Saving $1.2 million moving from Nico Iamaleava to Joey Aguilar opened up the NIL doors for Tennessee Football. The Vols could add a playmaker on offense, more experience on the offensive line, another cornerback and more depth on the defensive line.
Given the NIL market, only three of those seemed possible with their newfound cash…unless they played moneyball. That seems to be exactly what Josh Heupel did by landing Grand Valley State Lakers transfer defensive lineman Josh Schell.
Standing at 6’4″ 290 pounds, Schell had 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and deflected five passes last year. He will have two years of eligibility and can play in the middle or line up on the outside in a four-point stance as the end, common in Tim Banks’ scheme.
It’s a safe bet Schell didn’t command a lot of money to join the Vols. He’s a transfer from a Division II school who had no other Power Five offers. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not a solid pickup. After all, he had scheduled visits with the UCF Knights and the Kentucky Wildcats, and the USC Trojans and SMU Mustangs were increasingly interested.
Last year, the success Tennessee Football had on the defensive line came from depth more than talent. They rotated so many bodies that, if kept close in the fourth quarter, their team would usually have the advantage up front. With the losses of Omarr Norman-Lott and Omari Thomas, that’s not as much the case.
Picking up Schell helps offset that to a degree. Make no mistake, there’s still talent on this roster with Bryson Eason, Tyre West, Jaxson Moi and Dominic Bailey. Adding bodies was crucial, though, and you can bet that with Rodney Garner coaching, Schell will be able to work his way into the rotation.
James Pearce Jr. also technically counts as a loss on the defensive line, but edge rusher is a bit of a different category, and the Vols are loaded there anyway with Joshua Josephs, Jordan Ross and Caleb Herring. On that front, it’s just a matter of offsetting the talent void Pearce left.
In the middle, though, the depth was always the issue. The Vols will likely be able to target one more defensive lineman now that they added one on the cheap, and then they can run the same rotation they were able to run last year. That’s a huge advantage, particularly that they can shoot higher looking elsewhere now. Josh Heupel played this pefectly.
