Tennessee football’s Five most encouraging signs from 2022 spring practice

4. Talent emerged to fill needs at defensive tackle.

There was no doubt that Tennessee football needed to address issues on the defensive line. Matthew Butler, their best lineman, is gone to the NFL, and their two hybrid linemen, Ja’Quain Blakely and Caleb Tremblay, both graduated. Hybrid defensive linemen is a different story that still needs to be addresses.

However, purely at defensive tackle, the Vols seem to have offset their issues. Omari Thomas was a standout spring performer and secured the starting role he was in last year. LaTrell Bumphus came back after dealing with injuries last year, so he should come back as an elite performer. In fact, he could be this year’s Butler when you track his career trajectory.

Then there was Tyre West. The four-star and highly touted member of the Vols’ 2022 recruiting class immediately made his presence known. In the scrimmage open to the public, he was clearly leaping off the screen and dominating, and some estimates were that he came away with five sacks, an impressive accomplishment.

West’s emergence to go along with Butler and Bumphus is a good sign right there when you’re talking about a three-man rotation at defensive tackle. Guys like Kurott Garland are still on the roster, and they still have Da’Jon Terry and Elijah Simmons, so West and Thomas standing out is a huge boost for this unit.