Glen Elarbee is nearing his fifth football season as Tennessee’s offensive line coach.
It will be his first without Cooper Mays at center, where redshirt freshman William Satterwhite and redshirt sophomore Sam Pendleton are now vying to be that next “quarterback” up front for the Volunteers.
“Coop was unbelievable in what he was able to do mentally and physically,” Elarbee said Tuesday during a news conference that followed Tennessee’s fifth preseason practice. “It’s a big set of shoes to fill, but I really do think that Satt and Sam are competing their butts off. They’re trying to learn every single day, so we’ll be there.”
The Vols will work out again Wednesday before taking Thursday off. They are scheduled to scrimmage for the first time Saturday.
Finding the best five is always the objective for offensive line coaches this time of year, but Elarbee doesn’t want to hold to that number. Tennessee’s tackles seem set with junior Lance Heard (6-foot-6, 330 pounds) on the left side and five-star freshman David Sanders Jr. (6-6, 305) on the right, and Arizona transfer Wendell Moe Jr. (6-2, 330) has been leading the way at left guard since his arrival.
“You always want to rotate if you have the ability,” Elarbee said. “I feel like we have a bunch of guys inside who can do it, and I feel like we’re building depth at tackle.”
Pendleton (6-4, 310), a transfer from Notre Dame, has been competing with Satterwhite (6-3, 305) at center and with redshirt freshman Jesse Perry (6-6, 320) at right guard. Perry signed with the Vols in 2024 as a three-star prospect out of Middle Tennessee Christian in Murfreesboro.
Perry played a season-high 32 snaps in last year’s opener against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and played 20 snaps each versus Kent State and UTEP.
“Jesse does everything right, absolutely everything — his eating habits, his recovery, his film study, coaching other players,” Elarbee said. “Those are the reasons he has put himself in this position. His body has changed so much since he’s been here, and he’s highly intellectual, so he studies the crap out of everything.
“You don’t want to say that anybody’s perfect, but he’s pretty close in terms of doing everything right.”
Perry helped lead Middle Tennessee Christian to the TSSAA Division II-A championship in 2023 as a 270-pounder, which was 50 pounds ago. He came to Tennessee as a tackle and still sees some time there, but he works primarily at guard.
“When you’re 270 as a freshman, you’re like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I can put on that much weight,’ but you’ve just got to trust the nutrition and strength staff with the help they’ll give you,” Perry said Tuesday. “The footwork changes at guard from tackle, and having tight hands is really the most important thing in my opinion. I’ve been working on that all offseason and in camp.
“The competition we have right now is amazing, and I love it. We’ve got a whole bunch of guys competing for two or three spots, and it’s a great atmosphere.”
Also seeking playing time are redshirt freshman tackle Bennett Warren (6-7, 325), who said Tuesday that he’s lost more than 30 pounds since coming to Knoxville, and redshirt sophomore guard Sham Umarov (6-7, 330).
“This group sacrifices for each other, and they are in there for each other,” Elarbee said. “Every single one of them wants to go start, but they also want to help the guy next to them and behind them. I feel like naturally we will have chemistry, and we’ve moved enough positions to where guys are used to communicating with each other.
“We feel like we’re going to be good, but you never know until you get out there.”
Carter’s progress
When Tennessee opened camp last Wednesday, sophomore defensive back Boo Carter was spotted without his helmet while stretching with his teammates and performed individual drills while the rest of the players worked in their respective position groups.
The former Chattanooga Christian and Bradley Central standout, who missed multiple team activities last month, had his helmet back on Saturday during the stretching. On Tuesday, the 5-11, 200-pounder could be seen working with the other defensive backs in both the indoor and outdoor portions of the practice.
Odds and ends
Sophomore receiver Mike Matthews returned to practice Tuesday, but redshirt freshman Braylon Staley was sidelined, continuing to leave the Vols with just five scholarship players at that position group. … Elarbee on Sanders adding more than 35 pounds this year: “The guy has done an incredible job of putting on weight and getting to a place where he can function here in the SEC.” … Tennessee has announced that home games against ETSU, Georgia, UAB and Oklahoma are sold out and that a limited number of tickets remain for matchups with Arkansas, New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. … The UAB game on Sept. 20 will mark Tennessee’s 23rd consecutive home sellout.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.