Tennessee football: Ranking Vols’ top five juniors of 2022
Defensive lineman. 3. Pick Analysis. player. 839. Scouting Report. 6'4 320 lbs. Omari Thomas
He was in Matthew Butler’s shadow last year, but Omari Thomas is an elite defensive tackle for Tennessee football in his own right.
Staying in the trenches, Omari Thomas emerged last year for Tennessee football starting alongside Matthew Butler. Yes, other defensive linemen were in the mix, from Elijah Simmons to Da’Jon Terry to LaTrell Bumphus. All three are back this year along with Kurott Garland and newcomers like Tyre West.
Simply put, Rodney Garner has a deep collection of guys he can use in this rotation to help Tim Banks run his system. However, Thomas is pretty clearly the top guy in the middle, and with Butler gone, he should have the chance to burst onto the scene and turn into a star.
Last year, Thomas registered five tackles for a loss, a sack, four pass deflections, four forced fumbles and 18 tackles, 10 of which were solo. He’s clearly the type of defensive tackle who makes few but big plays, and that’s exactly what the Vols will use him to do this year.
What really stood out with Thomas was how he got better and saw more action as the season went on. That’s what puts him above Spraggins. Although Spraggins played more last year and started the whole season, Thomas finished the year on a strong note, and if he keeps that up, the Vols’ defensive line could be unstoppable.