Josh Heupel explains how comfortable he is as Tennessee replaces Darnell Wright on offensive line

Tennessee had one of the best offensive linemen in the country last year in Darnell Wright. He wreaked havoc on opposing defenses, and future No. 2 overall pick Will Anderson said Wright was the toughest lineman he went against in college.

But now, Wright is joining Anderson in the NFL after the Chicago Bears selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Although he leaves some big shoes to fill, Josh Heupel sounds happy with where Tennessee is at on the offensive line.

Heupel joined Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3 and named two players who can step up on the line to help replace Wright. With Gerald Mincey and Jeremiah Crawford back in the fold, he thinks the Volunteers have the pieces in place to keep getting better in the trenches.

“We do have experience coming back,” Heupel said. “For us, Gerald Mincey and JJ Crawford both have played a ton of football at the left tackle position a year ago. … I anticipate those guys playing at a really high level. I feel really good about what we’ve done up front, continue to add depth.

“When we took over the program, that was one of the positions we were probably a little bit deficient in as far as numbers, continue to add depth. Love where we’re at.”

Of course, Crawford’s name might be familiar to certain college football fans who spent too much time on social media. He was the Tennessee lineman who went viral for throwing up on the field during the Vols’ victory over Alabama and immediately staring down Crimson Tide defender Byron Young. Heupel said he didn’t see the incident unfold at the time, but said he saw it the next day.

While he thought it was a moment fit for an offensive lineman, he also realized how gross it was.

“Didn’t see it until the next day when Bill showed it to me,” Heupel said. “It’s one of the all-time great clips, in particular, for an offensive lineman. … Intimidating and disgusting, but yeah, we’ll let it all roll.”

Tennessee’s offensive line did a nice job last season blocking for Hendon Hooker and eventually Joe Milton, ranking eighth in the SEC with 27 sacks allowed. Losing Wright won’t be easy, but Heupel seems confident the Volunteers can maintain a strong presence around the line of scrimmage.

Tennessee opens the 2023 season Sept. 2 against Virginia.