Tennessee football players report to campus today before opening up fall practice Wednesday morning. The Vols are just over a month away from their season opener against Virginia but questions remain for Tennessee as they open up fall camp.
There’s position battles, newcomers and talented underclassmen looking to take the next step forward. The media won’t get to see much at practice but the coaches could divulge details during media availabilities.
Here’s four storylines to watch for as Tennessee opens up fall camp.
Offensive Tackle Competition
Tennessee lost a number of important players to the NFL this offseason. Hendon Hooker will be the hardest to replace due to his elite play and the importance of the quarterback position, but right tackle Darnell Wright is a close second.
Wright’s dominance and Hooker’s elusiveness masked any shortcomings Tennessee had in pass protection.
Gerald Mincey and Jeremiah Crawford split starting time at left tackle and both are back this season. However, neither were dominant enough to make themselves definitive starters this season.
The Vols added super senior and Miami starter John Campbell in the transfer portal and junior college offensive tackle Larry Johnson III and Dayne Davis is also back for another season after playing sparingly in Heupel’s first two seasons.
There’s five players in the competition but this one is poised to come down to Mincey, Crawford and Campbell. Consistency will be the key in this competition. It’s one of the biggest questions Tennessee is facing entering this season.
The Vols are hoping two guys solidify themselves as their best options ahead of the season opener.
Does Anyone Separate At Defensive Back?
The good news: Tennessee returns an abundance of defensive backs who played meaningful snaps last season. The bad news: Tennessee’s defensive back play wasn’t very good last season.
The Vols are hoping with an offseason of improvement their secondary play takes a step forward. Doneiko Slaughter and Kamal Hadden both flashed at corner at times last season. Wesley Walker played very well at safety in the Orange Bowl. Tamarion McDonald started for the first time in his career at STAR last season. Christian Charles is back at safety where he flashed as a freshman before moving to corner out of necessity a season ago.
So there’s reason to believe Tennessee could make meaningful improvement. Even some of the other defensive backs who didn’t flash last season but earned opportunities could take a step forward.
There’s also three meaningful newcomers at corner: BYU transfer Gabe Jeudy-Lally and freshmen Rickey Gibson II and Jordan Matthews. Maybe one of those three becomes a day one difference maker.
Tennessee has no shortage of options in the secondary, can a select few separate themselves? That didn’t happen last year. The Vols are looking to change that this fall camp.
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Do Any Underclassmen Defenders Emerge?
Tennessee has recruited well defensively the last two cycles, but it still feels like the Vols may be a year away from taking the major jump defensively that would allow them to compete for championships.
But if some of those talented newcomers are more advanced and can carve out a major role this season, the Vols’ defense could overachieve.
On the defensive front, sophomores Josh Josephs and James Pearce Jr. along with freshman Caleb Herring could propel the Vols’ pass rush to a new level. Tennessee needs Tyre West to take a step forward in the interior of the defensive line (more on that in a bit).
At linebacker, sophomore Elijah Herring flashed a season ago and freshman Arion Carter was impressive in the spring. They’ll provide more depth at a minimum but could become impact players.
Then Gibson and Matthews are at corner and could earn early playing time with a strong camp.
Building Defensive Tackle Depth
Tennessee’s interior defensive line depth isn’t in a bad spot but Da’Jon Terry transferring to Oklahoma in June does make the Vols a little thinner at defensive tackle than they’d prefer.
Omari Thomas, Elijah Simmons, Kurrott Garland and Bryson Eason are strong proven contributors but the Vols will need another waive of players to emerge.
West and Arizona State transfer Omarr Norman-Lott are the most likely to step up and become reliable rotation players. Highly touted freshmen Daevin Hobbs and Tyree Weathersby aren’t likely to come in and star but either being able to give Tennessee snaps in big games would be a win.
It’s not the most pressing issue or biggest fall camp battle, but building defensive tackle depth is important for Tennessee this August.
