Tennessee football: 10 Vols who need a good spring practice for 2019

It’s very clear that Tennessee football needs a ton of help on the defensive line. That was their best unit last year, as their three best players were Kyle Phillips, Alexis Johnson and Shy Tuttle. All three are gone, leaving this year wide open. Among them, the only proven lineman is defensive tackle Emmit Gooden.

A four-star junior college transfer from last year, Gooden is also a senior. This is it for him, and he needs to prove he can pick up the slack. Having seven and a half tackles and a sack is a good start. But his role is not safe. Jeremy Pruitt scored three defensive linemen on the recruiting trail, and two were four-star recruits while two were junior college transfers. Yes, there was crossover.

Meanwhile, numerous other guys are now in the running on the line, including Greg Emerson, Ja’Quain Blakely, LaTrell Bumphus, Matthew Butler, maybe Aubrey Solomon, John Mincey, Kingston Harris and Kurrott Garland. But only one enters the year with a high level of expectations, and only one is in his final year of college athletics.

So Gooden has a personal stake in this, and to reach his obvious goal, he needs to have a great spring. Without it, he could be in big trouble. Defensive line depth was an issue last year. Better health and recruiting could change that this year, and it’s a threat to Gooden. So he needs to stay ahead of everybody, and that includes having a big spring.