Ollie Lane shares where Tennessee's offensive line is succeeding in spring ball

Tennessee football is getting down and dirty during their spring practices. One of the key things the Vols are working on in preparation for the 2023 season is improved play in the trenches, more specifically along the offensive line. Leading the charge on that front is super senior offensive lineman Ollie Lane. And following the Volunteers’ spring practice on Monday, Lane shared his thoughts on where Tennessee’s offensive line is having the most success at.

“Up front, I think that we had a pretty solid scrimmage for the first scrimmage of spring. Obviously, the first scrimmage is always there’s a ton of improvement on the stuff that we need to work on,” said Lane. “But I think, all in all, we are starting to play more aggressive.

“We’re getting our technique and our footwork down, and our assignments are a lot more clearer now. We’re not having a lot of mistakes as we used to. You know, the first scrimmage, there’s always going to be a lot of room for improvement. But I think we came out there with the right mindset and had a very aggressive day upfront.”

Over their 13-game season in 2022, the Tennessee offensive line was credited with allowing 27 sacks on the season. That number put them smack dab in the middle of the NCAA D1 rankings, tied with several teams at 65. Still, if Tennessee wants to have a better year in 2023, keeping the quarterback upright in the pocket clean will be of the utmost importance. As to who that quarterback will be, there is no clear answer to that. But Lane is watching the battle of Henden Hooker‘s replacement closely.

Lane shares insight on Tennessee’s quarterbacks from practice

Joe Milton and Nico Iamaleava are the two currently in a battle to be Tenneesse’s next starting quarterback in spring practice. And so far, it’s the freshman, in particular, that’s been raising eyebrows. Tennessee offensive lineman Lane has been thoroughly impressed himself, saying Iamaleava’s recruiting ranking is justified to this point.

“Quarterback-wise, I love Joe,” Lane said. “I think he’s had a great spring so far. Nico has really surprised me. Obviously, being a highly-rated recruit — he’s come in and fit exactly what everybody was saying about him. Excited to see what the future of Tennessee has with Nico.”

Everyone has wanted to know how the freshman is performing and the reviews have been high. Lane is just echoing what Heupel has said — stating how truly talented Iamaleava is. Everyone knows when Iamaleava is thrown into the starting role, Tennessee is going to be in a good place.