Byron Young’s 1st sack of the season showed how much of an impact he can have on Tennessee football in 2022.

It’s not a stat that stands out from the Vols’ win over Pitt. Young was too fast for the left tackle and sacked Nick Patti on 3rd and goal from the 11. The Panthers settled for a field goal rather than tying the score following a 12-play drive.

The preseason 1st-Team All-SEC selection had had a quiet year otherwise before Saturday’s game against No. 25 LSU. He entered Death Valley with just the 1 sack and 9 tackles. Not bad by any means, but not up to his usual standard.

Something clicked for Young against the Tigers. Tennessee’s defensive line was nothing short of dominant, chasing LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels all over the field. Young totaled 2.5 sacks and 5 tackles, leading the defensive front in his best game of the season. It was enough to win the senior edge rusher the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week award.

Young was solely responsible for at least a 6-point swing against the Tigers. He took advantage of a poor call by LSU head coach Brian Kelly and dropped Daniels for a 12-yard loss on 4th down, negating a possible field-goal attempt. The Vols were able to knock a field goal of their own through the uprights a few plays later.

 According to Young, Saturday’s performance was the best of his Tennessee career.

Young’s 3.5 sacks on the season are the 6th most in the SEC and most on Tennessee’s roster. Elijah Herring is 2nd on the Vols with 2.

Young came to Tennessee by way of Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. It’s a story that most Tennessee fans have heard. Young, a manager at a Dollar General at the time, saw a flyer for Georgia Military College football open tryouts. Young made his way to the field, earned a spot on the team and became one of the most dominant players in 2019 JUCO football.

He didn’t play in 2020 due to COVID-19, transferred to Tennessee in 2021 and was hailed as Josh Heupel’s premier pass rusher heading into the 1st game of the season. One small hitch: Young was declared ineligible for playing on a defunct prep school that folded 2 games into the 2017 season. Because his eligibility had technically started then and there, Young had to miss the first 2 games of the season for the Vols.

But now, Byron Young is finally home.

Young had to take it all in following his stellar performance against the Tigers. Tiger Stadium was no longer Purple and Yellow. Instead, the stands were overtaken with Tennessee orange as the clock ticked down on a 27-point top-25 win.

Around then is probably when it set in for him.

“It was amazing,” Young said postgame. “Just on the way up here before the game, somebody sent me a video of their plane ride and the whole fanbase was singing Rocky Top. Just seeing them coming out, the fanbase travel all the way over here, that’s love. It made me feel like I was at home. I love it. I can’t wait to see what they bring next week. I know they’re going to be excited.”

The fans are indeed going to be excited.

Tennessee faces its greatest opportunity to climb back into national relevance in some time. Tennessee football will set off to break a streak 15 years in the making Saturday.

The Vols are capable of beating Alabama for the 1st time in what feels like forever, and Young will be an important part of the effort.

Tennessee is just getting weaker and weaker in its secondary, too. Warren Burrell is out for the season, and Jaylen McCollough’s status is shaky moving forward.

Young and Tennessee’s defensive line have to continue their dominant stretch of putting pressure on the QB. It’s a lot to ask against an Alabama offense featuring Jahmyr Gibbs, a talented offensive line and very likely Bryce Young come Saturday. But that’s what it takes to be considered among the upper echelon of the SEC.

There’s a reason College GameDay picked Knoxville as its Week 7 location. Rocky Top is the place to be this Saturday.