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Tennessee football: 5 big storylines for Vols heading into 2019 fall camp

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

4. How will the trenches develop?

In 2018, defensive line was the strongest unit for Tennessee football, while offensive line single-handedly may have kept the Vols from winning eight games because it was historically bad. But this does not spell good news for the Vols this year.

After all, the offensive line remains a concern. And the defensive line, which kept it from going 2-10 instead of 5-7, lost all three of its starters from last year. The depth behind Alexis Johnson, Shy Tuttle and Kyle Phillips was highly unproductive as well.

So how do these units develop? On the offensive line, Pruitt did bring in Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator, and he can join Will Friend to provide more help on the line since that’s where his experience is. Also, the unit mostly spent this offseason getting better while they had to spend last offseason getting healthy after many of them were knocked out for the season in 2017.

With less time to spend on conditioning, learning how to practice to stay in shape and picking up the pro-style, the line could have more advantages. Pruitt also had a historically great recruiting class there, and Brandon Kennedy getting healthy could provide some answers.

On the defensive side, Pruitt went the transfer route. He has Emmit Gooden as one proven lineman, but Savion Williams and Darel Middleton were both junior college transfers. Lots of guys also redshirted last year to provide more bodies. So the question is if any of them can step up. A Michigan Wolverines transfer could help, and that also leads to our next slide.

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