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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — If you follow Cole Cubelic, you know that he knows a thing or two about the offensive line.
The two-time SEC West champion center at Auburn turned college football analyst sat down with Saturday Down South to break down the Tennessee offensive line.
The Vols return eight linemen who have experience from the practice field to game action:
- Drew Richmond, LT (RS Fr.; 0 games, 0 starts)
- Jashon Robertson, LG (Jr.; 23 games, 23 starts)
- Austin Sanders, LG (RS Jr.; 5 games, 0 starts)
- Coleman Thomas, C (Jr.; 24 games, 18 starts)
- Dylan Wiesman, RG (Sr; 36 games, 15 starts)
- Jack Jones, RG (So.; 9 games, 1 start)
- Brett Kendrick, RT (RS Jr.; 20 games, 7 starts)
- Chance Hall, RT (So.; 10 games, 7 starts)
Butch Jones will have depth with experience in 2016. But will the best five or the right five take the field for the Vols this season?
With Tennessee’s run-oriented spread offense that likes to attack the perimeter, figuring out the right starting five will be key for Jones and his staff.
“You need guys that can run, you need guys that are in shape because they’re going to do a lot on the perimeter – whether it’s quarterback runs or screens,” said Cubelic, who was part of Auburn’s 1997 and 2000 division-winning teams.
“Tennessee likes to get things going on the outside and then utilize quarterback runs and gash you up the middle late. So having depth can help and finding the right five to play together to provide continuity can push this offense over the top and allows them to be special.”
Cubelic said continuity will be a key and concern in 2016.
“You have a bunch of groups that are trying to do a patchwork thing,” he said. “The advantage Tennessee has is that they have some guys that have played meaningful football and they have snaps under their belt, but the bad news is that they haven’t done a lot of it together.”
The position that stands out is left tackle. Even though Tennessee’s offense is not a pro-set under-center offense, the left tackle is still crucial to protect Joshua Dobbs.
Redshirt freshman Drew Richmond seems primed to take over the duties, but is he ready now? The highly-touted recruit hasn’t taken a college snap, and Tennessee could even place Brett Kendrick at left tackle if Richmond is not ready in Week 1.
“I hate to sit back and say Drew Richmond will come in and be a dominant tackle in the conference,” Cubelic said. “I haven’t seen Drew Richmond really play, so how can I say that? At that position, I need to see it before I can believe it. I think people get a little carried away with what Cam Robinson and Laremy Tunsil did; it’s a rarity to have kids that are that age and come in at that position and truly be successful. It just doesn’t happen very often.”
Jashon Robertson appears to have the left guard position locked up after starting all 23 games he has appeared in during his two years at Tennessee.
“Jashon Robertson is one of my favorite offensive linemen in the conference,” Cubelic said. “If he can stay healthy, he can be the best guard in the conference. He’s extremely physical, he plays through the snap, has good feet, he’s powerful. He excels at both run and pass blocking.”
At the other guard position, it’s a battle between senior Dylan Wiesman and sophomore Jack Jones. Wiesman has more starts, but Jones played well in his lone start at Alabama a season ago.
“Jack Jones is one of those guys you see 15-20 yards down the field running down plays,” Cubelic said. “Jones isn’t as athletically gifted as a Robertson on the line, but he understands what kind of a motor it takes to play at this level.
“Dylan Weisman kind of struggles with his feet at times and gets a little hand-happy, trying to win pass situations with his hands and overpowers guys with his upper body as opposed to win with his lower body. Jones doesn’t really have elite feet; he’s an effort guy, and it applies to both pass and run situations.”
Then there’s the right tackle position, also pitting veteran against up-and-coming. Brett Kendrick brings experience, while Chance Hall started his first game, like Jones, at Alabama last season and started the final seven games while Kendrick battled elbow and knee injuries.
Cubelic likes what he sees in Hall, more so in the run game than in passing situations.
“He’s somebody who staying square on the line of scrimmage became an issue in a couple of games that I studied, but had the frame and ability,” he said.
“Pass blocking doesn’t really come natural to him, but that can change in an off-season and over time. If you rep it, and rep it over again, you can have a better understanding for it and becomes more natural. Him being younger can be a reason where he hasn’t learned to sit back on guys just yet. He understands the game and has a motor.”
The focal point for continuity of Tennessee’s line may very well come from the center position. Coleman Thomas has worked his way into the starting role over the past two seasons, starting 18 games.
Cubelic likes his technique and tenacity.
“He’s not going to overpower anybody, but he’s someone that can definitely be serviceable,” he said. “If the guys around him that are big, powerful and talented, sometimes you just need a game-manager so-to-speak at center.”
Tennessee’s unit comes down to finding which five will work best as one.
“Tennessee’s system is one that is built around misdirection, it’s not going to be a lot of isolation plays and run it right at you, it’s not going to be five-to-seven step drops with the quarterback trying to make a living,” Cubelic said.
“The good news is that there is depth for Tennessee on the offensive line. Bad news is, you have to find the right five. Some coaches want the best five out there, then you have some coaches that want the right five. This brings in communication, talent, ability – so having the right five and the best five are two totally different things.”
Dan Harralson covers Tennessee football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danharralson.
