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Tennessee football: 10 Vols 2019 true freshmen most likely to play early

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

It’s no secret that Tennessee football needs immediate help on the offensive line. The unit was historically bad last year after all. Then, to upgrade the talent, Jeremy Pruitt signed a historically great class only to see one of those guys, Melvin McBride, have to retire early due to injury.

McBride joined Chance Hall, a staple on the line the past few years, and Eric Crosby, who had to retire for similar reasons. Then there’s the fact that Trey Smith is still battling blood clots and that Drew Richmond transferred to the USC Trojans.

As a result, offensive linemen are clearly going to be high on this list, and Jackson Lampley is one of those guys. A four-star in-state prospect, Lampley made it into the top five of this list without even being an early enrollee. That’s how desperate Jeremy Pruitt likely is for help here, and unlike defensive line, he didn’t bring in a bunch of junior college guys.

Since he wasn’t an early enrollee, we were only able to put Lampley at No. 5 and not in the top three. However, that doesn’t mean that he can’t make an immediate impact as a true freshman. Pruitt, Jim Chaney and Will Friend are likely to leave the roster wide open for guys on the line to make it into the rotation, and Lampley has as great a chance as anybody.

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