All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football’s five options to replace Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Ja'Quain Blakely (48) before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2021 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Ja'Quain Blakely (48) before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2021 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Sophomore defensive lineman Austin Lewis (44) walks on the field as the New Mexico State University Aggies face off against the Liberty University Flames at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019.Nmsu Liberty Football 5
Sophomore defensive lineman Austin Lewis (44) walks on the field as the New Mexico State University Aggies face off against the Liberty University Flames at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019.Nmsu Liberty Football 5 /

Redshirt senior. 6'6 270 lbs. 2. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 839. Austin Lewis

The one transfer on here, Austin Lewis brings experience playing with the Liberty Flames and ETSU Bucs to Tennessee football.

Josh Heupel secured Caleb Tremblay as a transfer from the USC Trojans last year so he would have somebody to create a rotation with Ja’Quain Blakely up front. Well, with Tremblay and Blakely both gone, he once again went the transfer route. Almost all of Tennessee football’s incoming transfers are to address a specific need, and Austin Lewis is no different.

Lewis is the only player with FBS starting experience who has the frame to fill the void left by Blakely and Tremblay. Before transferring to the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, he was a starter with Liberty. In 2018 and 2019, he combined for 13 tackles for a loss, six sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 58 total tackles, 29 of which were solo.

However, his playing time decreased significantly in 2020, and then he transferred to ETSU. While there, though, he was only able to play four games due to injury. That does generate some concern with his transfer to the Vols along with him coming from FCS play.

Assuming he is healthy and fully ready to go, though, he should be able to do what Tremblay was able to do last year and immediately step in and make an impact. With two departures, the top two guys on this list are likely to both play, and Lewis is one of them.

Home/Vols Football