Wanya Morris to miss spring after off-season surgery

Freshman All-American offensive tackle Wanna Morris is expected to miss Tennessee's spring practice after undergoing offseason surgery, sources tell Volquest.com.

Tennessee's starting left tackle had surgery last month on his hip and will have a lengthy rehab but is expected back for fall camp.

Morris played in all 13 games for Tennessee this past season, starting in 12 for an improved offensive line this past season. He helped pave the way for a season-high 297 yard rushing performance against Vanderbilt in November.

He started every game at left tackle during Tennessee's six-game win streak to close the season, protecting three different quarterbacks including Jarrett Guarantano during his 400-plus yard performance against Missouri, in which he became the third Vol ever to pass for 400 yards in a game.

Morris proved to be one of the top true freshmen offensive linemen in the nation, collecting SEC All-Freshman accolades and True Freshman All-American honors along the way.

Morris played both guard and tackle during his freshman campaign and even played both left and right tackle in the win over South Carolina. He became the first Tennessee true freshman to start on the offensive line in a season opener since Trey Smith did so in 2017 against Georgia Tech, starting at left tackle vs. Georgia State.

In Morris’ absense, Tennessee will work K'Rojhn Calbert and Darnell Wright at the tackle positions. The arrival of Georgia transfer Cade Mays will also give Tennessee flexibility along the offensive line.

Tennessee finds itself with more depth and talent in the offensive trenches than they have had in a number of years. The return of Trey Smith and Brandon Kennedy being awarded a sixth year of eligibility gives Tennessee of of the most experienced offensive lines in the conference.