With the departure of left tackle Lance Heard, Tennessee football needed to replace him on the starting line. The solution has been to slide David Sanders Jr. from right to left tackle, which then opened a spot on the right side. The Vols found a potential option to fill that role in the transfer portal via Ory Williams.
Though he primarily played left tackle at LSU, Williams has been getting reps in at right tackle in spring camp. If things go well throughout the preseason, he’s in a position to start at the position this year as a redshirt-sophomore.
Why did Williams choose the Vols out of the transfer portal, though? He revealed his answer on Saturday, noting the desire to stay in the conference and the coaching staff.
“Honestly, I wanted to stay in the SEC,” Williams said. “It’s the best conference in the country. The way Coach Elarbee can teach me things and the way Coach Heupel, them two, work together, I really love that and I feel like can take me to the next level.”
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There have now been four spring practices under Williams’ belt at Tennessee. Like most newcomers, he said the toughest thing to adjust to has been the playbook.
Despite that hurdle, he said it’s been going well. There haven’t been too many slip-ups on his assignments, and his sheer size certainly helps in the physicality department. He stands at 6-foot-8, 330 pounds.
“It’s been good,” Williams said. “Just taking it one day at a time. I’m still adjusting, playbook and everything. But it’s going good. That extra work is paying off. Not too many (missed assignments), so we’re just taking it one day at a time.”
Also battling for the job is Jesse Perry. However, Perry is also plenty capable of playing guard and may very well find his home there, instead.
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