SEC Football: The best returning player from each team
By Sydney Hunte
Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Volunteers: A.J. Johnson, LB
The preseason first-team All-American pick will be one of the guiding forces of the defense. He could have declared for the NFL Draft but decided to stay for his senior season, and Vols fans should be glad: 106 tackles and 8.5 TFLs in 2013. That’s down from his output of 138 a year before, so that may have had something to do with his decision to stay, but he’s still the team’s top defender.