‘My coach…he’s one of the greatest’ – Tennessee Vols redshirt sophomore credits his position coach as the reason he didn’t transfer
The Tennessee Vols, like most programs in college football, have had some trouble building offensive line depth in recent years. And that’s mostly because of the NCAA transfer portal. The Vols lost a couple of offensive linemen to the transfer portal this past offseason that likely would’ve seen the field at some point in 2025 […]
The Tennessee Vols, like most programs in college football, have had some trouble building offensive line depth in recent years.
And that’s mostly because of the NCAA transfer portal.
The Vols lost a couple of offensive linemen to the transfer portal this past offseason that likely would’ve seen the field at some point in 2025 (Vysen Lang and Larry Johnson, for example).
Fortunately for Tennessee, a few talented offensive linemen have stuck around on Rocky Top despite not seeing much action early in their careers.
One of those players, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov, was asked this week why he’s stayed at Tennessee instead of exploring the NCAA transfer portal.
Umarov, a former four-star recruit that played just 66 snaps in 2024, pointed out Vols offensive line coach Glen Elarbee as the top reason that he’s stayed at Tennessee.
“My coach,” said Umarov when asked what made him want to stay at Tennessee. “Coach Elarbee, he’s one of the greatest in the league, in the whole NCAA. He’s a guy that believes in you and strives for you to be the best person [you can be]. Whether it’s in football or just as a human being.”
“He loves to be hard on us, but that’s the way you gotta be — especially in the SEC,” continued Umarov. “No one’s going to give you compliments when you’re just doing your job, because you’re supposed to do it. But he’ll give us a pat on the butt when we do a good job. But I don’t really need that. We don’t need that. We just need to work.”
Elarbee has taken some heat from Tennessee fans — especially after last season when the Vols’ offensive line ranked No. 105 in FBS according to Pro Football Focus (61.5 overall grade).
But his players clearly love him, and he’s done a solid job on the recruiting trail. Elarbee’s unit needs to show improvement in 2025, and there’s reason to believe it will — thanks to the strong culture that’s been built in Tennessee’s offensive line room.
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