Tennessee’s depth on the defensive line was on display when the Vols donned full pads on Wednesday. Depth was not an issue.
The Vols have at least eight experienced defensive linemen and a handful of talented freshmen and transfers to fill any needed gaps. Tennessee can be good with the proven players they have on their defensive line. They can be great if some young players are able to contribute as well.
Freshman Tyree Weathersby is a great example. He redshirted last season due to a lower-body injury after signing with the Vols as a three or four-star prospect, depending on which recruiting service you choose. Whatever the ranking, he’s lived up to the billing.
“Weathersby is a talented young man,” defensive line coach Rodney Garner said after practice on Wednesday. “I think right now, skill wise, he’s inching closer to what he was before he got that injury and had everyone so excited. Right now, he’s probably not playing as fast as he was just because his head’s swimming…He’s feeling his way through, but he does flash, and he does show signs that he’s going to be a really good football player.”
Those “flash” plays where Weathersby makes an impact shouldn’t be a surprise. He was rated as the No. 108 prospect overall in his class by On3. Now, he’s beginning to live up to that ranking.
“I’m 100-percent now, so I am just looking forward to the season and competing in fall camp,” Weathersby said.
Weathersby hasn’t shied away from Garner’s well-known, tough coaching style. In fact, Weathersby has embraced it.
“He’s going to coach you aggressively,” Weatherby said. “You know he’s going to stay on you and make sure. He’s more so about building men, as well. He isn’t just all about coaching (football). He is about building character and all that. Of course, he is hard on you but at the end of the day, I mean that is what we all came here for.”
Weathersby isn’t the only Vol underclassman who is expected to do great things. After healing up from an upper-body injury that hindered him last season, Daevin Hobbs, the four-star defensive tackle prospect from Concord, N.C., is expected to take a step in his improvement this season.
“I think Hobbs is continuing to grow,” Garner said of the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder. “Obviously, he’s a big, long, athletic kid that’s shown toughness. For him to be able to come in and play in this league as much as he did last year inside (at defensive tackle), I was impressed by him doing that because I thought that he was going to be more of a defensive end last year, but because of injuries and all that he didn’t buck it at all. He went in and played the inside and did a decent job for us. I just continue to see his play elevate, and he’s going to be a really good player down the road for us.”
The same could be said for Caleb Herring, who played in 11 games last season but is expected to have much more of an impact this season. Herring has put on a whopping 45 pounds since he arrived on campus. That certainly shows some discipline as he had to to consume 5,000 calories per day to get his weight up.
“Last year I came in around 205 and now I’m up to 250, so yeah, I’ve put on around 45 pounds,” Herring said. “The highest I got up to was around 255. I’m still trying to get adjusted to the weight, but I’ve been feeling good.”
Likewise, the Vols should feel good about their defensive line depth this fall. The Vols will be on full display in just a matter of weeks when they play Chattanooga on Aug. 31. Who knows what Herring might weigh by then.
