Impact Analysis: What Does Bennett Warren Bring To Rocky Top?

2024 four-star offensive tackle Bennett Warren (Sugar Land, Tx.) chose the Tennessee Volunteers on Monday over Michigan, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. What did the Vols land?

Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee reloaded up front this cycle, bringing in five commits in the 2024 class. The highest ceiling belongs to four-star offensive tackle Bennett Warren, a Texas product that chose the Vols over Michigan, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma on Monday. He's the first consensus top-100 offensive tackle commit that Tennessee had landed since 2019 when they signed Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris.

Warren solves an immediate need at tackle for Tennessee in 2024. The staff believes three-star commits Gage Ginther and Jesse Perry can develop into contributors in the future, but that likely won't be for a few seasons. Warren can walk onto campus next spring and physically compete with older, more mature defensive ends. He's 6-7.5 and 330 pounds as a rising high school senior - he's been more equipped to play college football than he is in high school football. Everything materialized for Warren after his junior season - he has earned 26 offers since his high school season ended in December, with Tennessee jumping into the mix on January 18, 2023.

The Vols only got Warren on campus once throughout his recruitment, which was his official visit. Still, they made the most of the time they had him and made a strong impression on him. Assistant offensive line coach Kevin Pendleton did a good job of tailoring a unique pitch to Warren and making him feel lots of love before even setting foot in Knoxville, Tennessee. The path to early snaps is clear for Warren - most of Tennessee's current offensive tackles are upperclassmen and preparing for the next step after this season, whether that be the NFL, the transfer portal, or returning for another year in some cases.

2024 OT Bennett Warren with HC Josh Heupel during his official visit to Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 23, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Bennett Warren)

The variety in Warren's skillset is startling. He looks bigger than everyone on tape, but you go into the watch knowing that. The things that set Warren apart are his foot speed and length, which, paired together, are too much for oncoming rushers. Warren looks like he was made to play right tackle, and the timing flows for him at that spot - he quickly kicks back into his set from his stance, can get square, play with low pad leverage, and extend out to create a pocket ring for his quarterback. It takes many prospects years of college development to string all that together as seamlessly as Warren. He should slot into the starting right tackle conversation beginning in the 2025 preseason - one year on campus should be all it takes.

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