Tennessee newcomer already drawing comparisons to recent early NFL Draft pick
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott made quite the impression during his time in Knoxville. The big and agile defender was an impact contributor on the Vols’ defensive line from 2022-2024. He was a key rotational player on a dominant 2024 defensive front that all but carried the team to their only College Football […]
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott made quite the impression during his time in Knoxville.
The big and agile defender was an impact contributor on the Vols’ defensive line from 2022-2024. He was a key rotational player on a dominant 2024 defensive front that all but carried the team to their only College Football Playoff appearance in program history.
According to Vols insider Austin Price of VolQuest.com, Josh Heupel might have another similar type of player in the works, and it’s a new face on the practice field following 2025 — Penn State transfer DL Xavier Gilliam.
Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam drawing comparisons to former Tennessee DL Omarr Norman-Lott
“Xavier Gilliam has flashed a lot,” Price said. “The name that’s been tossed around to me is Omarr Norman-Lott as far as how twitchy he is inside. He’s not an overly big defensive tackle, but as a guy that can play inside that is also quick enough to make the lives of interior offensive linemen really, really difficult. He’s had a nice start to his Tennessee first spring here in Knoxville.”
That’s a pretty good player to be compared to. As far as being twitch, Norman-Lott was certainly that for the Vols. He had 27 pressures in just 139 pass rushing snaps in 2024, good for a pressure rate of 19.4% that wasn’t far too off from that of James Pearce, Jr. Norman-Lott would end up getting drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Vols could certainly use a Norman-Lott-esque season from Gilliam in 2026. The Penn State transfer is helping to fill a void left by the departures of Bryson Eason and Jaxson Moi and clearly appears to be trending early — admittedly very early — towards having an impactful role in Tennessee’s defense next year.
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