Most Tennessee football fans begin with the quarterback position when they talk about their concerns about the 2006 Vols. No matter who the quarterback is, he'll need protection up front, and there will be a lot of new faces in UT's offensive line. It's often said you don't hear much about offensive linemen unless they mess up. But you may not have heard much about this year's group because most of them haven't played that much.
With Cody Douglas and Albert Toeaina graduated and Rob Smith trying his luck with the NFL, there are plenty of holes to fill. Arron Sears is a solid anchor to build on at tackle and David Ligon will likely start at center. "We're certainly glad to have them back," said offensive line coach Greg Adkins. How good this line is will be determined by how hard last year's reserves have prepared themselves to be this year's starters. "That to me is a lot about attitude and toughness," said head coach Phillip Fulmer. "We had 737 scrimmage snaps during the course of the spring which was probably 30 percent more than we would normally have, and that was to get those guys the experience they needed and to put them in as many situations as we possibly could."
Freshman Jacques McClendon could be in the mix, but most likely the starters will be players who have already been on the field at some point. "We've had some guys who have played spotty over the last couple of years," Adkins said. (Anthony) Parker and (Ramon) Foster and Eric Young. And we expect those guys to step up and be a part of the group that we're counting on this year."
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