Tennessee began preseason camp with a clear timeline concerning the development of its offensive line. The Vols openly said they wanted to know who their starters were up front by the second scrimmage, which occurred on Sunday.

Mission accomplished. Sort of.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel confirmed the original plans were falling into place for the Vols. Darnell Wright, who started all 13 games last season at left tackle, will remain at right tackle, where he played previously in his career.

That’s a good sign for the Vols, who must be happy with what is happening at left tackle. That competition is between senior Jeremiah Crawford and sophomore Gerald Mincey. Heupel didn’t commit to who the first-team left tackle would be following Tennessee’s scrimmage on Sunday.

Heupel said both players have made significant improvement in pass protection. He also added that both players will play in the season opener against Ball State on Sept. 1. That would make one think that neither has truly excelled to dictate complete ownership of the position. However, it’s also possible that both are playing so well that there is still a debate as to who the better player is.

“We’ll continue to evaluate that,” Heupel said. 

Heupel’s review on the first-team offensive line was somewhat mixed on Sunday.

“The one offensive line did a really good job of creating movement,” Heupel said. “Third and shorts, goal line situations, there were some real positive things there too. There were a few sacks.”

The sacks are obviously a concern, as Tennessee allowed more sacks than any team in the SEC last season. Heupel said he’s unsure if the Vols were simply beaten by Tennessee’s defenders or there were communication issues. Heupel said he’d need to evaluate the practice video to determine what allowed the Vols’ defense to get in the backfield.

Tennessee’s success on defense could have been due to just being good at rushing the passer, which is expected to be a team strength this season.

The Vols area also hoping to rebuild a secondary that finished last in the SEC in pass defense in 2021. The Vols have enlisted a number of freshmen and transfers in hopes of bolstering the backend of their defense.

When asked about cornerbacks, Heupel said, “Overall, they’ve done a better job of 50-50 balls down the football field, being calm and not panicking, playing the football and the wide receiver.”

The real McCoy

Heupel said receiver Bru McCoy continues to improve throughout camp. Heupel said the former Southern California player, who transferred after last season, made some plays in Sunday’s scrimmage. However, Heupel said there was still no update from the NCAA on McCoy’s eligibility.

Heupel pointed out Jimmy Calloway and Squirrell White as two receivers that are having good camps and need to continue to do so. That would especially be the case if McCoy is not deemed eligible.

Beefed up ‘Backers

Tennessee certainly has more depth at linebacker than they had last season. The Vols are also more experienced at the position, which is led by play-maker Jeremy Banks.

“I think they have a better understanding of what we’re doing defensively,” Heupel said. “We’ve been better in our gap fits in this last four-day block.”

Heupel said he was pleased with the defense as a whole and pointed out the linebackers’ open-field tackling as a recent strength.

Practice Report

Overall, Heupel seemed very pleased and almost jovial following Sunday’s scrimmage. 

“I thought we played cleaner on both sides of the football and executed,” Heupel said.

Elijah Simmons has been sidelined by an unspecified injury. Heupel called it a “freak deal” for the junior defensive tackle.

“Don’t think it’s a long-term injury for him that will inhibit him anyway as we get to the season, but have to get him back full,” Heupel said.

Simmons is a valuable player for the Vols. He is widely considered one of the best raw athletes on the team.