There's a player in the transfer portal that could massively help the Tennessee Vols in 2023
The Tennessee Vols don't have a lot of glaring needs entering the 2023 season, but there's one area that head coach Josh Heupel recently admitted could use some reinforcements. Heupel was asked last month during a Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville if there are any positions that Tennessee needs to target in the NCAA […]
The Tennessee Vols don't have a lot of glaring needs entering the 2023 season, but there's one area that head coach Josh Heupel recently admitted could use some reinforcements.
Heupel was asked last month during a Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville if there are any positions that Tennessee needs to target in the NCAA transfer portal. The third-year head coach only mentioned one position specifically — offensive line.
"I think we can continue to add maturity at the offensive line position, in particular," said Heupel in Nashville.
For now, it seems that four of the Vols' five starting offensive line spots are locked down.
Miami transfer John Campbell will likely play left tackle with the duo of Gerald Mincey and Jeremiah Crawford moving to right tackle. Cooper Mays will start at center with Javontez Spraggins at right guard (where he's started every game the last two seasons).
That leaves the left guard position, which many assumed would be Texas transfer Andrej Karic, but that doesn't appear to be a certainty as Addison Nichols and Ollie Lane have also been mentioned as options at guard (Nichols is set to be the primary backup to Mays and worked at center during the spring).
Whoever plays at left guard has big shoes to fill after Jerome Carvin performed exceptionally well in 2022.
If the Vols want a little more security at left guard, they should be knocking down doors to try to get Houston transfer Cam'Ron Johnson on campus.
Johnson is one of the top offensive linemen left in the portal. And he's reportedly down to Colorado and Missouri. That's not exactly stiff competition which is why Tennessee should get in the mix.
The former three-star recruit started at left guard last season for Houston and didn't allow a sack over 554 pass-blocking plays. Johnson allowed just one quarterback pressure.
Johnson played in an Air Raid system at Houston. While that's different than the offense that Tennessee runs, Heupel has his roots in the Air Raid system which should the transition a bit easier for Johnson.
Tennessee has a need and Johnson is an obvious answer. They'd have to work quickly to make up some ground (isn't that what NIL deals are for?…kinda), but the Vols should at least take a shot here. If Tennessee is serious about competing for a championship in 2023, they can't enter the season with a question mark at left guard.
