Tennessee football: 10 Vols who did not benefit from 2019 spring practice

Back to the defensive line, Ja’Quain Blakely is the other guy alongside LaTrell Bumphus who was looking to make more noise. However, Blakely is more limited from a position standpoint, so that puts him much higher on the list.

Tennessee football hasn’t found its rotation yet, but the spring was enough to come close to eliminating guys on the defensive line, and Blakely could fall victim to that. At 6’2″ 283 pounds, he was also a guy who would likely only be locked in at defensive end. Matthew Butler seems to have taken over that position this offseason.

As a result, Blakely would either have to bulk up to be able to move over to the middle or find a way to dramatically improve over the summer. He’s going to have a hard time once the incoming junior college transfers arrive getting into the rotation.

To make matters worse, he’s already used his redshirt. So he’s limited on where he can play and how many years he has left, which really sets him back. As a result, he was among the players who lost the most in spring ball. Picking up only one tackle in the Orange and White game didn’t do anything to help him either.