Tennessee Football: Melvin McBride adds to list of Vols retiring due to health problems

Freshman offensive lineman Melvin McBride is retiring due to health problems and is the fourth Vol in the last two months to do so.

Seeing things like this really upsets me. It doesn’t matter what the player’s exact situation is I don’t want any young man to have to stop doing something they love. That’s, unfortunately, the case for Melvin McBride, a guy who hasn’t even gotten the opportunity to wear Tennessee orange and run through the Power T.

Jeremy Pruitt was upset when he heard the news and released his own statement about the situation.

"“Melvin is a great young man, and my heart breaks for him and his family. However, I’m glad that we have an outstanding medical staff that did a great job identifying the problem when Melvin first arrived here. We are always going to do what’s best for our student-athletes here at Tennessee. He is certainly a Vol for Life and will continue to be a big part of our program.”"

McBride becomes the sixth offensive lineman to retire due to health problems joining Jack Jones, Chance Hall, Devante Brooks, Eric Crosby, and Tanner Antonutti. Trey Smith could also be added to that list if he is not able to return to the field after his absence last year.

This is a scary trend the Vols have seen the past couple of years. A total of nine Tennessee players have announced their retirement from football the past two years, and that is a devastating number.

Having so many offensive linemen retire might be the worst part. The Vols have not had great depth with the o-line in recent years, and it seems like that might not change in 2019.

The offensive line was one of the worst position groups for the Vols in 2018, and if Pruitt wants to have a successful tenure at Tennessee, he is going to need offensive linemen. Pruitt made that a position of priority for the 2019 recruiting class and brought in five offensive linemen, including McBride.

Wanya Morris, Darnell Wright, Jackson Lampley, and Chris Akporoghene are the other offensive linemen that signed with Tennessee as a part of the 2019 class, and in reality, they could all be starters in the fall.

Let’s hope Pruitt can keep these guys on track and the medical staff can keep these guys healthy. Keeping his players healthy will be a big key to success for Pruitt.