KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee announced it’s captains for Monday night’s showdown with Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium, and it was telling.
The Vols four captains: tailback John Kelly, center Jashon Robertson, defensive tackle Kendal Vickers and linebacker Cortez McDowell.
Tennessee will rotate game captains this season, as Coach Butch Jones is looking for more leadership across the board.
Kelly figures to carry the Vols’ offense against the Yellow Jackets, with 30 touches (carries and pass receptions) not out of the question.
RELATED: John Kelly will be a workhorse, but values wins over carries
The 5-foot-9, 205-pound junior tailback from Detroit is arguably the toughest player, pound per pound, on the football team.
Kelly emerged the second half of last season, leading Tennessee running backs with 6.4 yards per carry with 630 yards on 98 attempts. Most of his work came in SEC games, as he had 438 yards on 73 carries in league contests, an average of 6 yards per carry.
RELATED: Tennessee football RB John Kelly ready to run with his opportunity
Robertson has claimed to be the leader of the offensive line room, and he’ll be triggering every play from the center position after playing offensive guard last season.
Robertson had some issues with snaps and not finishing plays in fall camp, and Tennessee will be counting on him to get those problems fixed.
Vickers was one of only two defensive players to start every game last season (Derek Barnett), though he did require shoulder surgery that forced him to miss spring drills.
Vickers has been the most reliable defensive tackle for the Vols, and that’s a position that will need to come up big against Georgia Tech’s option attack on Monday night.
McDowell is an outside linebacker from Locust Grove, Ga. — some 35 miles south of Mercedes-Benz Stadium — who has enjoyed a strong offseason, dropping weight to increase his speed.
All four players will need to play well for Tennessee to beat the Yellow Jackets, so it’s no coincidence they were selected as team captains.
Game captains for Monday night’s #CFAKickoff#GBO
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— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 2, 2017
The post Tennessee football chooses game captains: Get ready for a lot of John Kelly appeared first on SEC Country.
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