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Tennessee football: Ranking position groups in Vols’ 2022 recruiting class with grades

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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(From left) Mark Reddick, Melah Reddick and Regina Riddick, right, were on hand to support Detroit Cass Tech senior Masai Reddick, who committed to play football at Tennessee on Wednesday, Dec.15, 2021, at Cass Tech.Preps
(From left) Mark Reddick, Melah Reddick and Regina Riddick, right, were on hand to support Detroit Cass Tech senior Masai Reddick, who committed to play football at Tennessee on Wednesday, Dec.15, 2021, at Cass Tech.Preps /

4. Offensive line: B

Cade Mays is Tennessee football’s only starter who is leaving. However, he leaves a huge void at right tackle with K’Rojhn Calbert, who could have filled the void, transferring. On top of that, the Vols had a couple of depth issues on the line, so when Josh Heupel, Alex Golesh and Glen Elarbee shuffled it last year, they had some issues.

When you add in the number of sacks the Vols gave up and how often they struggled on short-yardage situation, they needed to add more talent than just somebody to offset Mays. Well, that’s exactly what Heupel did on the trail for his 2022 class.

UT added four offensive linemen in this class. One of them is arguably the most highly touted recruit across the board for the Vols in Addison Nichols, a four-star on every service. Listed as an offensive tackle, Nichols could potentially contend for filling Mays’ void immediately.

Meanwhile, Maurice Clipper Jr. is a four-star on On3, even if he is a three-star everywhere else. Brian Grant and Masai Reddick are three-stars across the board, but they still add plenty of depth and increase Heupel’s chances of finding more options in his rotation. As a result, despite not the highest ratings overall, this unit earns an above average grade.

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