Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols who were or are walk-ons for 2022
Austin Lewis. 4. Senior. Pick Analysis. Defensive lineman. player. 839. Scouting Report
6’6″ 270 pounds
He was a late transfer to Tennessee football from the ETSU Buccaneers, but Austin Lewis fills a key void the Vols have at defensive tackle. They didn’t just lose three starters up front including their best lineman in Matthew Butler. Two of their departures, Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely, were rotational hybrid defensive tackles.
In that role, they could line up in the middle or on the end, and they are a crucial part of Tim Banks’ system. There are some recruits coming in to fill that void, and Dominic Bailey has that same profile, but nobody on the roster is proven in tat role heading into this year.
Enter Lewis. A product of Jonesborough, Tenn., Lewis was very effective with the Liberty Flames from 2018 to 2020 before he began to battle injuries. He battled those injuiries last year too, only appearing in four games with the Bucs. However, it’s clear he can play at this level, and he has plenty of experience.
A graduate of Davy Crockett High School in Washington County, Tenn., part of the Tri-Cities metro region, Lewis 13 tackles for a loss and six sacks each of the past two full seasons he played, his first two with Liberty. If he can get back to that, he’ll be very effective as a graduate walk-on for the Vols this year, so watch out.