Tennessee football: 10 bold predictions for Vols 2020 spring practice

9. No freshmen or redshirt freshmen will see action at defensive line.

This past year, Tennessee football had a freshman phenom defensive lineman in Elijah Simmons, who generated a ton of hype due to his size. At 6’2″ 340 pounds out of Memphis, he was the perfect size for a nose guard in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 defensive scheme. However, the depth up front required him to take a redshirt, something that was predictable given what Pruitt has built there.

Well, Simmons is back this year. Joining him, meanwhile, is four-star commitment Dominic Bailey, another defensive lineman who is an early enrollee. Listed at 6’3″ 290 pounds coming out of Baltimore, Bailey is more of a traditional defensive lineman. Four-star Omari Thomas will join them in the fall, but he’s not an early enrollee.

Unfortunately for the other two, there is just no room for significant reps. New defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh will likely give everybody a look, but the Vols are just too loaded at the defensive line position this year for Bailey and Simmons to make any headway. The unit returns everybody from last year, and Emmit Gooden is back from a season-ending injury.

Gooden, Savion Williams, Aubrey Solomon and Darel Middleton, if he sorts out his legal issues, are all seniors at tackle. Ja’Quain Blakely, Matthew Butler and LaTrell Bumphus are senior ends. Greg Emerson, Kingston Harris and Kurrott Garland are all back as redshirt sophomores, and John Mincey is back as a junior end. So Bailey and Simmons, once again, will just have to wait.