Last season, the Tennessee offensive line allowed 35 sacks, putting the Vols at 114th in college football regarding sacks allowed.
This year, Tennessee returns First-Team preseason All-SEC lineman Trey Smith under the first-year coaching staff. The Vols have added several pieces in the offseason, as they attempt to flip the productivity from last season.
So far, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt has liked what he has seen from this unit. Pruitt specifically noted progress after the team’s second scrimmage on Aug. 18.
“To start the scrimmage, I really felt like the offensive line kind of dominated the scrimmage with the ones and the twos, even the threes,” Pruitt said. “I thought they did a good job.”
Smith is a projected first round draft pick by many college football analysts. He was the only lineman on the roster to start all 12 games in 2017, which was his freshman season.
Despite his success in year one, the coaching staff is still looking for Smith to improve and learn the new scheme.
“He (Smith) is only a sophomore,” Pruitt said. “So he’s not played a lot of ball. It’s not like we are talking about a three-year veteran. He will have a lot to learn, and I’m sure he will have to learn a lot on the go.”
Alongside Smith, the Vols added Alabama transfer Brandon Kennedy. The redshirt-junior served as the Crimson Tide’s backup center last season, appearing in three games.
The 6-foot-3-inch Kennedy, who comes in at 301 pounds, has experience playing in environments that none of his teammates have played in.
“I’m just trying to earn my teammates respect daily,” Kennedy said. “I also want to push them because I’m coming from a championship team, so I want to bring that leadership here.”
Jahmir Johnson, a three-star junior college transfer, also joins the mix in the offensive line group. He was a 2017 NJCAA First Team All-American and was named to the All-Western States Football League First Team.
Johnson was named the No. 14 overall junior college prospect, and the No. 2 offensive tackle by 247 Sports.
“Jahmir is a really good competitor,” Pruitt said. “He has good balance, body control and plays for power. He’s not an overly big guy, but he has some power in his body. He can probably play all five spots on the offensive line.”
Chance Hall, who has dealt with several injuries throughout his career, will look to get back on the field for his junior season after missing the 2017 campaign with an injury. Hall was named to the 2015 All-SEC Freshman Team.
Redshirt junior Drew Richmond is another projected starter on the line. He started seven games last season at left tackle. Richmond will be joined by redshirt-sophomore Ryan Johnson, who made four starts last season.
The offensive line will be bolstered by guys such as Jerome Carvin, Riley Locklear and Marcus Tatum.
“You could lose guys at any time, so we are just trying to create depth,” Pruitt said. “Coach (Will) Friend and coach (Tyson) Helton have done a good job with all the players on offense, trying to move guys around to create depth, which is important for us.”
Friend, who served as the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach at Colorado State the last three seasons, is the offensive line coach for the Vols. He’s coached nine offensive lineman who have been picked in the NFL Draft.
“He (Friend) is a great coach, and a great teacher,” Kennedy said. “He makes sure we understand in terms of teaching technique and other things.”
As Tennessee approaches the season-opener with No. 17 West Virginia on Sept. 1, the coaching staff is tasked with finding starters along the offensive line. With so many moving pieces, the Vols’ lineman are simply trying to become a unit that works with each other.
“The offensive line has been working hard all the way through the summer and through training camp,” Ryan Johnson said. “We have really come together as a unit and we have really bonded, and we’re really starting to become a tough and physical offensive line.”
