The Story Behind Darnell Wright's Signature College Performance Is Crazy

Darnell Wright was a popular name among scouts going into the 2022 season for Tennessee. They liked what he showed at left tackle the year prior. Now he was moving to the right side. It was an opportunity to show his versatility and maybe build on his progress. Even so, it was clear he hadn't yet shown enough to be considered a viable 1st round option. The young offensive tackle needed a signature performance to show draft evaluators that he was the real deal—his moment arrived in Week 6 against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide had owned the rivalry with the Volunteers for years. That finally changed as Tennessee racked up 567 yards of offense in a 52-49 victory. Quarterback Hendon Hooker got most of the love, throwing for 385 yards and five touchdowns. Sharp-eyed viewers knew that doesn't happen without the pass protection clinic Wright put on that day, shutting down star Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson the entire game. People may not know what happened in that game's lead-up. Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee told the story to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.

The craziest thing about the Will Anderson matchup last season is that the week of, Darnell was like: “Man, I’m going to be good. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to overset with this guy and be all good.” He just had a confidence within himself and he knew what he was going to be able to do. And Darnell is his best when he has someone really good lined up across from him. He’s almost super-competitive and wants to do everything perfectly. And even when something doesn’t go right and it’s not even his fault, he gets torn up about it and almost kicks his game to a higher gear. He’s pretty special that way.

Darnell Wright called his shot and delivered.

People talked about the tackle having a high degree of self-confidence. This story offers proof. Most young tackles would've accepted the likelihood that coaches would send them frequent help to handle a gifted pass rusher like Anderson. Wright took one look at the tape and basically told himself, "I can take this guy, no problem." Forget help. Send it somewhere else. The decision to trust the big tackle was a crucial moment that led Tennessee to pulling off the upset. The game also forced the Bears to take a closer look.

A few months later, GM Ryan Poles became convinced Darnell Wright was precisely what the organization needed. His size, athleticism, toughness, and mean streak checked all the boxes. Yet one should never underestimate the value of self-confidence. When teammates see how Wright carries himself, that can be infectious in a locker room. It spreads. If you can get 11 guys on the field playing that way, you win a lot of games. Poles knew what he was doing when he drafted this kid.