Through the first two days of fall camp for Tennessee Football, Josh Heupel has sent out a wave of freshmen to talk to the media. If you look at his approach, he has trotted out players at positions where he needs help or potential stars.
Jordan Ross is a potential star at edge rusher. Peyton Lewis is because he is desperate for a starting running back. We knew all that. However, having two true freshman offensive linemen talk to the media in the first two days makes one thing very clear: Heupel is looking for more depth there.
It started on the first day of fall camp, when Tennessee Football sent out Jeremias Heard. Initially a defensive lineman who committed to the Vols, Heard, who stands at 6’8″ 320 pounds, switched over to the offensive line. He said it was to help the team, but that’s code for they weren’t deep enough there.
“I am feeling great, and the coaches have told me I have made progress,” Heard said at Wednesday’s media session. “I know I have, but it’s good to hear from the coaches, especially switching over from defense to offense.”
One day later, Heupel sent out Bennett Warren. The Vols had four offensive line commitments in the 2024 class, two of whom are already more polished coming from Texas in Warren and Max Anderson. Heupel sent out Warren for a reason: He expects him to contribute.
Warren was easily the most prepared for Heupel’s system as a freshman offensive lineman, as his high school, Fort Bend Christian Academy in Sugar Land, Texas, also ran up-tempo. Still, the Houston-area 6’7″ 342-pound lineman has had to adjust to the insane speed of Heupel’s offense.
“I would say it has helped with my cardio over time,” Warren said of his high school play preparing him for the Vols. “So, I would say just being there for four years (and) doing a lot of running and moving around, it definitely wasn’t such a toll on my body in the transition.”
Fear of no depth on this line is natural. Heupel really only has two proven starters, Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins at center and right guard. John Campbell Jr. is proven too, but he is flipping from left tackle to right tackle. LSU Tigers transfer Lance Heard brings all the hype at left tackle now.
Andrej Karic is the favorite to land the left guard spot, but he was below average last year. Jackson Lampley and Dayne Davis are the only backups with any experience. Taking all this into account, there are tons of questions, which is why Heupel is doing what he’s doing.
It’s still early, and maybe things will change, but for now, Heupel’s message is clear. He needs somebody to step up on the offensive line for Tennessee Football, and he’s trotting out freshmen to speak to the media to drive that message home.
