With the start of fall camp right around the corner, it’s time to look at some picks to prosper at each position.
Over the next couple of weeks leading up to the beginning of practice, we’ll examine each position and spotlight a player who the Vols desperately need to perform well as well as one who could elevate the team if he lives up to expectations.
Think of these as the old Chicago White Sox WGN announcers’ “picks to click.”
Today, we’ll continue our in-depth look at important players on UT’s roster with a concentration on the offensive line. With Don Mahoney gone, there’s a chance the front line may actually be a strength for a change. There’s depth, experience and talent all around. If Walt Wells is half as good a coach as he is recruiter, the Vols have the opportunity to be very good along the front. If that’s the case, the offensive transition in the post-Dobbs era may not be so rocky on Rocky Top.
MUST
DREW RICHMOND, Redshirt Sophomore Offensive Tackle
When it comes to versatility, Tennessee’s offensive line may be as strong as anybody’s in the conference. Hopefully for the Vols, that equates to quality of play rather than only having Swiss army knife players who are capable of playing multiple positions.
None of that matters if you don’t have players who can play multiple positions well, does it?
UT is full of guys who can contribute to many spots along the front. Senior Jashon Robertson has the potential to be an All-SEC guard, and he could even play center to get the five best linemen on the field. Senior Coleman Thomas needs a big rebound year after a junior season that may keep him from a starting gig in 2017. He could play center or tackle, if the situation presented itself. Stud freshman Trey Smith expects to fit in somewhere as a starter right away. Fifth-year senior Brett Kendrick can play a lot of places, but the right tackle spot looks like his.
But the most important player on UT’s line this year isn’t budging from the exterior. That would be Drew Richmond, who the Vols desperately need to become the left tackle of the future (and present) right now.
The 6’5″, 309-pound Memphis native has experienced a topsy-turvy, brief career in Knoxville so far.
As a highly recruited 4-star freshman who flipped from Ole Miss on National Signing Day, Richmond was supposed to save the offensive line right away in 2015. Instead, he was slow to develop, redshirted through an admittedly difficult first year in Knoxville and stuck tight. Then, last year, he again struggled at the beginning of the year before the light came on.
Midway through the year, Richmond started to shine.
He started six games, including solidifying the unit when he moved over to left tackle late in the season. When he moved there the Vols got much, much stronger. Cases in point from his UTSports.com bio:
- Started at LT vs. Nebraska in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, paving the way for 521 yards of offense (230 rushing) without giving up any sacks
- Started at LT at Vanderbilt as Tennessee rolled to 516 yards of total offense
- Started at LT in 63-37 win over Missouri, paving the way for 609 yards of offense and as season-high 386 rushing yards
- Started at LT in 49-36 win vs. Kentucky, helping pave the way for 599 yards of offense and 376 rushing yards (UT’s most in an SEC game since 406 vs. Vanderbilt on Nov. 26, 1994). Vols’ 10.2 yards per play was their most since setting the school record at 10.9 against Kentucky in 2000 and their 9.2 yards per rush was the best mark since 9.5 yards per rush against Auburn on Dec. 4, 2004.
He figures to anchor that side of the line again in ’17. The best news for Richmond and the Vols is that Richmond was really Wells’ pet project, and the man who is now UT’s full-time offensive line coach turned around the talented West Tennessee star’s career.
There are a lot of other guys who want that spot, too, though, according to GoVols247’s Wes Rucker who wrote about Richmond recently:
One of the nation’s most highly prized offensive line prospects in the 2015 cycle, Richmond started turning a corner last season and made the first-team left tackle spot his spot late last in the year. The question now is whether he’ll hold off a bunch of other good options and keep that spot.
Now, if Richmond can emerge as a road-grading left tackle who can protect the blind side of Quinten Dormady or Jarrett Guarantano while continuing to excel in run blocking, the Vols’ offensive line could be very stout. There’s no question that a season ago, the Richmond-Kendrick combination led to UT’s best offensive numbers, and if they take a step forward, the Vols could be very tough to handle up front in 2017.
If Richmond is up-and-down again, there are players such as Trey Smith and Marcus Tatum who are ready to take over. But they’d probably take their lumps on the left side, too. That’s why the Vols need Richmond to shine and hammer down that all-important position.
MIGHT
TREY SMITH, Freshman Offensive Lineman
As noted before, the best-case scenario for the Vols this year would be if the Kendrick-Richmond tackle combination excelled. For one reason, that’s an experienced duo with a lot of SEC work under their belts. Another reason is it could give perhaps the most talented freshman offensive lineman in UT history a chance to ease in a little on the interior where he won’t be on so much of an island.
Yeah, we’re talking about “easing in” Trey Smith as a starter.
That should give you a good idea of how good the Jackson, Tennessee, native is. He’s just too talented not to start. When the Georgia Tech game rolls around, Smith will be starting somewhere.
While his long-term future will probably be at tackle, Smith could give the Vols a massive, hulking specimen on the inside right away. If he’s already all but guaranteed a spot in the front five (it would be a huge surprise if he isn’t) that means it’ll be an all-out war to see who starts at that other interior spot between Jack Jones and Venzell Boulware. If Smith is better than one of those two, that bodes well for UT because those guys are pretty darn good.
Smith is just a next-level player.
There’s a reason why Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Ole Miss and virtually everybody else in the nation wanted the kid who wound up ESPN’s No. 1-ranked high school player. The Vols got him to stay at home, and he should be the anchor to UT’s line of the present and future.
If Smith can be a stud right away, the Vols are going to be dominant up front. At 6’6″, 320 pounds, Smith may look like a tackle — and he’s certainly athletic enough to play there — but combining him with Kendrick, Robertson and Richmond on the line looks like it could be flat-nasty.
Tennessee needs Smith to be a beast. If he is, the offense is going to be STRONG.