Tennessee Football Coach Josh Heupel Talks Continuity Of Offensive Line

Tennessee head coach Josh Huepel confirmed on Monday with reporters that a depth chart won’t be released until game day, when the Vols play against Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A key position this past fall camp for the Vols has been the offensive line.

We won’t find out until Saturday who will be the starters and the five that coach Heupel will lean on. However, he did provide some context into how the position group has performed and what has caught his eye throughout the process, and how they have been doing.

“Really good. From the meeting room to how they have operated and communicated and been in sync in the run game, pass protection out on the practice field as well,” said Heupel. “You guys keep talking about the guys who haven’t played. As a coach, you feel like you have had a lot of time on task with these guys. There is a lot of trust in the guys who will get their first action.”

Potential guys who could get their first action are former five-star offensive linemen David Saner, who has continued to grow and develop in fall camp. He’s put on nearly 40 pounds since he arrived on campus, taking his nutrition and weight training seriously.  He was recently recognized as a Preseason All-American by On3 heading into the 2025 season. Coach Heupel has been impressed with the true freshman and what he has brought to the table.

“I thought David had done a good job, eight practices throughout training camp,” said Heupel. “I thought today, he handled himself extremely well. Really good player in spring ball,” said Heupel. "Continue to grow mentally and physically, and then the fundamentals and technique. Through the early part of training camp, he’s done a really good job for a young football player. Expecting him to play at a really high level.”

Tennessee did an outstanding job in the transfer portal, getting guys to beef up the offensive line. The additions of Sam Pendleton and Wendell Moe out of the transfer portal were vital. They are expected to have big roles for the Volunteers. If you also add Lance Heard and Jesse Perry coming back, you have a pretty formidable unit on Saturdays. Again, nothing has been announced, but it feels like each of the guys mentioned has a good chance of playing big roles and getting starting time for Tennessee.