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Tennessee football: 10 players Vols can least afford to lose for 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) and teammates return to the locker room after warming up for the NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, October 9, 2021.Utvsc1007
Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) and teammates return to the locker room after warming up for the NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, October 9, 2021.Utvsc1007 /
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Tennessee’s Omari Thomas (21) drills during Tennessee football’s third practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.Kns Tennessee Football Third Practice
Tennessee’s Omari Thomas (21) drills during Tennessee football’s third practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.Kns Tennessee Football Third Practice /

Defensive lineman. 839. Pick Analysis. Junior. Omari Thomas. 5. player. Scouting Report

6’4″ 320 pounds

There is a lot of depth at defensive tackle this year, including Elijah Simmons, Da’Jon Terry and LaTrell Bumphus, all returning contributors. A healthy Kurott Garland should help as well, and Tennessee football added new talent on the line with elite players like Tyre West in the middle and Austin Lewis, a transfer, more on the end.

However, there’s no escaping the fact that the Vols lost Matthew Butler, their best defensive tackle and one of their best players, to the pros this past year. They also lost two hybrid defensive linemen who often played the other spot at end in Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely. As a result, starting experience in this system is thin.

Only Omari Thomas has significant experience, and he’s likely to play a larger role this year. Thomas became the starter with Butler in the middle down the stretch of last year. He finished the season with five tackles for a loss, a sack, four pass deflections, four forced fumbles and 18 total tackles, 10 of which were solo.

Going by that line, Thomas can help with the pass defense by knocking down balls, and he can change the game dramatically as a guy who forces multiple fumbles. Whether or not that can happen again remains to be seen, but his value will make him tough to replace if he goes down.

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