This spring, Tennessee is in the midst of a slight offensive line reorganization up front, but it’s always easier to make these kind of changes when you have access to top players. Lance Heard, a former five-star prospect in the class of 2023, made a significant transfer commitment to the Volunteers this summer.
Heard spent just one season with the Tigers at LSU before transferring. According to On3, he was regarded as the class’s No. 2 tackle throughout his cycle. Heard is anticipated to take over as the starting left tackle this autumn after arriving in Knoxville.
According to Glen Elarbee, the offensive line coach for Tennessee, “I think he’s adjusting really, really well,” on Monday. “He’s handled it perfectly: he’s been silent, wise, and steps in when necessary. He has shown some extremely impressive flashes. Even though he’s still young and we need to work on some technique, man, he shows up for work every day. The space adores him.
The 6-6, 335-pound tackle played mostly as a reserve or special teams player in all 12 of LSU’s games during the previous campaign. Heard started just one game this year, and that was against Army. Heard’s route to starting for Tennessee as a sophomore is obvious now that Gerald Mincey is no longer at Kentucky.
Elarbee remarked, “The guy has incredible length and natural ability.” Since the passer is a large human, protecting him will be a huge improvement. Darnell Wright, in my opinion, really altered our run game by giving us the ability to shift the 4i’s in the run game. He would simply dent a 4i. Lance is going to have that skill as well, in my opinion.
“Actually, this is just his first offseason for him. He is aware of some of the nuances of playing the game from scratch, but repetition and experience help him develop a deeper understanding of what’s happening and how to react in different scenarios. That, in my opinion, is just a natural part of his evolution.
