After averaging 209 rush yards per game and scoring 33 touchdowns on the ground last season, the offensive line will look to continue paving the way for the offense. The group is returning four starters, and spring practice will give an idea of who may be taking that fifth spot this season.
Offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield said the offensive linemen this year are bigger and stronger than in years past. The strength and conditioning staff under strength coach Josh Storms has continued getting the players ready to go when their number is called. This could be the most dominant offensive line unit yet for the Tigers, and this spring has been a good indicator of where they are.
“The size doesn’t matter to me, but if you look across the board we are bigger than we’ve ever been,” Silverfield said. “I’m excited, I really am, I was just telling some people we have a lot of confidence, but we understand we have a lot of work to do.”
Silverfied also talked about replacing the production and leadership that guard Gabe Kuhn brought to the team. Kuhn was a four year starter at Memphis and played anywhere on the line that he was needed. Silverfield said there is a surprise lineman that is making a name for himself this spring, and could be worth watching this season.
“He [Kuhn] is going to be difficult to replace, but we believe we have willing and capable bodies to come in and play well,” Silverfield said. “Dillon Parham has been phenomenal, he’s a kid that gets it, and he’s really intelligent so he’s definitely in the mix right now.”
Head coach Mike Norvell said the offensive line has impressed him this spring, and that they have a lot of competition on the line. Players like Obinna Eze and Dylan Parham continue to develop, and it creates a lot of depth on the line. Throughout the spring, the fifth spot will continue to be an important position to watch on the line.
“I’ve been really pleased with the offensive line, the continuity they have with four returning starters, but even with that the competition we have is at an all time high,” Norvell said. “Obinna has done a great job, but I’ll tell you someone who has been a star early in the spring, Dylan Parham. He’s going to have a phenomenal future here as a Memphis Tiger.”
Eze said that the game has slowed down a lot for him in his second year, and he is ready to contribute. Eze is the fourth highest recruit in Tiger history, one spot ahead of DeAngelo Williams, and he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The 6-foot-7 tackle will be looking to breakthrough this season and grab the fifth starting spot on the line.
“For me, it’s about getting smarter and making my body catch up to what I know in my head, and that’s really what it is for me,” Eze said. “College offenses are much more complicated than high school, especially when you play in the number two offense in the country. “If the opportunity comes and my number is called, I am ready.”
Redshirt senior tackle Trevon Tate said this spring the Tigers are focusing on eliminating pre-snap penalties, which was a problem at times last season. The experience and leadership the Tigers have on the line this season should allow them to clean up the little mistakes. If they can advance in this area, the offensive line group can be even more intimidating to opponents this season.
“It’s just self accountability, if I jump offsides when no one is watching I need to get off the field and do up-downs,” Tate said. “The teams that have the most self accountability are the ones that go further during the season.”
https://247sports.com/college/memphis/Ar...-116718301