A litany of returning starters and elite newcomers, even in the transfer portal, have really stacked Tennessee football in certain spots for the 2022 season. Where there are openings, we often have a generally good idea of who will fill those voids. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some wildcards on the roster.
In fact, Josh Heupel’s second season could see many wildcards. Our list of 2022 Vols flying under the radar can only have returning players. They can’t be breakout candidates or projected starters, and they have to have played fewer than 100 snaps in the 2021 regular season.
These are specifically players who haven’t hit the scene yet, aren’t guaranteed a starting job and, for the most part, aren’t expected to win any opening starting job this year. The rankings will be based on how legitimate of a shot they have at winning a job. Here are Tennessee football’s top 15 dark-horse players for 2022.
Will any Tennessee football Volunteers players come from out of nowhere and turn into household names this year?
6’6″ 325 pounds
It’s crazy to think about now, but R.J. Perry committed to Jeremy Pruitt as edge rusher. He looked like a guy who would replace Darrell Taylor down the road. However Pruitt and co. switched him over to offensive line to start that season, and he has been working to develop at that position ever since. Changing systems didn’t help.
Still, Perry saw action in seven games last year, mostly on field goals and extra points, and he played 10 snaps at left tackle, including four against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and six against the South Alabama Jaguars. More experience at tackle could help him a lot this year.
Remember, left tackle is the one open spot since Darnell Wright moved to right tackle to replace Cade Mays. Jeremiah Crawford, Dayne Davis and Gerald Mincey are all in competition there, and all are expected to be in the rotation this year. With another year of development, though, Perry has an outside shot at filling that void for Tennessee football.