2012 Official Football Playbook –
Cutting To The Chase By Adam K. Moussa rom the signature haircuts that he supplies to teammates, to his spot in the Tennessee secondary, safety Brian Randolph approaches every aspect of life with style and speed. “On the field, Brian is one of our leaders in the secondary. He gets us lined up and he is always in a hurry to get to the ball,” said fellow safety Byron Moore. “He’s a nasty hitter on the turf, but off the field, Brian is kind of a pretty boy, especially when it comes to his hair. He’s even become the unofficial team barber. He has some cutting skills and it doesn’t take him long to get you trimmed up.” Last year, Randolph applied his expedited approach to his role in the UT defensive backfield, wasting little time in seeing game action as a true freshman. At only 18 years old, Randolph quickly picked up a new defensive system and was relied on as the Vols’ starting free safety in eight of the Big Orange’s 12 outings. The Marietta, Ga., native completed his first campaign in Knoxville by finishing fifth on the team in tackles with 55, statistics that were impressive enough to earn him Yahoo! Sports and Phil Steele Freshman All-American honors. In addition to his accolade-earning tackle total, Randolph contributed two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one tackle for loss to the Tennessee defense, despite suffering from neck stingers throughout the entirety of the season. “Playing nicked-up last year was tough, but the worst part was that I had to wear one of those ugly neck protectors. That’s not a good look,” Randolph said jokingly. “I learned that playing with injuries is just something that you have to adjust to and play through, especially in the SEC.” This offseason, Randolph was forced to adjust, once again. With the arrival of two-time national champion Sal Sunseri as UT’s new defensive coordinator, Tennessee shifted from a 4-3 to a base 3-4 defense. “Learning Coach Sal’s defense was tough because it has so many different looks. It was almost like being a freshman all over again,” Randolph stated. “But, I
F
2
Brian Randolph’s skills on the gridiron, and in the barber chair, have quickly earned him respect from teammates. worked hard on studying the playbook because I knew that if could learn the new system, I could really elevate my game to the next level.” As a sophomore, Randolph has done just that. So far this season, the six-foot, 195-pound safety has immerged as a star, accounting for team-leading tackle performances versus NC State with eight impact hits and adding seven stops against Georgia State. “As a team, we have gotten out to a pretty good start, this year. We’ve had some good outings and we just want to keep this thing rolling,” Randolph said. “If I make a bunch of tackles, that’s great. But, we want to win every time we step on the field. I know that if I do my job to the best of my abilities, I can help the team win, and that’s what matters to me. My approach is pretty straight forward, just win.” [WWW.UTSPORTS.COM]