Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt addresses media as the Vols near the midway point of preseason practice.
Posted by Tennessee Vols Update on Wednesday, August 15, 2018
KNOXVILLE - Tennessee sophomore offensive lineman Trey Smith went through drills at left tackle early in practice Wednesday as he nears a return to full contact after an offseason spent receiving treatment for blood clots in his lungs.
Smith is scheduled to return to full-contact work within the next week, but the position he slides into may still depend on how the line performs in the final few practices before Smith fully rejoins the unit.
Head coach Jeremy Pruitt said Wednesday of the offensive line, "We're nowhere near where we need to be."
"I think some of that is probably because we moved guys around, which we've got to do," Pruitt explained. "Same way in the secondary. You've got to move guys around to create depth."
The Volunteers' coaching staff plans to place Smith in the position of greatest need on the offensive line before the season opener against West Virginia on Sept. 1 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
If he sticks at left tackle, Smith could provide a boost in pass protection. Speaking after the team's first scrimmage at Neyland Stadium on Sunday, Pruitt said, "We need to do a better job of protecting the quarterback, and the quarterback has to do a better job of getting the ball out of his hand."
Sliding Smith in at left tackle would likely push redshirt junior Drew Richmond into the competition at right tackle, the position at which redshirt sophomore Marcus Tatum has been spotted frequently during preseason practices. Redshirt junior Chance Hall is also returning from injury and could be a candidate for playing time at right tackle.
After months away from contact football, sliding straight in at left tackle two weeks before a season opener against a Power Five opponent could be a tall order, even for a player as talented as Smith.
His versatility gives Tennessee options, though.
Smith played four positions on the offensive line while starting all 12 games as a true freshman in 2017. Coaches could ease him back in at guard if they feel confident enough facing West Virginia with Richmond and Tatum as the offensive tackles.
Elsewhere on the offensive line, redshirt junior Brandon Kennedy appears to be the top candidate to play center, while sophomores Ryan Johnson and Riley Locklear appear to be strong candidates for playing time at the guard positions.
"I think the closer you get, you start figuring out who the top seven or eight or maybe eight or nine guys are," Pruitt said. "You kind of create a little bit more of a unit that you can play together. You may have a guy that's playing center one day, and the next day he plays left guard, the next day he might play right tackle.
"But you need to do that to build depth on the offensive line."
One objective for the offensive line entering Saturday's second scrimmage of the preseason is to improve at "finishing" blocks, Pruitt said.
"There's too many guys looking around watching the runner run," he said.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.