4. Keep the offensive line rotation wide open.
We can talk about the running backs and tight ends not doing their job well when it came to blocking. It’s also fair to say that short-yardage play-calling was too simple. And yes, Jarrett Guarantano not getting rid of the ball quickly opened up for a lot of sacks.
All of these things contributed to a poor rushing attack in 2018. However, you just can’t let the offensive line off the hook. Tennessee football’s line was historically bad for much of the year and by far the biggest issue up front.
Nathaneal Rutherford of Rocky Top Insider had a great piece here back in December detailing just how bad the Vols were on the offensive line. They were horrible all the way around, and there was plenty of data to prove they were bad and show why they were bad.
To be fair, though, the line lost its one veteran for the year in center Brandon Kennedy after the first game. Then the blood clots returned to the best lineman in Trey Smith. And numerous other guys missed all offseason to develop.
Only Smith’s status is in question heading into the offseason. But the Vols already have four commitments on the offensive line, and three of them are four-star on Rivals. They also expect to add a couple more, including five-star Darnell Wright, before National Signing Day.
As a result, help is on the way. And Jim Chaney needs to look to that help. Given how bad things were last year, he’s got to keep the rotation wide open. Everybody should be up for every job on the line when spring ball hits, and the same should be the case for fall camp. That’s a necessity to avoid a repeat of last year.