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

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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While Nathan Niehaus and Jahmir Johnson are in a fight at offensive guard, Ryan Johnson wouldn’t seem to be so high on this list since there are more options for him. After all, he started 12 games last year for Tennessee football, and 11 of them were at center. So he became one of the most important players for Rocky Top.

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However, by playing center, he may have the most pressure to have a good spring. Johnson won the role because of a season-ending injury to Brandon Kennedy in their opening loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers.

That ended up being very costly for the Vols. Johnson was able to be effective, but there’s no denying that he was as much a part of the horrifically bad play up front as everybody else. Since Kennedy came from the Alabama Crimson Tide, you know Jeremy Pruitt likes him.

On top of that, Kennedy doesn’t have to perform at peak level this spring. The coaches will spend that time trying to get him back into football shape. Then, when the fall comes, he’s going to get the first look at the position.

As a result, Johnson needs to spend all spring trying to separate himself from Kennedy as much as possible. He’s probably in a better position than the other linemen we’ve named so far, but to hold onto a role he earned, he’s got a ton of work to do. That’s why we have him so high up on here.

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