Ryan Johnson working to help Tennessee build a strong O-line
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee offensive lineman Ryan Johnson is on track to graduate after 2 1/2 years on campus, so it’s no surprise the redshirt sophomore can quickly identify parallels between his academic passion and the Volunteers’ offensive line.
“You’ve got to pick the foundation before you start picking paint colors,” said Johnson, a civil engineering major whose parents own and operate a residential construction business in middle Tennessee.
Completing the foundation is where the line — and in some ways the entire team — finds itself this week as star sophomore Trey Smith returns to action after several months away from full-contact drills.
The Vols are entering their final few preseason camp practices before game preparations begin for the Sept. 1 season opener against West Virginia in Charlotte, North Carolina. First-year Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt expects the next week to solidify the depth chart.
Pruitt praised the offensive line for its performance early in Saturday’s scrimmage, the second of the preseason, but that was before the return of its cornerstone. With the inclusion of Smith, a preseason All-Southeastern Conference pick, the line can work this week toward building the continuity and cohesion
that eluded it during a 2017 season filled with injuries and attrition.
“When you’re building an offensive line, you’ve got to do it just like you’re building a house,” said Johnson, a former Brentwood Academy standout. “You’ve got to build the foundation. You can’t just start learning the plays. You’ve got to know the offensive lineman that’s next to you.”
Smith’s return should allow that on-field chemistry to begin forming for a unit Johnson said has grown close off the field.
Pruitt tried to ease expectations for Smith on Saturday while discussing the looming return of Tennessee’s best lineman. The previous coaching staff did the same a year ago when Smith was a freshman, warning of his youth and inexperience.
All Smith did was start every game and earn numerous accolades. This offseason, Smith received treatment for blood clots in his lungs. The health scare kept him out of 11-on-11 work, though he was still able to go through conditioning drills.
“Obviously, that’ll be another guy who has had absolutely no reps since we’ve been here,” Pruitt said. “He’s only a sophomore. It’s not like he’s played a lot of ball. We’re not talking about a three-year veteran. He’ll have a lot to learn, and I’m sure his learning curve, he’s going to have to learn on the go.”
If injuries besiege the offensive line again, Tennessee’s efforts to cross-train its linemen at multiple positions throughout Smith’s absence in preseason camp could pay off. For now, with Smith’s return, the objective is to find a top five capable of opening holes in the running game and protecting the quarterback.
As for Johnson, who has been spotted working at guard with Tennessee’s top offense during practices this month, any spot will do.
“Whatever gets me on the field,” said Johnson, who played in all 12 games last season and started the final four — two at right guard, one at left guard and one at center. “Hey, if you want me to take some snaps, I’ll take some snaps. But something tells me Pruitt wouldn’t want me taking snaps.”
Johnson is looking forward to putting his intelligence to use protecting the quarterback this season before starting his structural engineering master’s degree program in the spring.
“I love the thought process,” Johnson said of football. “It’s a chess game to me. It really is … I want to analyze everything. So I take my classroom skills — when I’m looking at a building and analyzing the building — I take that to the football field.”
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.