Practice Updates 8.18.16

#1

Fingers

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#1
4:30 p.m.

Andrew Butcher was practicing today. Not in pads, but out there in helmet and participating in a few drills.
Fort

Andrew Butcher was dressed and going through practice with the D-line today. He wasn't in shoulder pads (NCAA acclimation period) but was going through drills and looked OK.

Jalen Hurd was back on the field in a green jersey after missing the past couple of practices.
Rucker

Jesse Simonton: Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd during a footwork drill. Checkout the cut and burst at the end of the clip. Jesse Re Simonton on Twitter: "Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd during a footwork drill. Checkout the cut and burst at the end of the clip. https://t.co/eJh0NUA2RH"

Tennessee newcomer WR Jeff George (@JeffGeo14) sporting his new all-white helmet. Got his stripe removed Tuesday. Jesse Re Simonton on Twitter: "Tennessee newcomer WR Jeff George (@JeffGeo14) sporting his new all-white helmet. Got his stripe removed Tuesday. https://t.co/wcMV2SVRb7"

CqK-cT4WEAUpEt1.jpg


First off, no surprise obviously but Brett Kedrick working first team RT today.

Latrell Williams did more than we've seen him do to this point and I thought he looked good out there. Really quick in and out of his cuts, explosive looking athlete and he showed some nice hands today when we got to watch them work.

There's been some talk about the freshmen OL on here, and it seems pretty clear that the staff likes what they have in the trio of Tatum, Niehaus and Johnson.

I just continue to be impressed by the talent in the defensive backfield. Gaulden, Warrior and Abernathy looked good today and it's obvious that Emmanuel Moseley isn't backing down in his competition with Justin Martin. Both of those guys seem like they're getting pushed to another level.
Lewis

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYIDByakA54[/youtube]

It was our first look at Mykelle McDaniel and he's pretty slim and will need some time before he's ready to play. I think the plan, anyways, is to redshirt him, but it certainly looks like he could use some time in the weight room.

Green jerseys included Hurd, JRM and Austin Smith. A number of guys were out beyond those players. Obviously, no Chance Hall out there.

Latrell Williams was back out there. He tried to come back to practice about a week ago but the hamstring wasn't ready.

Shy Tuttle continues to do more and more work and that's good to see.
Fort


Tennessee will begin preparations for App State soon, but first the Vols will hold an all-important scrimmage Saturday. The closed session should determine a basic outline of UT’s two-deep depth chart, with a number of positions in the defensive backfield remaining unresolved.

* During individual drills, the offensive line, once again under the supervision of position coach Don Mahoney and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, mainly focused on pass protection fundamentals. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop worked on tracking drills with the safeties, as the players shed blocks and then sprinted to tackle a pad-dummy. Tailback coach Robert Gillespie had guys doing footwork drills, with Hurd showcasing his quick feet and juke moves.

* Redshirt sophomore defensive back Rashaan Gaulden exclusively worked out with the cornerbacks Thursday, another signal that Gaulden is competing for the starting nickel back job while players like standout freshman Nigel Warrior and sophomore Micah Abernathy are battling for a starting spot at safety.
jesse Simonton

The revamped offensive line also saw Venzell Boulware get some early practice work with the centers as Boulware snapped to an graduate assistant.

Dylan Wiesman continued to be a leader on the field, and Brett Kendrick has taken on more of that role as well. Kendrick and Justin Martin had a funny high-five, hip-bump moment as the team broke from stretch and headed into individual drills. Wiesman, Kendrick, Boulware, Drew Richmond, Marcus Tatum, Coleman Thomas and Jashon Robertson were among the top scholarship offensive linemen who gleaned reps.
brice

For those keeping a running tally of the first-team offensive line, the first group Thursday from left to right was Drew Richmond, Jashon Robertson, Coleman Thomas, Dylan Wiesman and Brett Kendrick. And it’s also worth noting that redshirt freshman Venzell Boulware got in some work with the centers — something we’ve seen him do before but not as much lately, at least during the periods open to media.

Freshman defensive end Mykelle McDaniel also was on the field, and he was in shoulder pads. I wouldn’t get too excited about McDaniel just yet. You can tell he’s a good athlete, and he has great length, but he’s awfully skinny. He’s even skinner than Darrell Taylor was when he arrived in Knoxville. It’s a shame that McDaniel couldn’t spend an entire summer in Tennessee’s strength and conditioning program, but the Vols are loaded at that position, and he’ll almost certainly be given plenty of time to develop.
rucker

Tennessee junior Todd Kelly Jr., sophomore Micah Abernathy, freshman Nigel Warrior and sophomore Stephen Griffin once again got most of the repetitions at safety among the scholarship safeties during the portion of Thursday’s practice that was open to media. Redshirt sophomore Rashaan Gaulden again worked with the cornerbacks as he continues to focus most of his attention on nickelback, where he’s battling with senior Malik Foreman for the starting job.
Callahan
 
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#9
#9
I'm going to add the first page of any practice report from Fingers to the list of things my kids aren't allowed to see.
 
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#13
#13
What's wrong with jalen!?!?!?!?!?

He is a Heisman candidate at RB for a SEC Title contending team. The coaches have been letting him take it easy as camp is winding down. Nothing to see here. Just making sure our workhorse is fresh and ready for the season.
 
#17
#17
Idk what the chances are that a true Fr ends up being one of the best players on the field but Warrior seems like he will be as athletic as any Safety/DB we have. If he has the mental aspect down, look out!
 
#21
#21
any body got an idea why Robertson is playing the left side now? I thought he started on the right the last two years?
 
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#22
#22
any body got an idea why Robertson is playing the left side now? I thought he started on the right the last two years?

They talk about how important that left side is,

got a new guy at tackle,

if I were him, Id feel a lot better with Jashon to my right
 
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#23
#23
They talk about how important that left side is,

got a new guy at tackle,

if I were him, Id feel a lot better with Jashon to my right

as weird as it is to say Weisman is our only returning All-SEC offensive lineman and he played LG last year (i think)

not saying its a bad thing if someone has taken that spot, I just found it curious. Robertson is a curious case imo. Played great as a true freshman but then couldn't stay on the field last year due to injury. I would want to see some gameday consistency from him before handing the LG spot over to him.
 
#24
#24
Patrick Brown tweet:

Butch says Alexis Johnson will have to work his way back to the football team but was out here doing some conditioning today.

Doesnt look like instant impact here, but glad he's back with the team.
 
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