KNOXVILLE — Tennessee is two days away from opening its 2020 season that has been altered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 campaign will feature a 10-game SEC-only schedule. Contact tracing of COVID-19 will be at the forefront of the altered season and will place student-athletes who test positive in quarantine, resulting in missing games.
Non-scholarship players will provide more of a role within game week preparation and on game day this season.
Freshman linebacker Sayeed Shah can do just that for the Vols this season. The 6-foot-3, 233-pound freshman is from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California.
Shah can play the SAM linebacker position and has the ability to come off the edge with good vision.
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He played high school football alongside USC quarterback commit Jake Garcia. Garcia transferred from Narbonne to Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia since football is not being played this fall in California. The USC commit is playing for Rush Propst who is in his first season as head coach.
Garcia told Vols Wire that Tennessee has a team player in Shah this season.
“He’s a great player and teammate, and a great kid,” Garcia said of Shah. “He’s a leader and that’s something you can’t teach. He will help pick you up if you are down and help to keep you level-headed if you are too excited.”
Garcia was offered by Tennessee on January, 31, 2019.