Identical twins Cody and Cory Sullins line up next to each other for Tennessee Vols offense

Twins Cody, Cory Sullins line up for Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s center and left guard often argue with one another in the huddle and on the sideline.

Their teammates and coaches don’t bother to get involved, though.

It’s just a little sibling rivalry between identical twins Cody and Cory Sullins.

“If you know them, that’s what they do,” quarterback Jonathan Crompton said. “They bicker at each other in a competitive way, really just trying to solve the problem. They’re so much alike and hard-headed they end up arguing.”

The pair has shared many things. They graduated high school with the same 4.182 GPA, received scholarship offers from the same colleges, chose to walk on together at Tennessee and shared an undergraduate major and now a graduate program.

On Saturday, the seniors from Cottontown, Tenn., have a chance to share something they haven’t yet: spots on the Volunteers’ starting offensive line.

“I think there’s a certain level of trust that makes it a little bit easier out there,” Cory Sullins said of working next to his brother. “You don’t have to worry about that aspect of it, of who you’re working with.”

Entering the 2009 season, the Sullins brothers had a combined seven game appearances between the two of them through three seasons — none of them as starters.

Cody Sullins got the nod to start at center just before the Vols’ opener against Western Kentucky when three-year starter Josh McNeil had to undergo knee surgery. He had been in tight competition with McNeil throughout the offseason after new coach Lane Kiffin opened up the starter’s role.

Cory Sullins wasn’t even on the depth chart at left guard at the beginning of the season but has worked his way into a back-up role to Vladimir Richard. Richard hurt his knee at Florida and will be out when Tennessee (1-2) faces Ohio (2-1).

It’s not guaranteed Cory will start. Kiffin has been shuffling linemen all week after being displeased with their performance in losses to UCLA and Florida.

“We’re going to open that up, open up the guard spot and the offensive line and see if we can get better. We need to perform better,” Kiffin said.

Still, the challenge isn’t anything new for either Sullins twin after they worked their way up from walk-on to practice squad member to backup.

The twins were offered scholarships at Wofford, Austin Peay and Maryville but had a dream of playing in a large program.

“When you come in as a walk-on, you’re not given as many opportunities,” Cody Sullins said. “Other guys are thrown in front of you. You have to work twice as hard as some of the other guys. If you work hard, and you don’t give up and you don’t quit, good things can happen to you.”

It helped having someone facing the same challenges.

“I guess I may have had a little bit more frustration than him at times earlier on, but it definitely helped out just to have someone to talk to,” Cory Sullins said. “He knew what you were going through. He knew how hard it was to stand over there and get beat on by NFL-caliber defensive tackles on scout team.”

The niceties stop there.

Cody tries to exercise his status as elder twin — by 5 minutes — over his brother. Cory isn’t ready to commit to a business partnership with his twin if the two pursue a future in finance.

And they’ll both keep competing with one another in everything that they do.

“Every aspect of our life is competitive: school, weight room, everything,” Cody Sullins said. “I don’t want him to be better than me in anything, and I’m sure he feels the same way. It helps us be better at everything that we do.”