Tag: Henry To’oto’o

Henry To’o To’o named to Butkus Award watch list

Henry To’o To’o named to Butkus Award watch list.

Tennessee sophomore linebacker Henry To’o’ To’o was one of 51 linebackers across college football named to the Butkus Award watch list.

The award honors the top linebacker in college football.

This announcement comes after To’o To’o was named to the Bednarik Award watch list, honoring the best defensive player in college football.

To’o’ To’o is expected to take over the middle of Tennessee’s defense in 2020, stepping into the shoes of outgoing senior Daniel Bituli.

A member of two 2019 Freshman All-America lists, To’o To’o collected 72 tackles, five TFLs and half a sack during his freshman season. The Sacramento, California native also showed an innate knowledge of Tennessee’s defense as the season went on, displaying rare leadership for a player of his age.

Regardless of if To’o’ To’o wins the Butkus Award by the end of the 2020 season, he will be a huge part of the success of Tennessee’s defense.

2020 UT football player card: Henry To’o To’o

2020 UT football player card: Henry To’o To’o

Henry To’o To’o, linebacker (No. 11)

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-2

Weight: 235

Hometown: Sacramento, California

High School: De La Salle

A former 5-star prospect, To’o To’o burst onto the scene in 2019 at inside linebacker for Tennessee, showing extraordinary command of the defense and a natural instinct at the second level. To’o To’o collected 72 tackles and five TFLs, being named to several Freshman All-America lists.

With the departure of senior Daniel Bituli, To’o To’o will take the reigns of the Tennessee defense, and is expected to be one of the most important players on defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley’s unit for the next two to three seasons.

2020 Tennessee football schedule

  • Sept. 5 vs. Charlotte (Knoxville)
  • Sept. 12 at Oklahoma (Norman)
  • Sept. 19 vs. Furman (Knoxville)
  • Sept. 26 vs. Florida (Knoxville)
  • Oct. 3 vs. Missouri (Knoxville)
  • Oct. 10 at South Carolina (Columbia)
  • Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
  • Oct. 24 vs. Alabama (Knoxville)
  • Oct. 31 at Arkansas (Fayetteville)
  • Nov. 7 vs. Kentucky (Knoxville)
  • Nov. 14 at Georgia (Athens)
  • Nov. 21 vs. Troy (Knoxville)
  • Nov. 28 at Vanderbilt (Nashville)

Trio of Vols named to Freshman All-SEC list

Trio of Vols named to Freshman All-SEC list.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee offensive linemen Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright and linebacker Henry To’o To’o have been named to the Freshman All-SEC list.

UT press release:

Tennessee’s freshman trio of offensive linemen Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright and linebacker Henry To’o To’o were recognized on the Freshman All-SEC list, the conference announced Thursday.

Morris started 11 of 12 games for the Vols at left tackle this season and became the first Tennessee true freshman to start on the o-line in a season opener since Trey Smith did so in 2017. They are the only two Vol freshmen to start at left tackle in the last 30 years.

Wright was an anchor on the right side of the o-line for the Vols making seven starts and appearing in 10 games at right tackle. Morris and Wright were key in several notable performances by the Vols offensive line group, including Tennessee’s season-high 526 yards of total offense against Missouri, which entered the game with one of the nation’s top defensive lines and ranked 10th in the nation in total defense and had the SEC’s top pass defense.

Defensively, To’o To’o made an immediate impact for the Vols after tying for a team-high seven tackles in the season opener, becoming the first Vol freshman since 1996 to lead the team in tackles in a season opener. The Sacramento, Calif., native went on to start 11 of 12 games for the Orange and White and finished the 2019 regular season with 64 tackles, the third most on the team. He also added 5.0 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and fumble recovery.

The trio’s selection marks the most freshmen honorees for the Vols since 2014 when they also had three representatives on the list.

The Tennessee football team finished 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the SEC during the 2019 regular season, tying for its best mark in conference play since 2007. Led by head coach Jeremy Pruitt and a 13-member senior class, the Vols rebounded from a 1-4 start to win six of their final seven games and will take a five-game win streak into the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 against Indiana. Tennessee is undoubtedly one of the hottest teams in the nation and collected nine SEC weekly honors during the season, the most since 2004. In addition to the Freshmen All-SEC honors, To’o To’o and Morris were named True Freshman All-Americans by 247Sports, while fellow first-year standouts running back Eric Gray and safety Jaylen McCollough collected National All-Freshmen honorable mention accolades from PFF College.

Henry To’o To’o discusses Tennessee becoming bowl eligible

2019 Tennessee football: Week 14

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KNOXVILLE — Freshman linebacker Henry To’o To’o will get to play in a bowl game during his first season at Tennessee.

To’o To’o has played in all 11 games for the Vols in 2019 leading up to the regular season finale against Vanderbilt. The freshman linebacker has recorded 61 tackles through 11 contests.

Ahead of the matchup with the in-state Commodores, To’o To’o discussed what reaching bowl eligibility meant to him after the Vols defeated Missouri in Week 13 to secure its sixth win.

“It meant a lot,” To’o To’o said. “It’s kind of just showed that all the hard work that we’ve been doing is paying off. It’s starting to turn around and kind of what we talked about earlier, we just want our seniors to leave with a happy ending.

“We’re doing everything we can so that they have the best season that they can.”

Tennessee and Vanderbilt will kickoff at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised by the SEC Network.