Vols Spring Practice #6

[Fingers]

Jabari Small was not fully dressed out and didn’t go through any drills during the open portion of practice. The same was the case for walk on receiver Jack Jancek while Bru McCoy was a non participant as he has been all spring. While McCoy and Jancek weren’t out on the field, Dont’e Thornton was back after being limited the last two practices. Freshman tight end Ethan Davis and running back Cameron Seldon were in red non contact jersey.

Thornton is an impressive looking athlete with a rare blend of size and speed. He looked good running routes and clearly has a high ceiling.

Joe Milton III was extremely crisp and didn’t have a single ball hit the ground while Nico Iamaleava had his best day yet and was very accurate with the football.

Milton threw to a handful of receivers but the leaders taking reps were Ramel Keyton, Jacob Warren, Squirrel White and Chas Nimrod. Iamaleava primarily through to Thornton, Ethan Davis, Chas Nimrod, Kaleb Webb and Nathan Leacock.

All the running backs were getting plenty of reps with Small sidelined and Seldon limited as well. It’s hard to see him having a major role this season but freshman running back Desean Bishope has some wiggle to him.

BYU transfer linebacker Keenan Pili is absolutely massive. He’s the Vols’ biggest linebacker by a long shot and I’m curious about his ability to play sideline-to-sideline and in pass coverage.

While Hobbs wasn’t doing any team work, he is a big fellow and an impressive looking athlete.

A number of Tennessee sophomore defenders looked good but none more so than linebacker Elijah Herring. Herring played a small role last season and I’d be surprised if it’s not greatly expanded this season.

Joshua Josephs, James Pearce Jr. and Tyre West all three looked bigger than they did in the fall. There’s opportunities for all three this season but I’m particularly intrigued by Josephs and West.

r.schumpert

he first group up went (left to right) Jeremiah Crawford, Ollie Lane, Addison Nichols, Javontez Spraggins and Gerald Mincey. Notably there, redshirt freshman and former Top247 prospect Nichols getting the look with Cooper Mays not practicing. Also notable is Mincey working on the right side, as he’s continued to do for a lot of the spring.

The second group went (left to right) John Campbell Jr., Andrej Karic, freshman Vysen Lang, Jackson Lampley and Dayne Davis. The all-transfer left side of Campbell and Karic is notable. They are working with the twos right now, but should they ultimately win the starting jobs at those positions, they shouldn’t be strangers working next to each other.

It was a pretty crisp session and Squirrel White and Ramel Keyton continue to look explosive and confident. Kaleb Webb, working behind Keyton, couldn’t catch one low throw, and freshman Nathan Leacock, working behind Chas Nimrod on the other side, had one drop and another he double-caught. Bru McCoy isn’t practicing, but he’s heavily involved and was coaching up Leacock again on Thursday morning.

The accuracy was pretty good for Joe Milton III and Nico Iamaleava during the drill, and Tennessee has some reliable pass-catchers at tight end with Jacob Warren, McCallan Castles and Ethan Davis.

p.brown

Tennessee is set to have its Pro Day in just a few hours, so plenty of former Vols were making their way into the complex or could be seen at the indoor facility or out on the practice field for a quick peek. Hendon Hooker, Princeton Fant, Solon Page and Paxton Brooks were among the few who made their way passed the media and into the locker room.

who is the backup center? ..... Veteran Parker Ball, sophomore Addison Nichols and freshman Vysen Lang were the three repping the position during individual – and it was in that order. We’d be willing to bet Nichols will get his opportunities while Mays is out, but Ball knows the offense well and can step in a operate it efficiently.

Overall, it was a much cleaner session compared to Saturday’s and we thought both Joe Milton and Nico Iamaleava looked sharp. Milton connected with his guy – Ramel Keyton – twice for touchdowns. The wideout made one good looking play, pulling in a slant before taking hits from the dummy pads on either side of him – showing good toughness to hold onto the football. Ethan Davis made a nice catch over the middle from Nico, pulling in a slant that was a tad bit high. Dont’e Thornton made a good looking catch on the sideline from Milton while Nathan Leacock had a couple of good catches but had one drop while media was present.

As Brent pointed out earlier in the week, don’t be surprised if the offense is ahead of the defense on Saturday. That is typical of any camp-like setting. Defense is reactionary while offense a lot of the time is timing. Plus, Tim Banks’ side of the ball is filled with veterans – especially up front – and they should set the tone with a new offensive line.

e.cain

 

[Rasputin]

Finally first at something

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

First page. Feels nice. GBO

 

[rgvol]

Coach Garner got his d line whipped into shape. In my opinion this defense is going to be legit.

 

[LittleVol]

5th

 

[barrylee]

Hard to see Seldon have any impact this year but Desean Bishop has some wiggle??

Not sure I trust RSchumpert on his diagnosis..

 

[StarBar33]

Hard to see Seldon have any impact this year but Desean Bishop has some wiggle??

Not sure I trust RSchumpert on his diagnosis..

I read that as he isn’t expecting Bishop to have an impact this fall, but notes that he has wiggle

 

[Special Ed]

"Milton threw to a handful of receivers but the leaders taking reps were Ramel Keyton, Jacob Warren, Squirrel White and Chas Nimrod. Iamaleava primarily through to Thornton, Ethan Davis, Chas Nimrod, Kaleb Webb and Nathan Leacock."

Fire your spell-checker.

 

[WillisWG]

Like what I am hearing about the D and the players getting bigger. Nice to hear our DC is working with the DBs.

 

[pimo1]

thanks fingers

 

[WillisWG]

"Milton threw to a handful of receivers but the leaders taking reps were Ramel Keyton, Jacob Warren, Squirrel White and Chas Nimrod. Iamaleava primarily through to Thornton, Ethan Davis, Chas Nimrod, Kaleb Webb and Nathan Leacock."

Fire your spell-checker.

minutia

 

[VOLfrombama]

I think E Cain accidentally got it backwards. Hubbs said during a podcast earlier this week the D will be ahead of the O, specifically because they are still working on timing and the veteran DL vs a new(ish) OL.

 

[Big Cheese Offspring]

I read that as he isn’t expecting Bishop to have an impact this fall, but notes that he has wiggle

That's how I read it as well. I think if Cam is healthy, I think he'll at least get 5 touches a game.

 

[FLVOL_79]

14th!

I hope we see Miltons accuracy and knowledge of the offense continue to improve throughout the year. Hopefully he can learn, or be taught, how to leverage his size on the field as well.

 

[UTblood4life]

What happened to Cooper Mays, I must have missed something, is he injured?

 

[butchna]

What happened to Cooper Mays, I must have missed something, is he injured?

No. Coaches know what they have in him and Spraggins. They’re testing options for depth.

 

[WillisWG]

What happened to Cooper Mays, I must have missed something, is he injured?

Coaching them up!

In the trenches, returning starting center Cooper Mays has continued to build upon his leadership while going through his third year of spring practice. Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee spoke to the Knoxville native's ability to lead by example through the first week of 2023 spring ball.

"He's kind of been the cowbell," Elarbee said. "He's gotten after guys when things haven't been right, has led in the meeting room, has coached on the field, has coached in the meeting room.

"The biggest compliment I can give to him, I was running a drill, and two young guys weren't doing it right. Before I can even get to correct them, it was just like a flash, and Cooper came out of nowhere, blurred across my face, grabbed them and started demonstrating and doing it. I think that kind of leadership translates. My guys see that, guys want to help coach and be a part of it. He's not skipped a beat and has stepped right in on that leadership role."

Veteran Leadership On Display As Week 2 Of Spring Ball Begins - University of Tennessee Athletics

 

[Post4Vols]

Thank you Mr. Fingers

 

[BruisedOrange]

I read that as he isn’t expecting Bishop to have an impact this fall, but notes that he has wiggle

That would not be the logic of his sentence, and since this guy makes a living with words, I'll have to suppose he said what he meant when he wrote:
"...with Small sidelined and Seldon limited as well. It’s hard to see him having a major role this season but freshman running back Desean Bishope has some wiggle to him."

Not going all professor on anyone, but recognizing that in the whole of VolNation, English was not everyone's first language...

In English, unlike most languages, proximity more often determines how we interpret what refers to what. So him should refer back to Seldon not having a major role this season. The but means "by contrast" with what has just been stated: "having a major role." So, in Schumpert's opinion, unlike Seldon, Desean Bishop could earn him a role this season due to his "wiggle."

Leaving aside the grammar, it makes sense to me that Seldon would be unlikely to play this season because he brings such a versatile skillset. We all anticipate that he will be learning multiple positions in order to maximize his unique ability to create mismatches by shifting to other positions before the snap. I don't think they will unleash him before he is ready to create a full array of havoc on defenses.

Maybe Bishop, like Dylan Sampson last season, will earn some situational carries because he will be learning only one position.

That's my take, FWIW.

 

[butchna]

That would not be the logic of his sentence, and since this guy makes a living with words, I'll have to suppose he said what he meant when he wrote:
"...with Small sidelined and Seldon limited as well. It’s hard to see him having a major role this season but freshman running back Desean Bishope has some wiggle to him."

Not going all professor on anyone, but recognizing that in the whole of VolNation, English was not everyone's first language...

In English, unlike most languages, proximity more often determines how we interpret what refers to what. So him should refer back to Seldon not having a major role this season. The but means "by contrast" with what has just been stated: "having a major role." So, in Schumpert's opinion, unlike Seldon, Desean Bishop could earn him a role this season due to his "wiggle."

Leaving aside the grammar, it makes sense to me that Seldon would be unlikely to play this season because he brings such a versatile skillset. We all anticipate that he will be learning multiple positions in order to maximize his unique ability to create mismatches by shifting to other positions before the snap. I don't think they will unleash him before he is ready to create a full array of havoc on defenses.

Maybe Bishop, like Dylan Sampson last season, will earn some situational carries because he will be learning only one position.

That's my take, FWIW.

It’s hard to see him having a major role this season but freshman running back Desean Bishop has some wiggle to him.

Could’ve used a comma, but “hard to see him” and “Desean Bishop” were in the same sentence…no reference to Seldon in the same sentence. /Controversy

 

[VAVol85]

That would not be the logic of his sentence, and since this guy makes a living with words, I'll have to suppose he said what he meant when he wrote:
"...with Small sidelined and Seldon limited as well. It’s hard to see him having a major role this season but freshman running back Desean Bishope has some wiggle to him."

Not going all professor on anyone, but recognizing that in the whole of VolNation, English was not everyone's first language...

In English, unlike most languages, proximity more often determines how we interpret what refers to what. So him should refer back to Seldon not having a major role this season. The but means "by contrast" with what has just been stated: "having a major role." So, in Schumpert's opinion, unlike Seldon, Desean Bishop could earn him a role this season due to his "wiggle."

Leaving aside the grammar, it makes sense to me that Seldon would be unlikely to play this season because he brings such a versatile skillset. We all anticipate that he will be learning multiple positions in order to maximize his unique ability to create mismatches by shifting to other positions before the snap. I don't think they will unleash him before he is ready to create a full array of havoc on defenses.

Maybe Bishop, like Dylan Sampson last season, will earn some situational carries because he will be learning only one position.

That's my take, FWIW.

It doesn’t speak well for someone (maybe me) if I have to break out my Harbrace Handbook to understand a sportswriter’s prose,

 

[VOLfrombama]

I doubt many freshman have a huge impact in the fall unless there's a string of injuries.

Small/Wright/Sampson will share the load, then maybe Seldon if he really shines in Spring/fall camp. I would bet Bishop redhirts.

 

[Iravolfan]

I think E Cain accidentally got it backwards. Hubbs said during a podcast earlier this week the D will be ahead of the O, specifically because they are still working on timing and the veteran DL vs a new(ish) OL.

I seen that.

 

[Rockvegas]

Thanks for the updates sir.

 

[orangebloodgmc]

I somehow feel that Seldon is not just "behind the other running backs and receivers" but that he is gonna bring a special package of skills that is gonna have to put him on the field, sooner rather than later.