Tennessee football defensive front showcases potential in spring game

Tim Banks said Tennessee should have the best defensive line in college football. Omari Thomas said that is the standard.

In their last semblance of a live game until August, the Vols’ front left that kind of impression in the Orange and White Game last Saturday.

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It was a small sample size in a game that featured a running clock in the second half and lasted less than 100 minutes in total, but what is expected to be the strongest part on Tennessee's defense looked the part, albeit against a patch work offensive line.

There was reason for Banks, the Vols' fourth-year defensive coordinator to heap praise on the position group last month. Tennessee returns nearly all of its contributors from last season there, including Thomas.

A senior defensive tackle, Thomas carries the weight of living up to those kind of expectations while also trying to balance them.

"I think we have potential to be that. It's something that we talk about every day," Thomas said. "We put it out there so everyone knows what our goal is and what we have to do in order to be that. We try to keep our room focused on (what's happening inside) our room. We're not focusing on what's happening outside with people saying how good we can be.

"We come in every day and work so we know that we put in the time and put in the craft. If it comes to be, we know that we actually worked for it."

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No defensive player in the SEC may be getting more attention right now than James Pearce Jr. He starred at LEO as a sophomore and is already topping early 2025 NFL Draft boards after totaling 28 tackles, 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.

Returning alongside Thomas on the interior is Omarr Norman-Lott and Bryson Eason, who coaches touted as a strong voice in the room this spring. Elijah Simmons is back after recording a career-high in tackles as a reserve interior lineman in 2023 and Jaxson Moi adds more experience after transferring from Stanford in January.

Tennessee has plenty of options on the end opposite of Pearce, including Tyre West, Dominic Bailey and highly touted freshman newcomer Jordan Ross.

It's been a slow build, but the Vols are in a comfortable spot up front entering summer workouts.

"All in all with that group, who they are in the meeting room, how they interact and coach each other on the practice field and in the meeting room, too, they have done a great job," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "It's the experience that's helping the young guys grow. That room has changed so much over the course of my tenure here...They've been violent. I think they've grown with their ability to play with their hands.

"That's in the pass rush, but it's also in their ability to shed off block and be able to make plays in the run game, too. Our first group (Saturday), those guys were limited in the number of plays some of those vets got. All in all, it's a really good group."

Some depth and returning experience haven't been the only factors driving the offseason hype machine since Tennessee's season ended in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando three months ago. The Vols' defensive line have the numbers to back it up, too.

Tennessee was among the best run-stopping defenses in the league last season, limiting teams to just 113.6 rushing yards per game and it had a reputation for getting after the quarterback, combining for 41 sacks and averaging more than three per game.

"I've seen the defense continue to grow this spring," Thomas said. "That was something that we wanted to focus on, just taking advantage of the opportunity to come out here, work every day and get better on the field. Just watching the film and being put there every day at practice, you can definitely tell the growth in our team, but there's still a whole bunch of room for us to grow to be dominant."

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The defensive line showcased some of those abilities in the spring game. Quarterbacks were non-contact, so the seven sacks on the stat sheet were counted by the touch, though there was some leeway there, like when backup freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger rattled off a 23-yard touchdown run.

Tennessee was down its No. 2 running back in Cam Seldon for much of the spring, giving redhsirt freshman DeSean Bishop and sophomore Khalfia Keith a bulk of the reps in a run game that posted less than 70 yards.

The three top quarterbacks, including starter Nico Iamaleava and the running backs were playing behind an offensive line that was missing a number of starters who are expected to be back to full health by fall camp.

That may have contributed to the defensive line's success, but it's always hard to glean much from a spring game. That didn't stop Thomas and the rest of the Tennessee defense tried from trying to make it as real of a live-game atmosphere as they could.

They won't see another one until Aug. 30 against Chattanooga.

"We try to talk mess to each other to get things going, build up some energy and tension," Thomas said. "We want to go out there, compete and be the best. We know we have to do that against each other in order for us to be a great team. We try to build that tension up so we are motivated going into the game, but it's all love and fun."

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