Vols Spring Practice No. 3 Updates 3.11

#1

Fingers

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Vols DT Emmit Gooden had a pretty bulky wrap on his left wrist at practice, but he was a full participant in the contact drills during the open period today.

OL Trey Smith was dressed out again and had a helmet, but didn't participate in contact. His helmet didn't have the Guardian pad that other linemen/LBs have.

Nice highlight during drills throwing vs. air: Jordan Palmer snagged a one-handed catch on a ball thrown behind him while running a full speed route.
-David Ubben

Both Quavaris Crouch and Daniel Bituli started practice working with the inside linebackers like usual, but after a couple periods they ended up moving over to the outside linebacker group. Jeremy Pruitt has mentioned before that he likes to have “four-for-four” linebackers, meaning he likes to have LBs who can play all four positions on the field in his base 3-4 scheme.

JJ Peterson, meanwhile, stayed with the inside linebackers and looked good today.

Kingston Harris got more run along the defensive line today than he did last week.

Josh Palmer made an impressive one-handed grab during routes vs. air today.

arrett Guarantano is the clear front-runner at the quarterback position right now. Both JT Shrout and Brian Maurer show flashes at times, particularly Maurer when he has to move around and throw, but Guarantano is clearly the most consistent of the QBs right now and has a better grasp of his mechanics and the offense.
-N. Rutherford

Jahmir Johnson got a lot of work at left tackle Wednesday, both during individual and team work. When the unit when to a five-man line, Johnson was at left tackle with Jerome Carvin at left guard, Ryan Johnson at center, Marcus Tatum at right guard and Nathan Niehaus at right tackle. When the next unit came in, Niehaus stayed at right tackle while the rest of the group was freshman Wanya Morris at left tackle, K’Rojhn Calbert at left guard, Brandon Kennedy at center and Riley Locklear at right guard.

Harris is working behind Emmit Gooden at nose tackle. Flanked next to Gooden with the 1s were transfer Aubrey Solomon and newly-converted lineman Latrell Bumphus. John Mincey got some work at end with the group, too. Working with Harris was Matthew Butler and Mincey.

Crouch is clearly swimming mentally with everything being thrown at him right now, having to redo a pair of drills. Still, his potential is obvious, especially when he does exactly what Sherrer is looking for.

Notably, the first group out on the field had Nigel Warrior and Theo Jackson at safety, with freshman Jaylen McCollough and Shawn Shamburger inside and Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson outside. Baylen Buchanan and Trevon Flowers were with the 2s. Like Crouch, McCollough is being groomed to contribute on Day 1.

Finally, the quarterbacks were just OK on Monday. All three had their moments but there were also lots of throws late and low. Jarrett Guarantano did have a couple nice connections with Jauan Jennings, especially after the two couldn’t get on the same page Saturday. Brian Maurer also uncorked a couple nice tosses on deep roll-outs, including one to Jordan Murphy, who continues to flash again this spring.
-Simonton

Ty Chandler certainly looks to have added some bulk to his frame, while Jeremy Banks also appears to have filled out some as well. Tim Jordan continues to follow Chandler in every drill, and Carlin Fils-aime and Princeton Fant also are practicing at running back.

Bryce Thompson got a couple of reps in the Star/Money spots, while Maleik Gray, having spent last season at wide receiver, appears to be working at cornerback. Theo Jackson and Kenneth George Jr. also got some work at the inside spots, while the rest of the group was in their usual positions. The two freshmen in the secondary are working at their expected spots: Warren Burrell at cornerback and Jaylen McCollough at safety, though the former four-star could get some work at the Star position this spring as well.

Jauan Jennings saw increased work out of the slot on Monday, giving the Vols a third scholarship player in that group alongside Jordan Murphy, who made one nice leap grab, and Jacquez Jones, who made a fingertip catch on a low throw from Maurer.

Elsewhere at wide receiver, Deangelo Gibbs had one nice grab that earned some hollering from his teammates

Friend's group on Monday consisted of Nathan Niehaus, Marcus Tatum, Ryan Johnson, K'Rojhn Calbert, Jahmir Johnson, Jerome Carvin, Wanya Morris and Riley Locklear. The rest of the offensive linemen were in the other group as the line went through tandem blocking drills.

Brandon Kennedy also was going through some reps on Monday.

Freshman running back Eric Gray and freshman cornerback Tyus Fields continue to work out on the side of practice, while freshman offensive lineman Chris Akporoghene and defensive lineman Kurott Garland have yet to start practicing.
P. Brown



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#9
#9
Looking forward to a huge year of improvement out of Guarantano. He didn't light the world on fire last year, but considering what he was working with, he made monumental gains from year 1. With a little protection, he can be an excellent game manager - limiting turnovers with high accuracy passes. Has to be better at reads, but the thing that stands out to me the most about him is his leadership. And that says a lot considering how he acted during his 1st game as a freshman behind Dormady.
 
#12
#12
Video shows some good things going on. Not wild about JJ Peterson's effort and body language from what little can be seen. Big positive is they are not having to spend time teaching them HOW to practice.
 
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#16
#16
Crouch is wow big. Shows how far behind we’ve been in size. He already dwarfs Bitutli.
 
#19
#19
Little faith in JG. At this point he should be looking fantastic. Also, Emerson is a bust.

Until his body gave out he was putting up the best numbers any of us have seen in years. It’s not his fault the previous staff had many shortcomings. Having little faith is a bit much.
 
#22
#22
Our football team feels like a bad song on repeat. I really hope they find their way this season.
Everybody gets a little excited this time of year, myself included. So and so looks bigger, practicing with more intensity, really expect big things from so and so......and then the season starts and, well, you know.....surely one day they’ll make us proud again. But when?
 
#23
#23
Everybody gets a little excited this time of year, myself included. So and so looks bigger, practicing with more intensity, really expect big things from so and so......and then the season starts and, well, you know.....surely one day they’ll make us proud again. But when?
True but this excitement is why Tennessee football is a buffet I can’t stop bringing my plate back to.
 

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