Vols Football: Has The Ship Sailed On Dontavius Blair?
By Zach Ragan
When the Vols signed Dontavius Blair (a four-star JuCo transfer) in 2014, everyone (and I do mean everyone) assumed he would be Tennessee’s starting left tackle in 2014 and 2015.
But Blair couldn’t win the job in 2014 (he lost the position battle to walk-on Jacob Gilliam) and he ended up redshirting.
Unfortunately for Blair, it’s not looking much better in 2015.
Vols offensive line coach Don Mahoney had some tough criticism for Blair after Tennessee’s practice on Thursday.
MAHONEY: Blair is not as consistent as he needs to be right now. He needs to focus on working to get better every day.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) April 9, 2015
MAHONEY: Blair has to be technically and fundamentally sound in everything he does.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) April 9, 2015
That’s not what you want to hear from your offensive line coach.
Blair, who has now been in the Vols’ program for a year, doesn’t appear to have what it takes to make an impact in the SEC.
When you sign a JuCo guy, you’re hoping to get someone that can come in and instantly plug a hole.The fact that Blair couldn’t do that last season, set the Vols’ offensive line back — way back.
The Vols now have another talented recruiting class under their belt, which means the competition for playing time is going to be a lot tougher.
Tennessee, with newcomers like Drew Richmond and Jack Jones, in addition to returning part-time starter Brett Kendrick, now have some intriguing options in front of them.
Which makes Dontavius Blair quite expendable at this point.
Judging by Mahoney’s tone, Blair is nowhere close to the starting left tackle job. And unless he makes some significant strides in the next two weeks, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be a factor this fall.
Don’t be surprised if Blair explores other options at the end of spring.
I’m not saying Blair is waving the white flag, but his ship is taking on water quick and there’s no life raft in sight.