So far, here’s where the Vols’ units have ranked in the SEC heading into the 2020 season:
- Quarterbacks, No. 4
- Running backs, No. 4
- Wide receivers, No. 10
- Offensive line, No. 2
Today, we’ll look at the defensive line.
2020 SEC Defensive Line Rankings
 | The league’s best defense in 2019 loses a few key defensive linemen to graduation in Tyler Clark (26 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks in 13 starts), Michael Barnett, and David Marshall. However, the Bulldogs also return a couple of key guys in Malik Herring (26 tackles, 5 TFLs, and half a sack in 9 starts) and Jordan Davis (18 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks in 8 starts.) Plus, they added a couple of GSEC100 defensive linemen in Jalen Carter (GSEC24) and Nazir Stackhouse (GSEC79) in this year’s class. | ||||
| 2019 Total Defense (in yards per game) | Returning Production | Unit Recruiting Ranking | |||
| 1 | Sacks | TFLs | Tackles | ||
| 276 | 7.5 | 19 | 109 | 5 |
 | 2019 Total Defense (in yards per game) | Returning Production | Unit Recruiting Ranking | A liability early, UT’s defensive line improved all season. Now everybody’s back, including Emmitt Gooden. | ||
| Sacks | TFLs | Tackles | ||||
| 2 | 334 | 9.5 | 21 | 194 | 8 | |
 | 2019 Total Defense (in yards per game) | Returning Production | Unit Recruiting Ranking | Alabama loses Raekwon Davis but returns DJ Dale and others, and adds three GSEC Top 100 linemen to this year’s class. | ||
| Sacks | TFLs | Tackles | ||||
| 3 | 324 | 6.5 | 15.5 | 123 | 1 | |
 | 2019 Total Defense (in yards per game) | Returning Production | Unit Recruiting Ranking | The SEC’s second-best defense last season loses three starters along the line, but returns 41% of its production there and recruited the position well. | ||
| Sacks | TFLs | Tackles | ||||
| 4 | 305 | 8.5 | 16 | 102 | 2 |
| Rank | Team | 2019 Total Defense (in yards per game) | Returning Production | Unit Recruiting Ranking | ||
| Sacks | TFLs | Tackles | ||||
| 5 | Missouri | 312 | 10 | 17 | 125 | 13 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 322 | 6.5 | 19.5 | 89 | 3 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 340 | 9.5 | 26 | 169 | 6 |
| 8 | LSU | 344 | 6 | 16.5 | 140 | 7 |
| 9 | Vanderbilt | 437 | 4.5 | 22 | 133 | 14 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 393 | 9.5 | 18.5 | 103 | 4 |
| 11 | Auburn | 337 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 64 | 9 |
| 12 | Mississippi State | 399 | 10.5 | 23 | 112 | 11 |
| 13 | Mississippi | 417 | 6.5 | 9 | 72 | 10 |
| 14 | Arkansas | 451 | 1 | 8 | 71 | 12 |
Additional comments
Of all of the unit rankings this year, this one surprised me the most when I first crunched the numbers. Tennessee No. 2? I don’t think so.
But when I went looking under the hood to see what went wrong, I found that what was wrong was me. Apparently, that image of two of Tennessee’s defensive ends lined up on the same side of the line against Georgia State has the shelf life of Twinkies. The feeling associated with that obscures the fact that Tennessee’s defense improved all season long and that the line was a key part of that improvement.
The Vols were a somewhat surprising No. 6 in the league in total defense, 23rd in the nation. They were third in the league in sacks. Beginning with the Mississippi State game, the line started carrying its share of the load on the way to a solid finish for the season. And this year, everybody on the line is back, plus Emmitt Gooden returns. So yeah, Tennessee’s at No. 2.
Your thoughts
What do y’all think? Where did we get it right? Where are we wrong?