Tennessee Offensive Line 2026 | Football Position Previews
Several options, but who are the best five?
Like the receiving corps, the O-Line was another position group to receive a major overhaul from the 2024 to 2025 seasons. The only returning starters from a Joe Moore Award semifinalist group that helped UT rush for 200+ yards per game were former 5* left tackle and LSU transfer Lance Heard and part-time starter/left guard Sham Umarov. And for the first time in Heupel’s tenure at UT, someone other than Cooper Mays would be responsible for snapping the ball.
The center responsibilities would mostly fall to Notre Dame transfer Sam Pendelton. That’s a big deal, too. The center in Heupel’s offense is responsible for getting the whole team set. Although the Vols use tempo a little more selectively now than they did in Heupel’s first few seasons, UT was still one of the ten fastest per-play teams in college football last season. The offense can’t go fast if they’re not set, and they can’t get set until the center is over the ball. Below is a screen grab from a Glen Elarbee clinic about Tennessee’s tempo & run game:
Notice that everyone has responsibilities related to tempo, but the center’s are first. As soon as the whistle blows to end a play, the center has to look for the line judge and set his feet where the ball is going to be spotted. Not just wait for the officials to make the spot, but to go were it’s going to be spotted first. That allows the rest of the team to get set quickly and check with the QB/sideline for the play. Plus, the center is making calls at the line, snaping the ball cleanly, and reaching a block too. It’s not a job just anyone can do. Having Mays lock this position down for four years was a luxury.
With the center position up for grabs in 2025, Pendleton settled into the role. He was flanked by Umarov and Arizona transfer Wendell Moe at the guard spots with Heard and Jesse Perry at the tackles to begin with. Once 5* freshman David Sanders was fully ready to go, he stepped into the right tackle spot and Perry slid into guard duty with Umarov and Moe.
For 2026, Heard has transferred to Kentucky, but UT returns 5 OL with at least 6 starts, and add LSU transfer Ory Williams. The question becomes who are Tennessee’s best five on the offensive line? David Sanders will certainly be the left tackle. Many people (including Phil Steele) have penciled Ory WIlliams in at RT. That would leave Moe, Perry, Pendleton, and Umarov sharing the interior duties. One would assume Pendleton would remain at center. But there were some miscues in the middle last year; does someone else step into that very important role? Also, Perry arguably played his best ball last season at right tackle. And If you believe in Pro Football Focus’ player grades, Perry is UT’s third-best returning OL, and graded much higher than Williams. Maybe he should be on the edge?
But who knows how much was invested in getting Williams, or what promises were made in getting him to Knoxville? If Williams was brought in to be the starting RT, and keeping with last year’s rotation, the line would be (from L to R) Sanders-Umarov-Pendleton-Moe-Williams. Is that the Vols’ best five? And where does that leave Perry?
Nega Vol’n
Tennessee has a couple of huge games in September: a true road game at Georgia Tech and a huge home match against Texas. If the Vols struggle to identify their best five early, or if Glen Elarbee does too much shifting without allowing the unit to gel (which he’s been accused of in the past), then the offense could struggle to get going, and they don’t have time afforded to struggle.
Sunshine Pump’n
The good news is there’s a lot of good options here. Tennessee has six offensive linemen that have starting experience in the SEC. There is certainly a best five combination to put on the field, but even the worst five option should be pretty good. And barring injury, they won’t ever have the worst five on the field because David Sanders will certainly be out there. They’re a talented, experienced group that will the cornerstone of a Tennessee offense with tremendous upside in 2026.