University of Tennessee Athletics
Competition, Physicality Fueling Offensive Line Entering 2026 Season
August 11, 2026 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football held its fifth practice of preseason camp Tuesday morning at Haslam Field as the Volunteers continued preparations for the 2026 season.
Following practice, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee spoke to the media about the development and competition within his group entering the new campaign.
"Competition will end up making us better, period," Elarbee said.
After paving the way for the SEC's No. 1 scoring offense in 2025, Tennessee's offensive line returns five players with significant starting experience, providing Elarbee with a deep and versatile group heading into the season.
Preseason All-American Wendell Moe Jr. headlines the returners after earning a spot on the 2026 Outland Trophy watch list. The fifth-year guard enters his second season on Rocky Top and is joined by preseason All-SEC selections Jesse Perry and David Sanders Jr., who each earned Freshman All-America honors during the 2025 campaign.
Perry and Sanders were part of an offensive line that helped Tennessee rush for 2,557 yards and produce 6,062 yards of total offense last season. Senior center Sam Pendleton, who started all 13 games in 2025, and senior guard Shamurad Umarov, who started 10 contests, also return with extensive FBS experience.
With that level of experience, Elarbee has the flexibility to find the combination that gives Tennessee its strongest five-man unit, regardless of position.
"It's the best unit on the field. A guy may be your fifth-best player. How you fit together, if he has to play a different position, he's not your fifth and the other guy is," Elarbee said. "How do you get the five best? It may vary if somebody is not quite as good at tackle, not quite as good at guard, left side or right side."
That versatility has created significant competition across the interior of the line. Umarov has worked at both guard spots, while Perry has the ability to play both guard and tackle, giving Elarbee multiple combinations to consider as preseason camp progresses.
"We definitely have options," Elarbee said. "This would definitely be one of the years that we probably have the most competition and options – especially returning guys, guys we brought in and young guys developing."
Tennessee also added a pair of Power 4 transfers in junior offensive tackle Ory Williams from LSU and fifth-year guard Donovan Haslam from West Virginia. Haslam, in particular, has made an early impression with his physicality.
"Absolutely the most physical dude since I've been here. Not even a question," Elarbee said of Haslam. "He is violent … If you were building a superhero squad, he would be the violent and powerful one."
The Volunteers have also seen notable development from their young offensive tackles, including Sanders and freshmen Gabriel Osenda and Kamari Blair.
Sanders, who arrived at Tennessee as one of the nation's top offensive line prospects, has continued to develop physically while embracing a larger leadership role within the group.
"You see him constantly coaching," Elarbee said. "He does a great job and points things out. So, he wants to be involved. He's just a great active human being."
Osenda, meanwhile, has drawn comparisons to Perry in his approach to the game during his first preseason camp.
"He's one of the guys that reminds me of young Jesse," Elarbee said. "The way that he works, the game matters, he takes notes, he cares … The way the guy cares about the game, you'll take that every single day."
As the Volunteers continue through preseason camp, Elarbee said the group's physical development has been matched by an emphasis on conditioning as Tennessee looks to build greater consistency throughout the 2026 season.
"I thought we were solid (last season). I just thought we wilted that last half. We just couldn't sustain, and that's been the emphasis," Elarbee said. "Every day that you walk off the practice field, you want to be at the point where they almost have to carry you off. We're trying to build our gas tank."
The Volunteers continue preseason camp Wednesday as they prepare for the 2026 season opener against Furman on Sept. 5 at Neyland Stadium.Tennessee Football Press Conference | Aug. 11, 2026
On if he has more options than he has ever had in the preseason...
"That's a great question. We definitely have options, I feel like. Without just sitting there and looking at every single one of them, this would definitely be one of the years that we probably have the most competition and options. Especially returning guys, guys we brought in and young guys developing. It's like anything, if you have competition, I think it will end up making us better, period. So sure."
On if there is more depth at guard than there was in the past...
"That's fair, you know you still have the ability. I think what helps is you have some at guard and tackle. You always have (Jesse Perry) that can kind of do both, so he can balance the scales one way or the other if you need it. But, yeah definitely at guard we got some good freaking man mover bodies."
On Nic Moore's growth at center...
"I think he's just such a powerful guy. He's got great natural leverage because of his height, which is beneficial inside. But he's super strong, he has great flex and he's done a great job of trying to reign his snaps in. You can tell that's been a focus for him. He likes physicality, he does. He's got to continue to grow and learn, diet off the field, what that looks like. What the real strain in the weight room looks like, but as far as football goes, he's taken a tremendous stride. His first two days, he's putting guys six, seven yards off the line of scrimmage. That's awesome to see."
On if his best five offensive linemen are the best five regardless of position....
"For sure, it can. It's the best unit on the field, and, you know, a guy may be your fifth best player and how you fit together, if he has to play a different position, he's not your fifth and the other guy is. That doesn't sound very smart the way I'm saying this, yes to what you're saying. How do you get the five best? And it may vary if somebody is not quite as good at tackle or not quite as good at guard or left side or right side, for sure."
On if it's hard to move people around when you see how effective they are at that position...
"Man, it sure ain't easy. It sure isn't because, especially in fall camp, things are moving relatively quickly. You try to take time on the off day and just go back and the first time you watch it, you're correcting technique, effort and fundamentals. You're trying to focus on who looks good and who doesn't at what side and what not, but like when we have had some time, that's where I'm trying to watch them left side, right side, inside, outside; who really is your best five."
On if the group impresses him physically...
"Yeah, absolutely man. I noticed it, I guess it was the second day they had their lift. They came up and they were all sweaty and a bunch of them were still probably should have had their shirts on at that point but didn't. You sitting there looking at them walking into the room, like man, that's a pretty different looking group of guys, so I think they feel that and they want to go press and strain. We're not there yet to be able to finish a practice but we will be. But, it's definitely different from the physicality and the strength portion of it."
On what young lineman has made the biggest jump since spring...
"I think the guy that made the biggest transition is (Ed Baker). I think it helped, we kind of limited his position a little bit, but he looks night and day different from what he did in spring . Spring he was just trying to make sure he was in the right place, the snap and make the right call. Now you see the fundamentals show up, things that you work on technique wise. A lot less missed assignments and playing confident, fast and physical. I think that he has probably made the biggest strides."
On how different David Sanders Jr. is compared to when he first arrived on campus...
"He's incredible man. I would love one day to be able to walk around and look like that, it'd be pretty cool. I think two, the thing for him now is, he's so much different and there's things that he can do technique-wise that before, when he was light and not strong, he had to find ways to make up for. So, I think that's the growth process in this camp for him. He's freaky talented, he's as good looking as he possibly could be. Now you have that body, how can I go use it in a different way where my technique and my fundamentals can be even better? And to his credit, he wants that. He wants the coaching, he wants the little things, he wants to be elite. Credit to him."
On where Ory Williams fits into the plans and how he has changed from spring to fall camp...
"I think you always have the "DO" (Derek Owings) difference through the summer. I think he knows it a little bit better. I think he is trying to play more physical, and he wants me to know when he plays physical, which I like that part of it. I think he understands it is a battle. There are guys that are trying to go start and if I'm not getting reps that's not a good thing, and that's starting to piss him off. He's learning the importance of this game and why every little detail matters, and everything you should do, and how serious it is, and I love it. I like to see his growth, it's fun. I love all of them, man. You see them change a little bit each day, and it just warms the heart."
On Shamurad Umarov working at left and right guard and what the balance is of picking experience over athleticism...
"One, with Sham, it's trying to get the best five on the field. Does that mean him at left guard if Wo (Wendell Moe Jr.) struggles coming back from injury? Is it him at right guard and (Jesse Perry) slides out? Giving him that opportunity to be the best there. And for us, you're a snap away, you need somebody on the inside who can play left and right (guard). Wo kind of had to do some of that last year, Sham's developed and worked his butt off at it and now he's ready to take that role on. It goes back to that same question before, the second part of your question, everything goes into it. Is it experience? Is it athleticism? What gives you the best advantage? You guys are both right. You ask great questions, and you're 100 percent spot on. It all matters, and that's what we've got to figure out."
On David Sanders Jr. stepping into a leadership role…
"You see him constantly coaching. I hear Dave a lot, one on ones, drills, team, watching Gabe (Gabiel Osenda), watching (Kamari Blair). 'Hey, do this, do that.' In the meeting room, we reorganized our seating structure to where all the tackles can kind of be there in one little pod, and they can talk and he does a great job pointing things out, so he wants to be involved. He's just a great active human being. That's who he is. Everybody that's ever been around him, and he loves to interact, and this is the way to interact with the game of football."
On the competition for the center spot and Nic Moore's role in that picture…
"Where he's at, he's a snap away, so he knows it, and he's talented enough. He's got plenty of talent to go push and try to start. So, I do think his mindset is different."
On how Gabriel Osenda has been able to develop since the spring…
"He's one of the guys that reminds me of young (Jesse Perry) and the way that he works. The game matters, he takes notes, he cares. If anything isn't right it hurts him, it cuts him to the bone. He wants to do everything the right way. All you have to do is ask him and you know you're going to get 100 percent to whatever you ask him to do. The difference with him and Jesse is that he's so big, so long, he's still trying to figure out how to get his body to move the way that Jesse can naturally do, but the way the guy cares about the game, you'll take that every single day."
On Ory Williams and his development as someone who began his football career later than most…
"There's times. I think he's still having some mental errors that he needs to fix, but fundamentally, what he does and understanding, he's come a long, long way with that. Now it's just snap decisions, he's got to be right 100 percent of the time instead of 90 percent of the time."
On Sam Pendleton, how he has bounced back from a season of injuries…
"Any time you're banged up, it makes it a little bit tougher, but he's a fighter. He doesn't want to come out and wants to push through it, and that's what an offensive lineman should be. I think that he has accepted wanting to be a really physical guy at practice and set that mentality. I try to piss him off as much as I can every day and make him think he's not physical, but he really is. He tries to play physically, he's very gifted, he's so strong. He can do things and make things look easy that shouldn't look easy. He's continuing to try and take that leadership role in the huddle and tell them the situation of what we got—is it third down, two minute – what are we looking for? Is it a tempo drive? Is it red zone? Keys that matter and he's doing really good."
On Donovan Haslam's growth since the spring…
"Absolutely the most physical dude since I've been here. Not even a question. He's violent. Like, violent. That's his superpower. He's a little bit heavy and he gets tired, doesn't move the way he should, he knows that and he's got to get that right. If you were building a superhero squad, he would be the violent and powerful one and the guys love seeing that. They love when he's starting to understand that mentally and he's able to do things technique-wise that everyone cheers for him in the room. It's cool to see."
On the need to get bigger and stronger in the offseason…
"I think our fuel tank needed to be longer. I said it first day, every day, we weren't unbelievable the first six games, but I thought we were solid and I just thought we wilted that last half. We just couldn't sustain and that's been the emphasis. Every day you walk off the practice field you want to be at the point where they almost have to carry you off. We're trying to build our gas tank. DO (Derek Owings) has done a great job with his part of it and now it's us just dripping ourselves every single day so that when we get halfway through the season, it's nothing, we can go finish and hammer the way we need to."
Following practice, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee spoke to the media about the development and competition within his group entering the new campaign.
"Competition will end up making us better, period," Elarbee said.
After paving the way for the SEC's No. 1 scoring offense in 2025, Tennessee's offensive line returns five players with significant starting experience, providing Elarbee with a deep and versatile group heading into the season.
Preseason All-American Wendell Moe Jr. headlines the returners after earning a spot on the 2026 Outland Trophy watch list. The fifth-year guard enters his second season on Rocky Top and is joined by preseason All-SEC selections Jesse Perry and David Sanders Jr., who each earned Freshman All-America honors during the 2025 campaign.
Perry and Sanders were part of an offensive line that helped Tennessee rush for 2,557 yards and produce 6,062 yards of total offense last season. Senior center Sam Pendleton, who started all 13 games in 2025, and senior guard Shamurad Umarov, who started 10 contests, also return with extensive FBS experience.
With that level of experience, Elarbee has the flexibility to find the combination that gives Tennessee its strongest five-man unit, regardless of position.
"It's the best unit on the field. A guy may be your fifth-best player. How you fit together, if he has to play a different position, he's not your fifth and the other guy is," Elarbee said. "How do you get the five best? It may vary if somebody is not quite as good at tackle, not quite as good at guard, left side or right side."
That versatility has created significant competition across the interior of the line. Umarov has worked at both guard spots, while Perry has the ability to play both guard and tackle, giving Elarbee multiple combinations to consider as preseason camp progresses.
"We definitely have options," Elarbee said. "This would definitely be one of the years that we probably have the most competition and options – especially returning guys, guys we brought in and young guys developing."
Tennessee also added a pair of Power 4 transfers in junior offensive tackle Ory Williams from LSU and fifth-year guard Donovan Haslam from West Virginia. Haslam, in particular, has made an early impression with his physicality.
"Absolutely the most physical dude since I've been here. Not even a question," Elarbee said of Haslam. "He is violent … If you were building a superhero squad, he would be the violent and powerful one."
The Volunteers have also seen notable development from their young offensive tackles, including Sanders and freshmen Gabriel Osenda and Kamari Blair.
Sanders, who arrived at Tennessee as one of the nation's top offensive line prospects, has continued to develop physically while embracing a larger leadership role within the group.
"You see him constantly coaching," Elarbee said. "He does a great job and points things out. So, he wants to be involved. He's just a great active human being."
Osenda, meanwhile, has drawn comparisons to Perry in his approach to the game during his first preseason camp.
"He's one of the guys that reminds me of young Jesse," Elarbee said. "The way that he works, the game matters, he takes notes, he cares … The way the guy cares about the game, you'll take that every single day."
As the Volunteers continue through preseason camp, Elarbee said the group's physical development has been matched by an emphasis on conditioning as Tennessee looks to build greater consistency throughout the 2026 season.
"I thought we were solid (last season). I just thought we wilted that last half. We just couldn't sustain, and that's been the emphasis," Elarbee said. "Every day that you walk off the practice field, you want to be at the point where they almost have to carry you off. We're trying to build our gas tank."
The Volunteers continue preseason camp Wednesday as they prepare for the 2026 season opener against Furman on Sept. 5 at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Aug. 11, 2026
Offensive Line Coach Glen Elarbee
On if he has more options than he has ever had in the preseason..."That's a great question. We definitely have options, I feel like. Without just sitting there and looking at every single one of them, this would definitely be one of the years that we probably have the most competition and options. Especially returning guys, guys we brought in and young guys developing. It's like anything, if you have competition, I think it will end up making us better, period. So sure."
On if there is more depth at guard than there was in the past...
"That's fair, you know you still have the ability. I think what helps is you have some at guard and tackle. You always have (Jesse Perry) that can kind of do both, so he can balance the scales one way or the other if you need it. But, yeah definitely at guard we got some good freaking man mover bodies."
On Nic Moore's growth at center...
"I think he's just such a powerful guy. He's got great natural leverage because of his height, which is beneficial inside. But he's super strong, he has great flex and he's done a great job of trying to reign his snaps in. You can tell that's been a focus for him. He likes physicality, he does. He's got to continue to grow and learn, diet off the field, what that looks like. What the real strain in the weight room looks like, but as far as football goes, he's taken a tremendous stride. His first two days, he's putting guys six, seven yards off the line of scrimmage. That's awesome to see."
On if his best five offensive linemen are the best five regardless of position....
"For sure, it can. It's the best unit on the field, and, you know, a guy may be your fifth best player and how you fit together, if he has to play a different position, he's not your fifth and the other guy is. That doesn't sound very smart the way I'm saying this, yes to what you're saying. How do you get the five best? And it may vary if somebody is not quite as good at tackle or not quite as good at guard or left side or right side, for sure."
On if it's hard to move people around when you see how effective they are at that position...
"Man, it sure ain't easy. It sure isn't because, especially in fall camp, things are moving relatively quickly. You try to take time on the off day and just go back and the first time you watch it, you're correcting technique, effort and fundamentals. You're trying to focus on who looks good and who doesn't at what side and what not, but like when we have had some time, that's where I'm trying to watch them left side, right side, inside, outside; who really is your best five."
On if the group impresses him physically...
"Yeah, absolutely man. I noticed it, I guess it was the second day they had their lift. They came up and they were all sweaty and a bunch of them were still probably should have had their shirts on at that point but didn't. You sitting there looking at them walking into the room, like man, that's a pretty different looking group of guys, so I think they feel that and they want to go press and strain. We're not there yet to be able to finish a practice but we will be. But, it's definitely different from the physicality and the strength portion of it."
On what young lineman has made the biggest jump since spring...
"I think the guy that made the biggest transition is (Ed Baker). I think it helped, we kind of limited his position a little bit, but he looks night and day different from what he did in spring . Spring he was just trying to make sure he was in the right place, the snap and make the right call. Now you see the fundamentals show up, things that you work on technique wise. A lot less missed assignments and playing confident, fast and physical. I think that he has probably made the biggest strides."
On how different David Sanders Jr. is compared to when he first arrived on campus...
"He's incredible man. I would love one day to be able to walk around and look like that, it'd be pretty cool. I think two, the thing for him now is, he's so much different and there's things that he can do technique-wise that before, when he was light and not strong, he had to find ways to make up for. So, I think that's the growth process in this camp for him. He's freaky talented, he's as good looking as he possibly could be. Now you have that body, how can I go use it in a different way where my technique and my fundamentals can be even better? And to his credit, he wants that. He wants the coaching, he wants the little things, he wants to be elite. Credit to him."
On where Ory Williams fits into the plans and how he has changed from spring to fall camp...
"I think you always have the "DO" (Derek Owings) difference through the summer. I think he knows it a little bit better. I think he is trying to play more physical, and he wants me to know when he plays physical, which I like that part of it. I think he understands it is a battle. There are guys that are trying to go start and if I'm not getting reps that's not a good thing, and that's starting to piss him off. He's learning the importance of this game and why every little detail matters, and everything you should do, and how serious it is, and I love it. I like to see his growth, it's fun. I love all of them, man. You see them change a little bit each day, and it just warms the heart."
On Shamurad Umarov working at left and right guard and what the balance is of picking experience over athleticism...
"One, with Sham, it's trying to get the best five on the field. Does that mean him at left guard if Wo (Wendell Moe Jr.) struggles coming back from injury? Is it him at right guard and (Jesse Perry) slides out? Giving him that opportunity to be the best there. And for us, you're a snap away, you need somebody on the inside who can play left and right (guard). Wo kind of had to do some of that last year, Sham's developed and worked his butt off at it and now he's ready to take that role on. It goes back to that same question before, the second part of your question, everything goes into it. Is it experience? Is it athleticism? What gives you the best advantage? You guys are both right. You ask great questions, and you're 100 percent spot on. It all matters, and that's what we've got to figure out."
On David Sanders Jr. stepping into a leadership role…
"You see him constantly coaching. I hear Dave a lot, one on ones, drills, team, watching Gabe (Gabiel Osenda), watching (Kamari Blair). 'Hey, do this, do that.' In the meeting room, we reorganized our seating structure to where all the tackles can kind of be there in one little pod, and they can talk and he does a great job pointing things out, so he wants to be involved. He's just a great active human being. That's who he is. Everybody that's ever been around him, and he loves to interact, and this is the way to interact with the game of football."
On the competition for the center spot and Nic Moore's role in that picture…
"Where he's at, he's a snap away, so he knows it, and he's talented enough. He's got plenty of talent to go push and try to start. So, I do think his mindset is different."
On how Gabriel Osenda has been able to develop since the spring…
"He's one of the guys that reminds me of young (Jesse Perry) and the way that he works. The game matters, he takes notes, he cares. If anything isn't right it hurts him, it cuts him to the bone. He wants to do everything the right way. All you have to do is ask him and you know you're going to get 100 percent to whatever you ask him to do. The difference with him and Jesse is that he's so big, so long, he's still trying to figure out how to get his body to move the way that Jesse can naturally do, but the way the guy cares about the game, you'll take that every single day."
On Ory Williams and his development as someone who began his football career later than most…
"There's times. I think he's still having some mental errors that he needs to fix, but fundamentally, what he does and understanding, he's come a long, long way with that. Now it's just snap decisions, he's got to be right 100 percent of the time instead of 90 percent of the time."
On Sam Pendleton, how he has bounced back from a season of injuries…
"Any time you're banged up, it makes it a little bit tougher, but he's a fighter. He doesn't want to come out and wants to push through it, and that's what an offensive lineman should be. I think that he has accepted wanting to be a really physical guy at practice and set that mentality. I try to piss him off as much as I can every day and make him think he's not physical, but he really is. He tries to play physically, he's very gifted, he's so strong. He can do things and make things look easy that shouldn't look easy. He's continuing to try and take that leadership role in the huddle and tell them the situation of what we got—is it third down, two minute – what are we looking for? Is it a tempo drive? Is it red zone? Keys that matter and he's doing really good."
On Donovan Haslam's growth since the spring…
"Absolutely the most physical dude since I've been here. Not even a question. He's violent. Like, violent. That's his superpower. He's a little bit heavy and he gets tired, doesn't move the way he should, he knows that and he's got to get that right. If you were building a superhero squad, he would be the violent and powerful one and the guys love seeing that. They love when he's starting to understand that mentally and he's able to do things technique-wise that everyone cheers for him in the room. It's cool to see."
On the need to get bigger and stronger in the offseason…
"I think our fuel tank needed to be longer. I said it first day, every day, we weren't unbelievable the first six games, but I thought we were solid and I just thought we wilted that last half. We just couldn't sustain and that's been the emphasis. Every day you walk off the practice field you want to be at the point where they almost have to carry you off. We're trying to build our gas tank. DO (Derek Owings) has done a great job with his part of it and now it's us just dripping ourselves every single day so that when we get halfway through the season, it's nothing, we can go finish and hammer the way we need to."
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Tuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11
