Tennessee starting offensive lineman announces his return
Tennessee offensive lineman Gerald Mincey announced on Monday evening via social media that he intends to return to Knoxville next fall for one more season with the Vols.
Mincey transferred from Florida prior to the start of the 2022 season and immediately made an impact at left tackle as a redshirt sophomore. Mincey appeared in nine games that fall making seven starts.
This past season Mincey moved to right tackle where he got the majority of his action. He started six games at right tackle and appeared in 11 games for the Vols. He battled a nagging knee injury in the back end of the season which limited him in the final weeks.
Back in fall camp offensive line coach Glen Elarbee cited Mincey’s versatility in being able to move from the left side to the right after the Vols added John Campbell in the transfer portal last spring as a huge key for the Vols’ offensive front this fall.
“(He’s) done a really good job. Probably had his best day today (in fall practice). You never know until you go back and watch the tape, but him and JJ [Jeremiah Crawford] both being able to flip and play both sides, they’ve done a good job with it,” Elarbee said of Mincey in August.
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“It’s not easy, trying to flip the plays in your head and play fast. That is a tough ask. He’s done a really good job. There are still some technical things here and there he has to clean up, and we all have to get in shape to play the speed we want to with the physicality we want to, but he’s had a really good start to this camp.”
Mincey’s return is a boost for a unit that helped pave the way for one of the top rushing offenses in the nation in 2023.
Tennessee averaged 202.5 yards per game on the ground (2nd in the SEC) and Jaylen Wright averaged 7.39 yards per carry, the highest total for any running back in all of college football.
With Mincey’s decision, Tennessee has a shot to bring back some significant experience on the offensive line. Campbell was one of the first big dominoes to fall, announcing his intention to return last week. Starters Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins also have the option to return for one more year.
