Tennessee football: With Chance Hall hurt, Vols have only one proven OT

Tennessee football offensive lineman Chance Hall will miss the 2017 season due to a knee injury. That leaves the Volunteers with only one proven tackle.

It was terrible news for the Vols. Tennessee football junior offensive tackle Chance Hall battled injuries all of last year.

And on Friday, Butch Jones confirmed that he’ll miss the entire season because he needs surgery to repair a knee injury.

If you factor in talent and a proven record of success, Hall was clearly the best offensive tackle going into the year. When he was on the field last year, he was the most productive at the position.

And as a freshman, he worked his way into the starting rotation because of how good he was.

Tennessee football may be deeper on the offensive line, but we noted that the entire unit is up for grabs in our ranking of the Vols’ 10 biggest position battles with fall camp underway.

With Hall’s injury, the Vols are down to one proven offensive tackle: veteran Brett Kendrick.

Kendrick, a senior, is one reliable guy in the rotation after starting all 13 games last year. He definitely provides a veteran presence, likely to be on the right side.

But now, Tennessee football will have to turn to a much less proven guy to line up opposite him. That’s probably the last thing they want when they have two unproven guys competing for the starting quarterback position in Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano.

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Drew Richmond seems to be the most logical choice after starting six games last year. He had a strong finish to the season as a redshirt freshman. However, against complex defensive linemen to start the season, he struggled significantly.

Has he developed since then? If he has the Vols should be in good shape. If not, there could be trouble.

His progression will dictate how great Tennessee football is at tackle this year.

After Richmond, the Vols can only turn to Coleman Thomas as a guy with real experience at the position. Could Thomas move back outside? It’s possible, and that would almost guarantee that Jashon Robertson starts at center.

But after Richmond and Thomas, Tennessee has no proven tackles.

Marcus Tatum saw action in two games last year before he was ready last year because of so many injuries. And he struggled significantly.

Whether or not he’s figured it out remains a mystery.

After him, though, the only other legitimate tackle is Trey Smith, and Jones, Larry Scott and Walt Wells have already made the decision to move him over to guard.

He’s also a true freshman.

So who steps up for Tennessee football at tackle now? Hall’s injury pretty much assures the starter at right tackle will be Brett Kendrick.

And we still expect Drew Richmond to start at left tackle. But he still has something to prove. Meanwhile, everything after him remains a mystery.

David Cobb’s article on Hall’s injury in the Chattanooga Times Free Press notes that the Vols now have six returning players who have experience on the line.

Meanwhile, Jones is looking to run 10 guys on the line in a rotation.

Next: Tennessee football: 10 Vols who should break out in 2017

In terms of bodies, potential and expectations, Tennessee is still deep up front. However, lots of talent is unproven. And that’s what makes Hall’s injury devastating for the team as well as himself.

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Tennessee football: Chance Hall’s injury leaves Vols with only one proven OT

By Caleb Calhoun | Aug 5, 2017

Tennessee football offensive lineman Chance Hall will miss the 2017 season due to a knee injury. That leaves the Volunteers with only one proven tackle.