'I don't think people realized…just how much that messed him up' – Key Vols player could be in store for huge bounce-back season
The Tennessee Vols' biggest transfer addition in 2024 was LSU Tigers transfer offensive lineman Lance Heard. Heard, a former five-star recruit, was a coveted transfer that was pursued by several programs (including Oklahoma) before eventually landing at Tennessee. The Louisiana native, however, wasn't quite as productive as expected last season for the Vols. Heard, who […]
The Tennessee Vols' biggest transfer addition in 2024 was LSU Tigers transfer offensive lineman Lance Heard.
Heard, a former five-star recruit, was a coveted transfer that was pursued by several programs (including Oklahoma) before eventually landing at Tennessee.
The Louisiana native, however, wasn't quite as productive as expected last season for the Vols. Heard, who missed two games due to injury, had an overall PFF grade of 44.9 last season.
VolQuest's Brent Hubbs explained on Friday during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone that Heard was far more injured last season than anyone had realized.
"One thing Lance has done is Lance has lost nearly 25 pounds," said Hubbs. "He's in better shape. He's going to be in better shape. I don't think people realize last year just how much time he missed in July and early August after he had the knee procedure, and how much that messed him up, how much that got him sort of out of shape and got him overweight.
"He played too heavy a year ago. It showed — he did not play well enough. I think he's motivated to play much better than he did last season. He knows he needs to play better, and he knows there's a huge opportunity in front of him, if he can take a real leap. So I think he's putting in the work. You just need him to stay healthy. The knee injury really set him back last summer. It was a much bigger deal than any of us knew at the time. We saw him in August with that heavy knee brace. I mean, he was limited the first couple weeks of fall camp, not just in the month of July, and that really affected him as he was trying to get further and further into this offense."
Heard spoke to reporters in the spring about the difficulties he encountered last fall while battling through injuries.
"The biggest difference (this spring) is my health," said Heard. "Last year, it was kind of a battle for me with having two separate injuries. I had an injury in maybe the second or third game and was out for maybe three to four weeks. That was a challenge. That was a challenge mentally. And [I] came back and had another injury [in] the Florida game.
And I was saying to myself, I can't continue to sit out. I can't miss that many games. I was playing injured the entire year, you know, fighting through it. And it was challenging mentally for me. Now I just feel healthier. And being in this offense is getting more comfortable for me."
Despite the injuries, Heard played more snaps than any other offensive tackle on the Vols' roster last season.
A healthy Heard could end up being one of the best offensive linemen in the SEC this fall — and that would be absolutely massive for Tennessee.
