Stocker man of many roles for UT

Somehow, Luke Stocker has managed a difficult accomplishment.

Amidst all the attention on a brand new offensive line and quarterback, a trio of talented wide receivers and lack of depth in some areas on defense, Tennessee's 6-foot-5 senior tight end has gone through three weeks of preseason camp relatively unnoticed.

But that doesn't mean Stocker's not filling his role as a go-to-guy on offense and, more importantly, as a leader.

"We need him to be a good player and a good leader," Vols coach Derek Dooley said.

"We've got to find ways to get him the ball, I know that. We probably need to do a little better job as coaches to do that, and when we get him the ball he needs to do something with it."

Stocker and senior receivers Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore are the only proven productive commodities returning among all the Vols' new offensive faces.

As a tight end, Stocker is in the unique position of having a hand in both UT's passing and ground games.

Well aware of the importance of his leadership role, Stocker has focused much of his efforts on the Vols' new offensive line.

"From my standpoint, a lot of it has to do with the offensive line, five new guys up there," he said. "I have an understanding of (the offense), and I have to try to help them get a same understanding of it.

"Once they grasp the concepts of our run schemes, it's going to help them a lot."

Stocker, a preseason All-SEC selection, said he's improved his blocking ability and bulked up to almost 260 pounds. He has already seen the line make large strides in its progress, as well.

"The communication process from the center down to the tackles and getting all those guys on the same page, that's been the biggest improvement," Stocker said. "That's why they're having the success they are."

Stocker's talents in the Vols' aerial attack are a given, based on his performance last season (29 receptions for 389 yards and five touchdowns).

He flirted with declaring for the NFL draft before choosing to return to UT, where he'll likely play an even bigger role than last year in the Vols' offense. UT quarterback Matt Simms appreciates Stocker for more than his abilities.

"Not only is it that he's a great athlete and he's a big target to throw to," Simms said, "but he's also very intelligent and he alerts me of certain things on the field that I don't necessarily see all the time.

"Just having that extra pair of eyes out there to look out for our offense is tremendous."

UT's offense has experienced extremes during fall camp, excelling in the first preseason scrimmage before struggling in a situational scrimmage Saturday.

And while Stocker's confident in what the offense can do, he knows what it takes to reach that level.

"As an offense, every phase there's room for us to improve," he said. "It's a matter of getting that consistency put together to do well all the time."

More Wilcox Praise: Add Simms to the growing list of Vols who are excited about new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox's blitz schemes.

"Coach Wilcox is a genius," Simms said. "It's tough to sit back there and know what's really going on with their defense because they're moving around a lot, and you're not sure when they're blitzing and when they're not blitzing.

"That's definitely going to be an advantage for them."

Knoxville Quarterback Club Schedule: Barbara Dooley, mother of Derek Dooley, will be the Knoxville Quarterback Club Kickoff Luncheon guest speaker, 11:30 a.m. Sept. 10 at the Downtown Marriott. Tickets are $25 for an individual and $500 for a table of 10. Table proceeds go to the LaTain McGhee Scholarship endowment.

Other guest speakers scheduled this season will be former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, Tim Brando of CBS, former Vol Inky Johnson, Matt Hayes of The Sporting News, and men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

Patrick Brown is a freelance contributor.