2. Javontez Spraggins, G/C
Overall Rank: 546th
Position Rank: 12th
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 335 lbs
School: East St. Louis (Illinois)
Tennessee signed some stud offensive linemen in their 2019 class, and four-star Cooper Mays headlined the Vols’ offensive line haul in the 2020 cycle. But I think Javontez Spraggins will surprise some people, and he may turn out to be UT’s future starting center.
Spraggins is incredibly strong for a high schooler. He’s already a physical force at the point of attack, and the way he uses his hands is exceptional. If he gets his hands on a defender, they’re going where he wants them to go. He moves and pulls well, too.
When Spraggins camped at UT, he really impressed Tennessee’s coaches both with his physicality and his ability to take snaps. I think his future may be at center, but even if he doesn’t play there, he’ll be a road-grading guard who is capable of plowing through defenders to create huge holes in the run game.
Most of the time, offensive guards aren’t rated very high in recruiting rankings, and I think that’s exemplified perfectly with Spraggins. He’s an absolute mauler of a lineman, and once he polishes up his technique, improves some of his pass blocking, and trims some of his bad weight, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him start for the Vols somewhere along the interior of the line.
