Jeremy Pruitt optimistic following Chance Hall’s quick return from surgery: ‘He’s fired up; we need him back’
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Tennessee is currently hurting for offensive line depth. So much so that the coaches have begun experimenting by switching young defensive linemen to the other side of the ball and are awaiting the potential return of the unit’s best player in Trey Smith.
One player many Vol fans may have forgotten heading into 2018 is Chance Hall. The huge lineman has been impressive during his stints on the field, the only problem is they have been relatively short due to injury.
After arriving to campus coming off a tough high school injury, Hall made an immediate impact as a true freshman, although he made to come off the injury list before doing so. His sophomore season also began with an injury and his entire 2017 season was lost for the same reason.
Hall had surgery just a month ago but has already returned to the practice field for the Vols. The way Jeremy Pruitt puts it, the right tackle is “fired up” at the thought of playing once again for Tennessee. Here’s what Tennessee’s coach had to say when asked about the lineman during his most recent media availability.
“Chance wants to play. It’s kind unusual, when I first got here, me and him had a conversation. For him, it’s been awhile since he had played, and I didn’t really know his story. So we sat down and talked and I think Chance is adamant, he’s fired up about having an opportunity to get back out there, and that’s good to see. We need him back,” Pruitt said.
“And got several guys that if we practiced for two more weeks, we would have a bunch of guys that would be cleared to practice. But we don’t. So it is what it is. We do have guys that have started to mix in out at practice, just maybe not in full contact. It’s good for them to get some reps.”
Of all the guys Tennessee needs back from injury, Smith and Hall may rank at the very top of that list. If the Vols could get both players back healthy and on the field by the time the season rolls around, there’s a chance the offensive line goes from arguably the biggest question mark of the team to a strength almost immediately.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
