Will the Vols Offensive Line be Effective?
That seems to be one of the biggest questions on the minds of Vol fans heading into the season opener with California next weekend. Even Coach Fulmer has acknowledged that depth is a major concern.
We keep hearing about how this offensive line is slimmer and quicker. Is that a good thing? The coaching staff seems to think so. Let’s hope that by making our guys quicker, we haven’t sacrificed too much strength.
Here is how the starting lineup looks at this point:
- C: Michael Frogg
- RG: Ramon Foster
- LG: David Ligon
- RT: Eric Young
- LT Arron Sears
It looks a lot different than last season. Gone are Cody Douglas, Rob Smith, Richie Gandy, Albert Toeania, and Ell Ash. The good news is that all of our starters have at least some game experience.The concerns arise when you look down the depth chart.
Josh McNeil battled Michael Frogg for the starting center position so I don’t see much of a drop of there. I think both of them will contribute this season.
The backups at the tackle position are listed Chris Scott and Steven Jones. I’ve not heard a whole lot out of practice about Jones but Fulmer has come out and said that Scott is not strong enough yet. A big part of the strength issue is the fact that he has shed 60 pounds. He is weighing in around 300 pounds, down from 360 this time last year.
At guard the backups are Anthony Parker and Vladamir Richard. Fulmer commented that Parker has made some progress this fall but it’s hard to expect that Richard will play. Vladamir converted from defense and has just not had enough time to learn the position.
The other lineman that needs to be mentioned is Jacques McClendon. This kid looks like a very physical young man. There was some impressive practice footage of him competing in the Tennessee drill. It’s understandable why many considered him a top 10 guard coming out of high school. But let’s remember that’s just where he played last season, high school. I can’t imagine that we’ll get much of a contribution from Jacques, especially early in the year. He should be a nice player in time.
You can leave comments and discuss the Vols offensive line here.
**The official depth chart for the Cal game came out after I wrote this and McClendon is listed ahead of Richard.