The Cardinal Countdown: 99 Days Until Kickoff

#99 Dezmond Tell

Class: Freshman

Ht/Wt: 6-1/266

Position: Defensive Line

Hometown: Stockbridge, GA

Twitter: @Dtell_

Thoughts: Before we get too deep into the countdown this year y’all are gonna have to bear with me on a couple things. First of all, because last season was a wash in terms of eligibility some of these guys, like Tell, who were around last year and even played more than the allowable four games in a typical season, are….still freshman (My brain already hurts one day in). So if I jack it up or make a mistake show grace, or call me an idiot, we’ve been through enough together the last ten years I’m cool with either. Secondly, as I noted at the end of last year, many of the statistics and notable achievements aren’t going to stack up year over year due to the shortened season and limited non-conference slate, so if I’m praising a guy for something that seems less than stellar in a typical season, keep that in the back of your dome. Let’s roll.

Last year, Tell was a pleasant surprise for me. I knew he would get some live reps because “why not” but I didn’t anticipate him getting into over 50% of the games last season (6) nor did I see him becoming the first true freshman to get a start in the Satterfield era. Tell suited up as a starter against Georgia Tech with a few bodies out of the lineup and did a bang up job at nose replacing Goldwire in the middle. In one of the more underappreciated positions on the field, Dezmond played nearly flawless with Coach Brown ‘Tell’ing the media later in the week that he only missed one assignment all game. So how does an impressive freshman season translate to his role in 2021? Well, with a departed Jared Goldwire all signs point to Dezmond being the penciled in starter week one against the fighting Lane Kifffin’s. In a dream scenario I’d love to see Tell add 10lb or so this offseason to help fill those A gaps but with a shorter frame I do worry about mobility. Dez wasn’t one of the most heralded recruits last year but Coach Ivey did a great job connecting with Dez early on and he could be a big boost in a spot they need to fill from last season. Dezmond looking to make some noise up front early, you better go on and ‘Tell’ somebody (come for the football, stick around for the bad puns).

Sweet Tweet:

Dez starting it off hot….you heard it here first. 2021 gonna be a movie! (lets just hope it’s not a horror flick)