Last year a Vols fan got very upset that the Tennessee Titans weren't pandering to the incredible fan base that the University of Tennessee has by drafting and signing more players from the university.
The fact is that the Tennessee Titans have to do the best thing for the Tennessee Titans, and if that means having an offensive line comprised entirely of players from Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and Missouri so that they can protect their quarterback from Kentucky, then that is what they should do. And that is coming from a UT graduate.
Having said that, every Vols fan wants to see former Vols succeed and any time the Titans have a player from Tennessee on the roster, they are always going to have that massive fan base behind them.
Two former Vols signed with the Tennessee Titans as UDFAs and hope was rekindled. Running back Jabari Small was probably the more hyped of the two, but the one that is standing out the most is cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally.
Where is the hype coming from?
The first buzz came from ESPN's Turron Davenport who brought his name up on radio shows in the Nashville area last week.
After TD spread that awareness, Joe Rexrode mentioned Jeudy-Lally as a standout on Monday and Jim Wyatt confirmed that in his wrap-up of Monday's practice saying:
"Cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally has made some plays this offseason, and that includes a break-up on a Levis pass intended for Hopkins in Tuesday's session."
To cap it all off, Titans DC Dennard Wilson was asked about Jeudy-Lally at the press conference before practice on Tuesday and he had very positive things to say about the UDFA.
It is early, but Jeudy-Lally is the UDFA who is getting the most buzz so far in OTAs and that is noteworthy. He has everyone's attention, now he needs to work his way toward making the roster.
Special teams are going to be crucial in that decision, but remember that L'Jarius Sneed isn't going to do much of anything during the preseason and training camp because they are keeping his legs fresh for the season. That means that some boundary corner is going to get a huge opportunity to grow and get better in training camp under Chris Harris and Dennard Wilson before getting "demoted" from a starter to the first guy off the bench.
With preseason games about 9 weeks away, Tennessee Titans fans and Vols fans are going to have a chance to watch his development in real-time very soon.