Despite coming off a 4-8 season, undergoing a coaching change, and a new defensive system that makes the secondary look very vulnerable, Tennessee football’s first player on a preseason watch list is a defensive back. And his appearance, ironically, comes as no surprise to anybody.
Junior safety Nigel Warrior is on the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, according to a release from the Maxwell Football Club. Given annually to the best defensive player in the NCAA, the award has been around since 1995. However, no Vols player has won it yet.