Tennessee football: Transfers further evidence of Vols OL getting better

Two offensive linemen for Tennessee football entered the transfer portal this week. That’s evidence of the Volunteers getting better there.

In 2018, Tennessee football had one of the worst offensive lines in the nation. However, two of the Vols’ starters, Marcus Tatum and Ryan Johnson, were staples for Jeremy Pruitt to build around as he developed that unit.

Tatum was an experienced tackle who just needed to make the transition to a pro-style offense, and Johnson was a guard who moved over to center to help out in Brandon Kennedy’s absence. With Kennedy back, Johnson returned full-time to guard in 2019, and he and Tatum figured to be much better.

This week, both players entered the transfer portal. And believe it or not, that’s evidence of how much better Tennessee football has gotten up front more than anything else. It showed with how much UT improved on the line this year.

Despite Tatum’s reliability and Johnson’s versatility, new recruits and younger players developing were going to limit their playing time next year. Starting with Tatum, Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris are both freshmen, and they have the starting tackle positions locked up for at least the next two years. Both have five-star caliber talent.

Meanwhile, despite not starting, K’Rojhn Calbert became a reliable player there as well, and he was only a sophomore. Jahmir Johnson was only a junior, and he emerged as another rotational guy at tackle. These guys got into the rotation not because of anything Tatum did poorly but because of how much they emerged.

Calbert and Johnson both have the ability to play inside, and we’re going there next. Sure, Trey Smith could leave early. And Kennedy may not get that sixth year of eligibility. But there’s also a chance both come back next year.

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If they don’t, well, Jerome Carvin finally began to figure it out and started the last three games at right guard. As Carvin saw more action, Tennessee football saw more wins. Then there’s Riley Locklear and the potential development of Chris Akporoghene, who is a four-stat freshman.

That makes for a lot of bodies Ryan Johnson would have to compete with next year to remain a starting guard. He’s definitely a talented player, just like Tatum, and both deserve respect. There should be no hard feelings between them.

What this all says, though, is Tennessee football’s offensive line is developing. A big reason for the early season struggles was the youth. That youth should be much better now, and the Vols should have a full rotation ready to go at the start of next year.

When he took the job, Pruitt said that it was no secret the Vols would have to dominate the line of scrimmage. His veteran defensive line did that in 2018, but the offensive line was historically bad. In 2019, both groups had to develop early. They have now begun to blossom.

As a result, the future of the trenches on Rocky Top is bright. Pruitt has done an amazing job building them up, and Tatum and Johnson transferring is nothing on them. It has to do with the emergence of other players up front for Tennessee football. And that’s great news among those in Vol Nation.