Jeremy Pruitt reveals Tennessee defensive back Shawn Shamburger not expected to return this season
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Tennessee’s defensive backfield has lost some depth for the rest of the season.
That’s because senior defensive back Shawn Shamburger is not expected to return to the team this season, according to Jeremy Pruitt.
Shamburger has had a rough go of it in 2020 as the defensive back missed the first two weeks of the season due to undisclosed reasons, and upon his return to the team, failed to have much success on the field for the Volunteers.
The defensive back’s lack of success was surprising when you consider Shamburger saw the field in every game for Tennessee in 2019, making 12 starts and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the team’s highest-graded returning player in 2020. In fact, the website had Shamburger rated as college football’s No. 1 nickelback heading into the 2020 college football season.
However, despite his impact on the field last season, Shamburger’s focus has shifted from the field to academics, according to Pruitt.
“Shawn is working on academics,” Pruitt said on Monday. “This has been a very unusual, really circumstance, this whole deal. You try to do school from home, not being in person. Again, when you talk about tutors and things like that. One of the things he’s going to focus on is academics the rest of the semester.”
Pruitt was then asked if Shamburger would be back with the team this season.
“No,” the Tennessee coach answered.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
