RTT#3 Brent Vinson: reviewing the class of 2007

by Joel Hollingsworth on May 14, 2008 7:11 AM EDT in Tennessee Volunteer Football

RTT#3 Brent Vinson's initial right-out-of-high-school profile:

The nutshell on Vinson's journey to Tennessee is that he was sort of vicariously recruited by Bruce Pearl (Pearl lured Duke Crews, one of Vinson's best friends), was ruled academically ineligible, and then, by his own admission, entered Hargrave Military Academy as a boy and a good football player and emerged both a man and a very highly touted five-star treasure.

As his initial profile shows, Vinson was recruited as a wide receiver, but the combination of the need at defensive back and Vinson's clear talent drew him to early playing time at the cornerback position. Cornerback stats are much more difficult to measure than those of running backs, receivers, or quarterbacks, but my recollection is that Vinson did quite well, and the stats that are available seem to back that assessment up. Vinson had 37 total tackles, seven "passes defended," and one interception (against Arkansas State). It looks like his best game was against Alabama (seven total tackles, six of which were solos), and who doesn't like that?

Games Played	Int. Ret.			Tackles					Passes Defended
	No	Yds	TD	Ast	Solo	Asst Loss	Solo Loss	Loss Yds
14	1	0	0	8	29	0	0	0	7

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Nervous

I forgot about his friendship with Duke. While I know it's not always the case, folks who fail drug tests often have friends (let alone best friends) who fail drug tests as well. While it would be unfair at this point to label Brent a fellow pot-head, I hope he can use his friend's misfortune as additional motivation to avoid that kind of unnecessary trouble.

by Aerobab on May 14, 2008 8:26 AM EDT reply actions

I think

he really came into his own during the year. I love the fact that he put his visions of being a top reciever aside and decided he just wanted to play football. Our secondary should be one of the toughest in the SEC this year and Vinson's going to be a big reason why. Bravo Kid

by Getoffmyvols on May 14, 2008 10:30 AM EDT reply actions

One way to gauge his success

is to realize the freedom that his safety had in the secondary. If Vinson hadn't been doing well in man coverage, the safety on Vinson's side would have been locked up in support far more often. i can't speak for certainy, but I do believe that Vinson did well enough to free up the safety on his side of the field for most plays, greatly aiding in run support and TE coverage.

by David Hooper on May 14, 2008 1:26 PM EDT reply actions