With spring practice just a little more than a month away, Tennessee’s coaches are turning their attention from recruiting to, well, just football.
Like any other team, the Vols have plenty of holes to address after a College Football Playoff run last season. Here are their four most pressing needs.
Center/Interior Offensive Line
Tennessee has to replace All-SEC center Cooper Mays from last year’s offensive line. That won’t be easy. He had an incredible mental grasp of the game that made things much more comfortable for Tennessee’s quarterbacks under his watch. He was also fantastic with leverage inside. Off The Hook Sports has been told freshman William Satterwhite is likely to replace Mays.
The Vols also need more help, especially if senior Andrej Karic can’t get an extra year of eligibility, which seems likely, at left guard. Right guard seems most likely to end up with one of Tennessee’s two transfers, Wendell Moe, Jr. or Sam Pendleton, up front. Ideally, both would be ready to play this fall to help the Vols with their overall depth.
Cornerback Help
This wasn’t supposed to be an issue, but it certainly is now that standout cornerback Jermod McCoy suffered an offseason ACL injury. McCoy is supposed to be back early this season, but that seems a bit optimistic.
Rickey Gibson III is a solid No. 2 cornerback. We’ll see how he plays if he has to pick up more of the slack with McCoy out. Sophomore Kaleb Beasley and senior Jalen McMurray could be options there as well. The Vols might be more confident in their defensive backfield than you think, especially since Tennessee chose not to land a transfer to fill the gap during McCoy’s absence.
Linebacker Depth
I happen to think junior Arion Carter is a budding star. I also think junior Jeremiah Telander can be a solid SEC player. However, the depth behind them is largely unproven. Off The Hook Sports has been told that Edwin Spillman has come along nicely and could be on the verge of being a standout player. He’ll be joined by Caleb Herring and Jordan Burns to provide depth.
Backup QB
Most every team in the country would like more depth at quarterback. Why? Backup quarterbacks love to bolt for other, more open positions with other teams in the transfer portal. Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger will be expected to assume the backup role during spring practice and summer workouts.
