Ruckers fast five
1. Circle of life. Kenny Bynum and Gavin Bryant were tossed into the ring.
2. No Coleman Thomas
3. Green jerseys: North, Hurd, Blanc
4. NEW QB IMPRESSIONS. A quick study of Tennessee freshman January quarterback enrollees Quinten Dormady and Jauan Jennings and, to be fair, not from a large sample size its clear to see why coaches believe Dormady is much more developed at this stage of his career as a passer. Jennings, to be kind, seems to have a long way to go as a passer, but he has a strong arm and a great work ethic and is obviously a great athlete. The biggest cosmetic issue with Dormady at the moment seems to be a reluctance to fully let it rip when he throws. Everything looks good until the very end, and it looks like he just doesnt want to completely unleash his arm strength with the throw. Its almost like a sprinter pulling up before the finish line. Perhaps thats a natural thing, or even something hes been told to do, because hes only recently worked his way back from an issue with his throwing shoulder. Regardless, Dormady looks good as a passer, and Jennings looks great as an athlete but rough around the edges as a quarterback.
5. More eyeballs than normal at practice because of junior day.
***
There were a handful of matchups, but a few noteworthy competitions provided some highlights. Brett Kendrick, who's opened camp with a very solid week, had a resounding win in the circle, as did Josh Malone, who easily sent freshman defensive back Stephen Griffin backpedaling. Charles Mosley battled Mack Crowder, and while it was even early it appeared that Mosley might have secured the win. Mosley remains working with the defense.
The Vols logged heavy special teams work early, with Trevor Daniel easily outworking George Bullock in punting. Bullock, to his credit, has been staying late from practice to work on drops for his punts. In that same session, Tennessee looked at Von Pearson, Alvin Kamara, Alton 'Pig' Howard, Josh Malone and Evan Berry caught punts, as did Malik Foreman.
Josh Dobbs has opened camp with a solid week; he's throwing the ball with some more accuracy on a more frequent basis. Coaches want that continued development in consistency. Dobbs also slipped on a glove for his left, non-throwing hand.
VQ
http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/032815aaa.html
Big hit of the day award at Vols first practice in full pads goes to Gavin Bryant. He apparently got Ray Raulerson pretty good, per JRM. - Patrick Brown
From UT:
"The transition from safety to Linebacker has been a blast" - @Cortez_mcdowell, speaking to media for first time http://t.co/8WPD1iXJhl
"@Cortez_mcdowell has a chance to be really good. He's going to be come in and make an impact." -@Finally_Maybin http://t.co/jcVms8xZU5
"I got past Maybin today, he was like wow you are that fast?' - @A_kamara6 http://t.co/vvhL8jQKOE
KAMARA: I want to solidly and show the coaches what I can do, I want to show them I can be a weapon.
KAMARA: It was on the front of my mind that I could come in and make a difference right away. I like the pressure of the SEC
KAMARA: the tempo here is a lot faster. You have to bear down and get used to that tempo. It has been good.
KAMARA: Jalen is the bigger body, I can get on the edge and they will have hard time with us.
KAMARA: I feel I can take a play from 8 yards to 80 yards.
KERBYSON: we have had @JawuanJames70 hanging out with us and that has made a big difference with his one year in NFL http://t.co/cywi6d2sdm
JOSH SMITH: Getting injured was a shot to my heart, it was hard. I'm knocking rust off after not having the pads on http://t.co/sVfiaQWfDS
JOSH SMITH: I just have to push to my threshold. I have to get my spot back and that's what I'm going to do. I'm getting there.
SMITH: @A_kamara6 is a playmaker for sure. Seeing how he works & his work ethic, you can see it on the practice field. It's exciting to see
SMITH: I was 195, now I'm 208, I have put on a lot more muscle. Putting on weight was a success. There's no jamming me.
JONES: Great day. 170+ faculty on Faculty Appreciation Day. Very important to have the chance to say thank you for all they do.
JONES: I wanted to see how our players respond to the different tempos we implement when the pads go on for the first time.
JONES: I like their mentality, I like their approach to practice. But we must become a much more physical football team.
JONES: One individual who really stepped up and made his presence felt was @KingTut_90.
JONES: We'll continue to move @KylerGreens77 around. He gives us great flexibility up front, can play guard and tackle.
JONES: @KingTut_90 came off the football. You could see his competitive nature and his instincts with the pads on now.
JONES: You don't develop toughness in just 11-on-11s. There's a lot that goes into the physical nature of practice.
JONES: This has been a very big spring for @B_Ken63. He's going into year 3 of our football program and you can see the maturation.
JONES: @B_Ken63 has shown great resiliency. He just needs to continue to work. I've been really encouraged by everything I've seen from him.
JONES. You can see the natural instincts, the toughness from @A_kamara6 in the way he runs the football. Has a lot of potential.
JONES: @A_kamara6 and @MrHurd_1 are complementary backs to one another. I see them really feeding off of each other.
JONES: The mental part of playing football is critical. Not only do you have to rely on football IQ, but you have to play at a high pace.
JONES: Invaluable for @Cortez_mcdowell to have @Finally_Maybin as a model.
JONES: I love @Finally_Maybin. He's committed to our program, a great leader. He's a great mentor for @Cortez_mcdowell.
JONES: It's good to have @dillonbates back in pads. Playing LB is like riding a bike for him. You can see his instincts starting to kick in.
JONES: @JoshSmith_25 has a workmanlike mentality every time he steps inside the building. He shows up everyday to work.
JONES: @CamSutton23 is getting valuable reps at the nickel position. We have to make sure we don't inundate him with a ton of repetitions.
JONES: Very rarely are you in base defense in today's world. You're in nickel or you're in dime. It's about developing that overall depth.
JONES: The nickel has to be able to play zone coverage and man coverage and have the right physicality.