Tennessee Volunteers Have Signed An Incredible Key Player In The…

Tennessee has addressed one of its most pressing needs by landing one of the top offensive linemen in the NCAA transfer portal. LSU offensive tackle Lance Heard, a former five-star prospect, announced Sunday that he has committed to the Vols, picking Tennessee over Oklahoma after taking official visits to both schools two weeks ago. The 6-foot-6, 340-pound Heard appeared in 12 games and made one start for the Tigers this season as a true freshman. He has four years to play his three remaining seasons of eligibility. Heard is rated a four-star transfer by 247Sports, where he’s ranked the No. 18 overall transfer and No. 3 transfer offensive tackle for the 2024 cycle. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team last month. A former standout at Neville High School in Monroe, La., Heard became Tennessee’s seventh addition from the transfer portal for the 2024 cycle and the first offensive lineman among the Vols’ transfer additions. He traveled to Tennessee on Jan. 6 for his first official visit after entering the transfer portal on Jan. 2, spending less than seven hours in Knoxville before heading to Oklahoma for a visit with the Sooners that mostly took place on Jan. 7.

He’s expected to be one of Tennessee’s starting tackles next season, filling the vacancy left by former starter Gerald Mincey. A former Florida transfer, Mincey entered the transfer portal again Jan. 4 after starting seven games for the Vols this season and announced his commitment to Kentucky more than a week ago. Heard added his name to the transfer portal after not traveling with LSU for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla. He rotated with the Tigers’ first-team offense at times during the 2023 season, and he made his lone start Oct. 21 against Army, playing right tackle. But Miles Frazier remained LSU’s starting right guard, leaving Emery Jones as the Tigers’ starting right tackle and preventing Heard from taking on a bigger role.

Coming out of high school, Heard was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 16 overall prospect and No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2023 class and the No. 2 player from the state of Louisiana. He was also a five-star prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, where he was ranked the No. 15 overall player and No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2023 class. According to 247Sports’ official evaluation of him coming out of high school, written by national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna, Heard “showcases the size, athleticism and play temperament to develop into an elite level collegiate prospect at the next level.” Petagna added at the time that Heard “projects as an all-conference prospect at the next level with the ability to outperform his current projection and develop into a day one NFL draft choice.”

“With a 7-foot-plus wing span and almost 37-inch arms, the Neville standout’s combination of length and natural athleticism make him one of the more intriguing players in this year’s cycle,” Petagna wrote of Heard in September 2022. “Although he’s still somewhat raw in pass protection, Heard possesses the adequate foot and body quickness to acclimate quickly at the collegiate level. He also displays good play strength and ability to finish in the run game while flashing some power but can play high at times, which leads to some inconsistency in that area. “With more time to settle into his natural role on the offensive line at the next level, we expect Heard to continue to ascend and round into of the best long-term tackle prospects in the class. In terms of whether he’ll play right or left tackle at the next level, the Monroe native could play either role, but (that) will more than likely depend on how he develops as a pass protector.”