Tennessee football’s top five redshirt freshmen for 2022

Recruited as an offensive lineman, Amari McNeill switched over to defensive line once he arrived on campus and joined Tennessee football.

He was a three-star commitment at offensive tackle for Tennessee football in 2021. However, the Vols clearly needed more help on the defensive line for the future given everybody they were set to lose, so in a shocking move for a program led by an offensive-minded head coach, McNeill switched over to defensive line when he arrived on campus.

Obviously there’s a learning curve, and McNeill didn’t record any stats last year. He took a redshirt and played his first game in November against the South Alabama Jaguars. However, that experience had to be valuable, and it could be enough to help him see action this year.

Remember, the Vols lost Matthew Butler, Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely up front. McNeill’s size makes him a bit of a hybrid between Butler, who is a pure defensive tackle, and Tremblay and Blakely, who are hybrid defensive tackles on their own and can line up at end.

Rodney Garner could really use McNeill where he needs him. The question, though, is if he has developed enough to be able to see any significant level of action this year. Versatility and openings for playing time are two bing things that work in his favor, though. As a result, watch out for what he does.