Tennessee football: Five biggest depth chart surprises for 2021 opener
2. Javontez Spraggins starting at offensive guard; Cade Mays at tackle
With Wanya Morris transferring to the Oklahoma Sooners, Jahmir Johnson transferring to the Texas A&M Aggies andBrandon Kennedy and Trey Smith graduating, Tennessee football was obviously going to have to reshuffle its offensive line. K’Rojhn Calbert getting hurt made that even more clear.
More from Vols Football
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
Lots of what happened on the line was still expected. Darnell Wright moving to left tackle, Cooper Mays starting at center and Jerome Carvin taking over at one of the guard spots were all obvious. However, it was expected that the best lineman on the team, Cade Mays, would occupy the other guard spot and Josh Heupel would turn deep to his bench for the other tackle spot.
Whether it’s because nobody emerged enough at tackle or Javontez Spraggins had a surge, though, that’s not going to be the case. Mays has now moved to right tackle, meaning the two five-stars on the roster are occupying the two tackle spots. Spraggins, at 6’3″ 320 pounds, is occupying the right guard spot now, blocking between the two Mays brothers.
10 Vols most likely to receive postseason recognition. light. Related Story
Again, this could be concerning, as it could simply raise questions about the depth at tackle. Even with that, though, Spraggins standing out among all the other guards was still unexpected, so this is doubly shocking, which puts this up here.