Former Tennessee Vols player named as one of college football’s ‘most surprising stars’ in 2024

A former Tennessee Vols player who transferred after the 2023 season was named by ESPN this week as one of college football’s “most surprising stars” of the 2024 season.

After spending four seasons at Tennessee, defensive lineman Tyler Baron left Knoxville during the offseason to join the Miami Hurricanes.

And Baron is having a tremendous season so far at the U.

Through four games this season, Baron has 13 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

He’s just 1.5 sacks away from tying his career high (Baron totaled a career high six sacks for the Vols in 2023).

As a result of his fast start to the season, ESPN singled out Baron as one of their most surprising college football stars in 2024.

Baron looks like a future NFL player. And he could potentially sneak into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft if he can sustain his production from the first four games of the season.

Tennessee has one of the best defensive lines in the nation in 2024 thanks in large part to the Vols’ impressive depth at the position. Baron certainly would’ve added to the strength of Tennessee’s defensive line this season, but he likely wouldn’t have played as many snaps due to the amount of players the Vols rotate. At Miami, Baron is receiving more snaps, which should help boost his NFL draft stock even more.

For now, Baron leaving Rocky Top for South Beach is working out just fine for both sides.