Javontez Spraggins didn’t go through Senior Day festivities against Vanderbilt. The buzz before the bowl game indicated that Spraggins would return for the 2024 season. A Tennessee spokesperson confirmed to RTI that Spraggins was back on campus and with the football team for the start of the spring semester earlier this week.
Everything indicated that the Vols’ starting right guard was returning for one final collegiate season. He finally confirmed it himself on Thursday afternoon with an Instagram and X post.
Need every crumb…. pic.twitter.com/lotPkHWlvQ
— javontez spraggins (@j_spraggins76) January 25, 2024
Spraggins has started at right guard each of the last three seasons for Tennessee and him returning for his super senior season is a major win for Tennessee’s offensive line.
The East St. Louis, Missouri native is one of the best run blockers in the Southeastern Conference and was a major reason why Tennessee had one of the nation’s best running games a season ago.
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Spraggins was perhaps Tennessee’s best offensive lineman during the 2023 season, starting 11 games while missing the final two games of the season with an injury. An elite run blocker, Spraggins earned a 67.9 PFF grade in 699 plays making him the highest graded Tennessee offensive lineman.
The veteran interior offensive lineman is the final piece of the puzzle for a Tennessee offensive line that is returning three of five starters from the 2023 season. The Vols exited the regular season with the possibility of losing all five of their starting offensive linemen.
Left tackle John Campbell, center Cooper Mays and now Spraggins are all back while left guard Ollie lane is out of eligibility and right tackle Gerald Mincey transferred to Kentucky. The Vols replaced Mincey with highly touted LSU transfer Lance Heard who is expected to start at left tackle while Campbell will slide over to right tackle.
