One of the under the radar storylines for Tennessee football this fall camp is the development of super senior offensive lineman John Campbell who is making the move from left tackle to right tackle this offseason.
Campbell helped bolster Tennessee’s offensive line by not only returning to school for one more season but also by agreeing to move from left to right tackle this season. That allowed the Vols to go out and get one of the top offensive tackles in the transfer portal— LSU Zalance Heard.
Tennessee expects Heard to lock down the left side of the line while Campbell moves to the right side. It’s a big move for the veteran offensive lineman who has spent his entire college career at left tackle. How is the transition going for Campbell?
“Man, really good,” Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee said on Monday. “You can tell he got in a ton of work this offseason when we were on breaks. He’s always sending me videos of him doing work, getting sets, asking for critiques. He is a meticulous note taker. So he’s, in my opinion, looked flawless. Just done a phenomenal job and all that credit is due to him.”
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Campbell started nine games at left tackle for Tennessee last offseason before missing the final three games of the season with a lower body injury. Totaling 538 snaps, Campbell earned a 59.5 PFF grade during the 2023 season— his first in the Volunteer program.
The Miami transfer’s 59.5 PFF grade was the fourth best amongst Tennessee offensive linemen coming in behind Javontez Spraggins, Cooper Mays and Gerald Mincey.
Staying healthy will be a big key for Campbell this coming season. Tennessee’s depth at offensive tackle is lackluster with third tackle Dayne Davis being the only additional offensive tackle with real game experience. Campbell has been banged up in practice in recent days and wasn’t going through drills during the open portions of practice.
The Vols are taking things easy with their multiple veteran offensive linemen who have an abundance of experience. Campbell was dressed out at practice both of the last two days and could have gotten work while the media wasn’t at practice. Things ratchet up to a new level on Wednesday when Tennessee puts full pads on for the first time this fall camp.
