Strong on the Vols

At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, Kamran Joyer is an imposing presence on the O-line for Wesley Chapel (Fla.) High School, but once the ball is snapped he becomes a dominating force of nature with the power to open holes, flatten foes and deflate egos.

There may well be better offensive linemen Tennessee will recruit this year, but there’s unlikely to be any prospect on its board with more raw power or sheer muscle than the Sunshine State strongman.

He competed in Florida's power-lifting competition as a junior and posted lifts of 420 pounds in the bench press and 295 pounds in the power clean for a 715-pound total. He’s still five months from the start of his senior season and he’s already stronger than such notable weight room rats as Cody Douglas, Michael Munoz, Scott Wells and Jason Respert were when they entered Tennessee as freshmen. In fact he’s strong enough to lift Douglas’ 330-pound playing weight eight times.

As a junior he earned All-Conference as well as second-team All-State honors. Joyer posted 70 pancake blocks and was a warrior of true grit in the trenches. His ability to absolutely overwhelm the competition with braun has impeded his technique. He’ll work to refine that aspect of his game over the next 17 months which could put him on course to make an immediate impact on the next level. It’s a lot easier to sharpen mechanics and smooth out footwork than it is to make a player stronger.

When comparing Kamran Joyer to former Vols you could say he’s a block off the ol’ Chip as in Chip Kell, a three-year starter (1968-1970) who was named first-team All-American guard in 1969 and 1970. Kell was only listed at 6-feet tall during his playing days, but his prowess in the weight room was legendary.

Joyer, who runs a 5.3 time in the 40, is something of a legend himself in the iron jungle. At the tender age of 15 he performed the Herculean feat of benching 185 pounds an astonishing 35 times. Combine that type of strength with competitive strength and a bit of a nasty streak and you have a linebacker’s worst nightmare. And seeing that Phillip Fulmer was a teammate of Kell’s, he can truly appreciate the importance of beefy blocker to a power running game. So it’s not surprising Tennessee was the first school to offer Joyer.

“I have received offers from South Carolina and Tennessee,” Joyer told Scout.com analyst Andrew Bone. “I received the offers last month. It felt good to receive the offers. I think Florida and Georgia are close to offering me.”

There may be many more offers to follow as Joyer continues to climb the rankings, however UT appears to be in good position to land the large lineman as his time frame for announcing his choice is later this spring.

“I have not visited any schools, but I plan to visit Florida State, Florida and Tennessee,” he added. “My favorites in order are Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame and Florida State.

“I think I am going to commit before or after spring training," he said. "We begin May 5. I am looking for a good education, and a good team."

The Vols have been pursuing Joyer with vigor. He attended Junior Day on The Hill in February and was impressed. That may have something to do with his willingness to pull the trigger early.

When asked why he favored UT Joyer said: “They put a lot of lineman in NFL. They have good tradition and a good atmosphere on game days.”

It’s too early to say Kamran is ‘in the house’, but it’s fair to say Joyer is in the foyer.