Dillon Bates, LB
Dillon Bates joined the Vols as a highly-rated four-star prospect out of high school in UT’s 2014 signing class. As the son of former Vol great Bill Bates, Dillon had a lot of expectations on him when he got to Tennessee.
Unfortunately for him, though, he never lived up to those expectations.
After suffering a season-ending torn labrum in his freshman year, Bates was granted a medical redshirt and ended up appearing in all 13 games in both 2015 and 2016 as a special teams player and a reserve linebacker. He appeared in 10 games in 2017, and he’s thus far played in two games in his fifth and final season with Tennessee.
In 42 total appearances, Bates has made 16 tackles and recovered two fumbles.
