Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols who were or are walk-ons for 2022
839. Pick Analysis. Offensive lineman. 1. player. Scouting Report. Junior. Dayne Davis
6’7″ 325 pounds
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Welcome to the one player on this list who was once a walk-on and has a realistic chance to start for Tennessee football on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. Dayne Davis was awarded a scholarship at the end of the 2020 season after walking on out of Sullivan East High School in Bluff City, Tenn., back in 2019.
Then came spring ball in 2020, and Davis shockingly stood out at tackle. With Darnell Wright having to move over to left tackle, forcing Cade Mays to move from guard to right tackle, given the departures of Wanya Morris and Jahmir Johnson, depth was thin. Davis took advantage and became the backup right tackle who was in the rotation.
Add in the injuries that forced Josh Heupel, Alex Golesh and Glen Elarbee to reshuffle the line at times, and Davis found himself appearing in every game with two starts. He ended up playing 329 snaps, and although he had the second-lowest PFF regular season grade of all UT offensive linemen who played at least 100 snaps, that was a huge achievement.
Next. Projecting Vols' two-deep depth chart for 2022. dark
Now, with Mays gone, Davis could be in line to start at right tackle for Tennessee football this year. The competition was fierce in the spring, and that will likely continue in August. Either way, he’s guaranteed to remain a rotational player if he stays healthy, so he tops this list.