Tennessee redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jesse Perry garnered quite a bit of praise for his work on and off the field during UT’s fall training camp in August. He impressed his coaches and teammates with his work ethic and his study habits, leading many to believe that Perry could be due for a breakout season in 2025.
The Murfreesboro, TN, native was thrust into the starting lineup at the right tackle position just hours before the Vols’ season-opener against Syracuse and handled his business well against the Orange. He ranked out as the Vols’ third highest-graded offensive lineman according to Pro Football Focus for his work.
The second week of the season saw an even better performance from the 6-foot-6, 310-pounder. With 56 plays against ETSU this past Saturday in Neyland Stadium, Perry earned a 92.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. That grade was the highest offensive tackle rating in the country among Power Four teams.
Highest Graded Offensive Tackles from Week 2💪 pic.twitter.com/5QBaM4e6Hk
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 9, 2025
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Perry’s natural performance at the right tackle position is even more impressive considering that he was training at the guard spot for much of fall camp. He was cross-training both positions, so Tennessee knew they could trust him if they needed to move him to the outside, but Perry told the media during the fall that he was primarily at guard.
Perry’s hard work and preparation throughout the offseason and fall training camp have put him in a position to be successful early in the season.
“Yeah, Jesse does everything right,” Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee said about Perry during camp. “Absolutely everything. From eating habits, recovery, film study, coaching other players. That’s the reason he puts himself in positions that he’s at. He gets his body — his body has changed so much since he’s been here. He’s highly intellectual, so he studies the crap out of everything. That’s what he does. Like you say, what is it? Man, it’s everything. Yeah, you don’t want to say anybody’s perfect, but he’s pretty close to doing everything right.”
Perry’s Week 1 and Week 2 Pro Football Focus grades haven’t been perfect either, but they’re pretty great. He’s been consistently one of Tennessee’s highest-graded players on the roster and looks to be improving with each snap, whether it’s pass pro against speedy EDGE rushers or the agility to pull around the line in run blocking schemes.
Tennessee and Jesse Perry have a big test coming up this weekend with Georgia rolling into Knoxville for the SEC opener, but he’s undoubtedly been one of the biggest under-the-radar bright spots for the Big Orange through the first two games.
No. 15 Tennessee will host No. 6 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for complete coverage of the Checker Neyland game from Knoxville.
