a chance to be outstanding."

Thanks to Morley's return, Tennessee shouldn't miss a beat despite losing free safety Jonathan Hefney, who started 50 career games.

Behind Morley at free safety is converted running back Daryl Vereen, who made a quick transition to defensive back during spring practice. Behind Berry is DeAngelo Willingham, a potential starter at cornerback and former Austin-East star Anthony Anderson.

But the Vols' biggest source of depth is cornerback.

Senior Antonio Gaines returns after missing UT's final 12 games with a knee injury, while junior Marsalous Johnson is back from a knee injury that caused him to sit out UT's final seven games.

Regaining those starting jobs, though, won't be easy.

Due to injuries, the Vols started five different players at cornerback last year before finally settling on true freshman Brent Vinson and Willingham, a junior college transfer, for the final seven games.

Those four players and sophomore Dennis Rogan, who played considerable snaps as a reserve last fall, will battle for the two starting spots.

Regardless of who starts, the Vols will have plenty of depth, plenty of experienced defensive backs. And plenty of options.

"It's been two years running that we've not been able to put our fifth and sixth defensive backs on the field," Chavis said. "Coming out of spring practice, we feel very confident that we can do that."

That depth and talent should allow the Vols to bring more pressure from its linebackers and play more man-to-man coverage. The Vols even had some success late last fall, particularly against Kentucky, blitzing out of their five defensive back package.

While Tennessee is deep at cornerback, the strength of its secondary looks to be Berry and Morley.

"I think that gives us two really good players at safety," Chavis said. "And I'm not sure since I've been coordinator here that we've had a pair of safeties that are as good as these two or as good as these two can be and we expect them to be."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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