Recently, Tennessee extended an offer to another outstanding Ohio prospect. Ohio’s Anderson High School is home to prospective cornerback Ashton Alston. He is a 2027 athlete that stands 5-10 and weighs 165 pounds. He recently recapped his Tennessee offer with Volunteer Country. “I’m quite grateful about the Tennessee offer. “This is my first offer from an SEC, and it just inspires me to work harder,” the gifted candidate says. He adds, “It felt great to get the offer; I was really excited,” after making that first statement. I had a great talk with Coach Nez and Coach Abeln, and I’m excited to visit them in the spring.”
When asked what he thought about Tennessee, he responded. “Best of the best football, great environment, and the SEC,” replied the athlete from Ohio. What he thought he could add to a programme like Tennessee was another question posed to the gifted cornerback. “Excellent skill set, daily high energy, and physical play. The 2027 athlete said, “I’m someone who will lead by example,” to the query. How much of an impact did it make on him to get an offer from Tennessee so early in his high school career? “It is big time; I’ve been working my whole life for moments like this!”
According to Matt Zenitz, Cory Robinson, a defensive analyst for Tennessee, is anticipated to rejoin the NFL coaching staff as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ next cornerbacks coach. Robinson has only been in Knoxville for a year when he is most likely leaving the Volunteers programme. Before getting back on the coaching waggon, he helped the Vols turn around their defence and oversaw an improvement that moved Tennessee from 91st in the country to 32nd in total defence in only one season.
Although it is against the rules for analysts to train players one-on-one or have off-campus recruiting trips, Robinson supported Tennessee’s defensive coaching staff, focusing mostly on the defensive backs. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, seven defensive backs, including starters Doneiko Slaughter and Tamarion McDonald, entered the transfer portal, ranking the Vols’ passing defence No. 64 in the FBS with 221.5 yards allowed per game.
After three years in the NFL, Robinson spent his lone year as a college football coach at Tennessee. Prior to moving up to a college position in 2015, the former student-athlete at Central Connecticut State started his coaching career at the high school level. During his first FBS tenure, he attended Toledo, Temple, Rutgers, and Maryland.
The 2017 season at Temple, where he assisted the Owls in leading the American Athletic Conference in pass defence by surrendering only 206.8 yards per game via the air, was Robinson’s best season among those stops. At the four previously named universities, he oversaw defensive backs and then took on the role of passing game coordinator at Rutgers and Maryland.
Robinson’s first NFL position was as an assistant defensive backs coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2020. His 2021 squad placed third in touchdown passes allowed, sixth in total defence, and fourth in scoring defence in the league.
In contrast, Tennessee may be ready for another successful season on the defensive end of the ball despite its exodus of transfers. Numerous immediate impact transfers committed to the Vols, including defensive lineman Jaxson Moi from Stanford and former Oregon State cornerback Jermod McCoy.
The Vols’ 2024 success largely hinges, though, on second-year quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his ability to take the offense back to great heights. The former five-star recruit projects as one of the SEC’s best starting signal-callers in his first year atop the depth chart after posting a strong performance in the Citrus Bowl, completing 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown while rushing for three additional touchdowns against the vaunted Iowa defense.
