Analysis: Jeremiah Crawford brings size and swing ability to much-needed position for Tennessee
New Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel didn’t have much time to assess the needs of his new roster before he had to start trying to pull in recruits.
One of the major needs that presented itself, especially with the departures in the transfer portal, was at offensive tackle. Tennessee lost two players that started multiple games at tackle in Wanya Morris and Jahmir Johnson to the transfer portal. Adding additional depth and talent to this position was a priority for Heupel, leading to the Vols signing junior college offensive tackle Jeremiah Crawford from Butler County Junior College.
Crawford has an excellent frame for a tackle at 6’6” and 315 pounds.
He moves well at that height, showing good athleticism and quickness. Crawford’s physical build is interesting. He looks like he could potentially add weight if the staff wanted him to, as he doesn’t appear to be carrying bad weight at all at 315 pounds, looking even a little lean.
If he continues to play at right tackle, where he played in college, Tennessee may want to add a little more weight to him in order to allow him to maul a bit more in the running game.
On the flip side, the Vols could try to maximize Crawford’s athleticism by trying to work ten pounds or so off of him. This would have him as a lean, but quick tackle prospect, perhaps better suited for working on the left side of the offensive line.
Crawford has long enough arms and good enough feet to potentially work at either tackle spot going forward in his collegiate career. He shows solid straight line speed when asked to pull or pick up a blocker at the next level, but could put that speed to use in the screen game more than he shows on film. Physically, Crawford has all the tools required of an SEC tackle.
Coming out of Butler, Crawford is not yet a finished product. That said, he is a blank canvas for new Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee. Crawford has all the physical tools and no major bad habits on film.
When he arrives in Knoxville, Crawford will have very few things that Elarbee needs to correct him on or have him stop doing. The only point Crawford really needs to work on in terms of bad habits is playing too high in the run game at times, as Elarbee will want to get his pad level lower. In pass protection, Crawford really shows nice feet for a tackle of his size. He looks light and moves well in his drops and getting up field.
Crawford plays on balance on film, able to absorb impacts and deliver a blow to defenders. Crawford needs to learn to use his hands better, developing more punch and maximizing the space that he creates with that punch, especially in pass protection.
The fact is that technically, Crawford doesn’t have many deficiencies, he just needs development. Everything that Crawford will learn from Elarbee will be an addition to his game. Crawford has a solid foundation free of any real cracks. This should allow Elarbee to build and polish what is there as he develops Crawford.
Jeremiah Crawford fills a serious need for Tennessee at the tackle position. He has the size, length, and athletic ability to be a valuable player for the Vols.
He can potentially work at either tackle spot and coaches won’t have to spend time breaking bad habits with Crawford. He should simply arrive and begin to improve, as each drill should improve him technically.
After some time, growth, and polishing, Crawford seems to be an ideal candidate for a swing tackle for Tennessee. Crawford is a quality pick up for the Vols on National Signing Day.
