Vols OL Jackson Lampley announces he's returning to Tennessee
The Tennessee Vols will have another candidate to fill in one of their offensive line vacancies in 2024. Jackson Lampley will return for his sixth and final season next year, the lineman announced on Twitter/X on Friday. Lampley earned the start at right guard for Tennessee's last two games of the season against Vanderbilt and […]
The Tennessee Vols will have another candidate to fill in one of their offensive line vacancies in 2024.
Jackson Lampley will return for his sixth and final season next year, the lineman announced on Twitter/X on Friday.
Lampley earned the start at right guard for Tennessee's last two games of the season against Vanderbilt and Iowa. He ended up playing 68 snaps in the Vols' 35-0 triumph over the Hawkeyes, tied for the most among any Volunteers. Before the last two games of the season, Lampley largely contributed on special teams.
He figures to slot into the competition at left guard, although he should serve at minimum as a depth option for both guard positions. LG Ollie Lane is out of eligibility, so Lampley, Andrej Karic, Vysen Lane, or a transfer not yet on the roster all figure as candidates to take over. Lampley started on the extra point and field goal teams the last few years.
Lampley redshirted his freshman year in 2019 and is using his COVID year for a sixth year of eligibility. He committed to the Vols in February 2018 as a four-star guard out of Montgomery Bell Academy, the first commitment of the 2019 class. His father Brad was a lineman for Tennessee in the 1990s.
That family legacy and love for Tennessee was apparent in his written statement. "Tennessee is my home," Lampley wrote. "Tennessee is my family, and Tennessee is who I am. I could not be more excited about the future of this program."
Lampley also joined Brent Dougherty, Dawn Davenport, and Ron Slay on the 3HL show on 104.5 the Zone on Friday afternoon to discuss his plans. He noted that transferring to a smaller school wasn't really a consideration.
"The transfer portal wasn't a big thing. But it is something you could kind of think about. Maybe, let's go somewhere smaller, or try to get some NIL from somewhere else. But really, I've always known that that Tennessee is home, and it will always be home. Which is why I am absolutely blessed to say that for my sixth and final year of college football, I am returning to the University of Tennessee to play my final season."
It remains to be seen if Lampley can take a step forward and prove himself to be a true SEC-level starter for the Vols at left guard. Regardless, it never hurts to have a player back who is as dedicated to the university as Lampley is.
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