It appears like another promising offensive lineman from Tennessee is leaving. Addison Nichols, a redshirt
freshman, revealed on his Instagram account on Monday night that he intends to use the NCAA transfer portal. After
injuries affected Tennessee’s offensive line, the Top247 concluded his second season with the Vols by playing a
significant role in the team’s victory over Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale.
The 6-foot-5, 327-pound Nichols entered his second season with Rocky Top, where he was a backup center and a
starting left guard, however he was not in the starting lineup for the majority of the campaign. He played on the field
goal and extra point protection units in addition to appearing in all 12 games and gaining offensive action in six of
them. Against Vanderbilt, Nichols played 116 offensive snaps in 2023, 67 of which were at left guard.
In 2022, Nichols redshirted and played in two games, thus he will still be eligible for three seasons.
When he signed with Tennessee out of Greater Atlanta Christian School, he was rated as a four-star prospect by
247Sports, ranking as the No. 180 overall player and No. 8 interior offensive lineman in the 2022 class.
This is the statement that Nichols shared on social media on Monday night along with an image:
“I would like to express my gratitude to the University of Tennessee, all the people I’ve had the honor of meeting, and
the nation’s most devoted supporters for helping me develop into the man and athlete I am today. I will always have
a great deal of wisdom and treasured memories with me.
But after giving it some thought, I’ve chosen to use the transfer portal. I’m excited to see what is ahead in my
upcoming chapter.
In high school, Nichols was named to the all-state team four times and captained the team the final two years. In
August 2021, he made a commitment to Tennessee, picking the Vols over Ohio State and North Carolina from a list
of thirty offer lists, eight of which were in the SEC. In January 2022, he enrolled at Tennessee.
Nichols played four snaps at left guard in his 2022 rookie campaign against Ball State and eight snaps at the position
later in the campaign against UT Martin while keeping his redshirt.
In the 2023 season opening versus Virginia, Nichols played 12 snaps at right guard after cross-training at center and
guard positions during spring practice and preseason camp this year. However, he spent the majority of his offensive
playing time at left guard. In addition to appearing late in the games against UTSA (six snaps), Missouri (six snaps),
and Georgia (three snaps), he played 22 snaps against Connecticut on Homecoming. For the Vanderbilt game,
injuries to Javontez Spraggins and Andrej Karic put Tennessee’s guard depth to the test. Nichols entered the game
early as a left guard after starting center Cooper Mays was sidelined by an injury, and Ollie Lane switched to left
guard in the final of numerous shuffles. The offensive line of Tennessee
Pro Football Focus gave him an 85.0 pass-blocking grade versus Vanderbilt because he did not give up any pressure
on 40 pass-blocking snaps.
Glen Elarbee, the offensive line coach for Tennessee, stated in late October, “I think Addison’s come a long way, for
sure.” He has advanced significantly since the start of the season. I’m quite happy for him because he recently learnt
how to compete and practice.
Mo Clipper Jr., a fellow second-year offensive lineman, made his official entrance into the portal known last week.
On Monday morning, the gateway window for FBS undergraduate players fully began.
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