Vols insider details offseason win for Tennessee that benefits QB Nico Iamaleava

"You're getting back the right ones (from the 2023 roster)," said Price. "You're getting back -- the guys that have elected to get a new NIL deal and stick around -- John Campbell, Cooper Mays, Omarr Norman-Lott, Gerald Mincey, Bryson Eason, big Omari Thomas. What do all of those guys have in common? The line of scrimmage. On both sides of the ball, but specifically, you talk about the offensive line. Who's that good for? Nico Iamaleava. I think that's a real win to get the right guys back....you're not going to bat 1.000, but I think Tennessee's hit rate on getting the guys to come back that they want back is pretty good right now." 

"You've gotta add to it, you gotta go out and hit on the right guys in the portal," continued Price. "And you gotta continue to recruit well. But right now, Tennessee's putting some pieces together for 2024." 

For now, it looks like Tennessee's offensive line will feature at least three of the five starters from last season with tackles John Campbell and Gerald Mincey returning, as well as center Cooper Mays (though Mays hasn't made a public announcement yet). Right guard Javontez Spraggins could also choose to return for another season (and the feeling is that Spraggins will return in 2024). 

Left guard is a bit up in the air as that's a position that was a bit of a revolving door at times in 2024 due to injury and having to shuffle players around early in the season while Mays was out. Tennessee has shown interest in some guards in the transfer portal, which seems to suggest that the left guard position is TBD for 2024 (Andrej Karic, a Texas transfer who missed over half of the 2023 season, should also factor in at left guard). 

For the most part, it appears that Iamaleava will have an experienced offensive line to play behind as a redshirt freshman in 2024. And that's tremendously good news for the extremely talented signal caller.