As good as Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was last season, he was far from perfect. There were still some passes that sailed off target that Hooker and the Vols would love to have back.

It’s hard to knock Hooker’s accuracy given that his 68-percent completion percentage was second best in the SEC last season. Still, for those that watched the games, there were some wide-open opportunities that were missed as the Vols found their way under first-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

Should we really believe that Hooker was asked to throw from a perfect pocket each and every time he dropped back to throw? That’s pretty doubtful considering the Vols were beginning the Heupel-offense era from scratch and the Vols ended the season last in the SEC in sacks allowed.

Ask any quarterback who has ever played a down of football and he’ll be quick to tell you that an unsure pocket will lead to inaccurate throws. That’s what happened to Hooker sporadically last season. It shouldn’t in 2022.

In one season, the Vols have gone from an inexperienced offensive line to one that has depth, which will help them overcome any injury issues that they had last season. At least that’s the plan.

The Vols return four-of-five starters on the offensive line from last season. They might not all be playing the same positions in 2022. However, they aren’t as green as Shields-Watkins Field on opening day.

“Progressing fast, this time last year, it’s night and day,” redshirt-junior Dayne Davis said. “Getting more guys in the room up there, getting in the playbook more, knowing their stuff.”

Davis isn’t stupid. Neither are his teammates. He knows that teams will have an answer – or at least try to have one – for Heupel’s offense in his second year in the SEC.

“Defense is going to change right before the snap,” Davis said. “Knowing the inside and out of that playbook. I just feel like our O-line group is really tight. I think we’re with each other. Sometimes we battle back and forth but competition is good for the room, and we’ve got a lot of that right now.”

Said junior Javontez Spraggins, “Once you get used to something, it becomes natural to you. Since last year, the offense has been fast. It’s been fast this year. It’s always going to be fast. We have figured it out, and now we have to run with it. Play ball now.”

Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee knows what he’s tasked with. Protecting a Heisman Trophy candidate carries some pressure with it.

“If you make a silly mistake, that can’t be us—can’t be what we’re about,” Elarbee said on Thursday. “They all know better, man. They get in the meeting room (and) it sounds like a freaking chorus or something, like the answers of the questions and everybody saying the same word.”

They’d better.

Deep dive

In addition to having four returning starters, the Vols have others that are ready – or close to ready – to play as soon as the season starts. Addison Nichols, a former four-star prospect, and Brian Grant, a former three-star prospect enrolled in January so they should be ahead of the curve compared to the freshmen who arrived in the summer.

The Vols will have Friday off and don the shoulder pads once again on Saturday. Tennessee would like to have a strong notion of what players will be playing where on the offensive line by the middle of the month.

“Typically, you hope that you have a direction after the first scrimmage, and then you kind of solidify after the second scrimmage,” Elarbee said. ” Some years, you’re fortunate that it happens before then if there are a bunch of returning guys. Hopefully by the first scrimmage, you have an idea, and then for sure by the second scrimmage, you probably need to know and give those guys a chance to play as many snaps together as they can.” 

That first scrimmage will be held on Tuesday. The Vols have Friday off and will return to practice on Saturday.

Darnell Wright will likely be the first domino to fall as Tennessee determines its starting five offensive linemen. Wright started every game last season for the Vols at left tackle last season. Now, Wright, who some have projected as a first-round draft pick has been asked and is willing to move to right tackle where he played extensively in 2020.

Elarbee said there’s not much difference between playing right or left tackle in Tennessee’s scheme. We’ll see. Nevertheless, left tackle is the more coveted position. Wright’s willingness to change sides hasn’t been taken for granted. In fact, he may not start the season at right tackle even though that seems to be the plan currently.

“No, I’m not at all set with Darnell on the right,” Elarbee said. “I think you have to find who the best tackles are and where we can go have the best chance to win. As far as him playing right, it’s as unselfish and team-oriented as anything can possibly be. We had a talk after the season and felt like, to give us a chance, he needed to take some reps at right and see if he’d be able to do that to help guys who had only played left.

“Without skipping a beat, it wasn’t even like a blink of an eye. He was like, ‘Man, whatever helps us win and helps us be the best.’ I think that’s part of his maturation process. That’s part of him just getting a little bit older and more mature. He’s just a team guy. He talks in the meeting room. He’s taking notes and he’s fun to be around. He had a great day yesterday (Wednesday). He was probably the highlight of yesterday, and I’m hoping it looks just as good today.” 

Offensive Line Coach Glen Elarbee

On the opening days of practice…

“They’re all doing well and competing. It was the first day of pads yesterday. I thought they all, including those three, kind of melted a little bit with the heat. They came back today, were flying around and doing well. To say who’s where or what, I couldn’t do that for you if that’s where this sucker’s heading, but they’re competing really, really well.” 

On the progression of Addison Nichols from the spring to fall camp… 
“I think all of the freshmen are a lot different—him for sure. I think the game has slowed down a lot for him. When he makes a mistake, he already knows it versus having to go into the film room, watch it and talk about it. It’s instantaneous. ‘Man, I should have called this or I should have done this.’ Now, the challenge for him is he’s taking a few reps with two’s and starting to move and take some reps at different positions. Handling all of that mentally and the physical part of starting to go against better bodies, the technique has to be a little cleaner. The play has to be a little faster. He’s done a great job. It’s a lot on a freshman.” 

On where he is currently playing Nichols on the offensive line… 
“He took reps everywhere during the summer. In fall camp, it’s been center and guard mainly.” 

On the overall progression of the offensive line and its confidence… 
“100 percent. Now, the questions in the meeting room are so much different. They see the whole picture. They understand the whole scheme. They can correct one another. They can help young guys. They can be out there, and the defense puts something crazy in for install and on the fly, they’re putting bodies on bodies and doing it really fast. The technique that goes with the play starts to clean up because they know what they’re doing and they’re not having to think as much. It’s just all of those things that happen in the second year. I think two, J.C. (Jeremiah Crawford), Coop (Cooper Mays) and even Spragg (Jacontez Spraggins) and Dayne (Davis) are being super vocal. If something’s not the right way, they’re getting it fixed and are just a fun bunch to be around.” 

On freshman Masai Reddick and junior college transfer Savion Herring… 
“I think they are both adjusting to the speed of the game right now. Not just the tempo piece of it, it’s just so much faster than what high school and junior college is. They’re both absolutely trying to learn as much as they possibly can all summer through this point. It just takes a little bit of time. I think they’re both doing really, really well for (having) the least amount of experience in the room. Savion is not there right this second, but he’s grinding at it. Both of them, ss long as they keep on the path where day one was this, and then day two was this, and then day three and day four, and they keep slowly building, they’ll be fine by the time we get where we need to be. You can’t hit that lull. I think that’s the toughest part sometimes your first time in college camp: in the middle of it, how you hit that wall and you’re done. They’ve just got to keep grinding.” 

On how differently he coaches the returning starters… 
“100 percent, yeah. Especially, if you make a silly mistake, that can’t be us—can’t be who we’re about. They all know better, man. They get in the meeting room it sounds like a freaking chorus or something, like the answers of the questions and everybody saying the same word. The accountability, and if something isn’t right, it definitely pisses you off a whole heck of a lot more.” 

On what he looks for in a center… 
“Intelligence has to be up there, just because you’re making decisions so fast. You’re the coach out on the field, because you have to change it on third downs and get us right, and there’s so much involved with that. Obviously, you have to just be unbelievably tough. I think that’s kind of got to be the cornerstone of the offensive line. That guy better be the toughest son of a gun on the field. And then the athletic ability, because we do pull that guy. And then, obviously, as much girth, width, anchor ability as you can possibly get.” 
 
On the offensive line getting more physical… 
“The weight program was different, the way they had to push and strain. Even going against each other during the summer in drills, they were just different. So, it’ll be exciting. Third down’s really kind of around the corner here, third and shorts. We’ll find out. It’s great news, you always do.” 
 
 On Spraggins… 
“Man, I think his biggest improvement has been protection for sure. He’s always been just a freaking grinder in the run game, but his eyes, knowing where he’s supposed to be, who the ID is, staying in a pass-pro position, not getting out over his toes, and using his hands. Pass protection for sure has been night and day different from last year. He’s put in a lot of time and work to get to that point.” 
 
On if he prefers rotating guys or not… 
“Any time you have depth and you feel comfortable, I mean, it’s awesome. Give guys a breather once or twice a half, let somebody take 20 or 30 snaps a game, maybe even more, or split it, definitely helps. Looking forward to staying healthy and having that ability.” 
 
On Wright’s improvement from a year ago… 
“I think Darnell’s just growing each day. Just so proud of him. The way he practiced yesterday was just unbelievably physical, the questions that he asked in the meeting room, the attention—you can just see him trying to be different in the way that he focuses, and even things he’s trying to work technique wise. Just not, like on our case, that if we’re not helping him get to a point, man, he wants to get there. He wants extra drill work, he wants extra reps, he wants to work. I think that’s something, I’m not sure, he probably did a little last year, but it’s so pronounced this year. He’s just such an improved player, and I’m just excited for him. I hope he keeps it up and just has a phenomenal year.” 

Junior OL Cooper Mays

On what makes a good center

“It kind of depends on your body type and everything, but for me, I like to use my intelligence and athleticism a lot. I think that’s kind of what wins me a lot of my battles. I think if you can get as strong as you can get and then win with your mental game if you’re a smaller guy like me, you’ll be fine.”
 
On how it feels this fall camp to be competing while healthy…
“I think the biggest thing for that is, like I said, in the summer you have to work really hard to build your body up. That will kind of take care of it. It’s been amazing these first few days, honestly. You feel really fresh and springy. You see how it goes in camp and you kind of get camp legs. I’m just trying to stay where I’m at. It’s been a great four days.”
 
On what he learned about himself last season…
“I was helped a lot by the thing on my shirt: VOLeaders Academy. They kind of preached something that I took with me and it’s about servant leadership. They talked about something called ‘leading from the bench.’ Whether you’re the star player, the worst player, in the middle or hurt, it doesn’t really matter where you are. You can always make a difference no matter where you’re at. I think finding my role being in the back more as a teacher and helping out my teammates who were able to play, it was cool to find my spot there.”

RS-Junior OL Dayne Davis

On where the offensive line is at…
“Progressing fast. This time last year, it’s night and day, getting more guys in the room up there, getting in the playbook more, knowing their stuff. That way, ball, snap, quick got to know what you’re doing. Defense is going to change right before the snap. Knowing the inside and out of that playbook. I just feel like our O-line group is really tight. I think we’re with each other. Sometimes we battle back and forth but competition is good for the room, and we’ve got a lot of that right now.”
 
On his confidence in offensive line group as a whole…
“Confidence level is huge. You can tell that by, last year I feel like it was older guys and everybody –  young guys obviously – everybody in the room was having to learn the playbook. It was whoever knew something told the other people. We knew different spots of the playbook. Now these veteran guys, me, Cooper (Mays), Jerome (Carvin), every time we see something, coach Elarbee is always asking us to speak up in the room. If he misses something on tape, for us to speak up in the room. If he misses something on tape, for us to speak up and say, ‘hey right here, tackles if you see this, do this’. I feel like veteran guys, as we know the playbook, we are able to help those guys so much more than what we were because we are so confident and it in return makes those guys more confident. I’m bumping in to right guard, and I have Brian Grant beside me a lot, so being able to help him in game is a lot better than to help him in front of a fan when you are sitting in a cool room. You can do that really easy, but when you get out on field, explaining to those guys, like being at tackle with Masai Reddick at guard. Being able to teach those guys and show them on the field what you are talking about in the room really helps them transfer from the room to the field, so I feel like it’s been great.”
 
On where the most progress on offensive line will be…
“Finishing, to be honest. Finishing late in the play if you want to get individually about play. I feel like sometimes, myself included, late in the play not finishing for that extra two, three yards. I feel like this year, really making a point to finish on the inside of guys, finish up field with guys, push that extra five, six yards to where we make seven, eight yard plays into 10, 12, 14 yard plays and just keep trucking down the field.” 

Junior OL Javontez Spraggins 

On goals for the offensive line and how they can achieve those goals…
“The only thing the offensive line talked about is winning the Joe Moore award. We strain every day to the end of everything. When you get run offense, it’s because you have offensive linemen down the field straining to the end of the play. All that matters is straining, energy and effort.”
 
On getting used to the system and how fast the offense operates…
“Once you get used to something, it becomes natural to you. Since last year, the offense has been fast. It’s been fast this year. It’s always going to be fast. We have figured it out, and now we have to run with it. Play ball now.”