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Tennessee football has a hole on the depth chart at cornerback, and it seemed like Kaleb Beasley could fill it.
The former Lipscomb Academy standout was among the highest rated cornerback recruits in the 2024 class. He played cornerback as a freshman, along with serving as a mainstay on special teams.
Then All-America cornerback Jermod McCoy suffered a torn ACL in January, too late for the Vols to add a cornerback from the transfer portal.
So why is Beasley spending spring practice at safety rather than cornerback?
“We think we’ve got guys that are talented. We want them to have an opportunity to start,” defensive secondary coach Willie Martinez said. “(Beasley) is smart. He’s talented. He’s athletic. Let’s move (Beasley) around to give him the opportunity to win a job. That’s why we did it.”
It’s either a strong endorsement of Beasley’s ability to thrive at safety or savvy spin on his deficiencies at cornerback. It may be a combination of the two, and here’s why.
Kaleb Beasley seemed like a solution at cornerback
McCoy underwent surgery on his injured knee, and he’s rehabilitating in hopes of returning to the lineup early in the 2025 season. But no official timetable has been released.
For now, UT’s starting cornerbacks are Rickey Gibson, who considered entering the portal, and Jalen McMurray, a 2024 backup.
The group is thin and inexperienced after that. Marcus Goree played only eight defensive snaps last season as a freshman. William Wright and Colin Brazzell, the younger brother of UT receiver Chris Brazzell, are walk-ons. Tre Poteat, Timothy Merritt and Ty Redmond are freshmen debuting in spring practice after enrolling early.
There seems to be an opening for Beasley, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, to compete for the third cornerback spot, at worst.
Last season, Beasley was a four-star recruit…
Source link : https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2025/03/31/kaleb-beasley-tennessee-football-cornerback-jermod-mccoy/82347633007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-31 16:34:00
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