Vols Spring Practice Updates 3.28

[Fingers]

Trey Smith participated in light contact drills with dummies again today. He wasn't wearing the Guardian helmets the rest of the OL wears. He's not cleared to participate in team drills, and no indication that stage is anywhere close.

DL Kurott Garland was limited in participation again, but dressed out. We didn't get a chance to ask Pruitt about him earlier this week. Pruitt expected to meet with the media tomorrow.

LB Quavaris Crouch spent today's open period working with the OLBs. JJ Peterson was still with the ILBs.

-David Ubben

Despite the perfect conditions, Thursday was the worst routes on air period we’ve seen all spring. Everyone was just off today. The quarterbacks and the receivers. During the first run-through of the route tree, the wideouts dropped four passes, with several vets getting on freshman Ramel Keyton and redshirt freshman Cedric Tillman.

Jarrett Guarantano was the best of the group, but even he had a couple poor tosses. Both young guns JT Shrout and Brian Maurer had real accuracy issues.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s offensive line had a new-look Thursday. The 1s consisted of Wanya Morris at left tackle, Ryan Johnson at left guard, Jerome Carvin at center, K’Rojhn Calbert at right guard, Jahmir Johnson at right tackle. Pruitt has noted after every practice that Tennessee has had issues with QB/center exchange, so Carvin getting an extended look there (he worked there all Tuesday, too) is notable.

A couple quick hitters: Princeton Fant was with the tight ends today. Quavaris Crouch and Daniel Bituli both spent time with the outside linebackers. Tyus Fields remained with the safeties.

-Simonton

Redshirt freshman JJ Peterson continues to be a work in progress.

During one drill, inside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer briefly stopped the drill to explain Peterson the right technique he needed to use. While the other players were going through their reps, Peterson was getting further tutelage from Will Ignont. In the next round of drills, Peterson had to redo his rep after Sherrer didn't like his first one.

It's apparent the young linebacker is still learning as he goes.

Offensive lineman Trey Smith again was going through drills as he was on Tuesday, working at right guard in the aforementioned drill. It's still of a minimal-contact nature, so don't read too much into it or think his status has changed. But he again was taking part in position drills.

Brandon Kennedy continues to go through reps in individual periods as well.

Both Daniel Bituli and Quavaris Crouch were going through drills with the outside linebackers on Thursday. It's not the first time that's happened this spring as the Vols are looking anywhere to upgrade their pass rush. Bituli played in a pass-rush role in a couple of defensive packages last season, while Crouch initially was going to play the position this offseason, but instead has gotten most of his work at inside linebacker.

Tennessee values linebackers capable of playing all four spots in the defense and those two are perhaps the best suited to pull the double duty, but how much it happens the rest of the spring is worth watching.

-P. Brown

 

[GwinnettVol21]

Great day to be a Vol! Practice updates and some basketball tonight. Go Vols!

 

[DeekT]

Boom!!

 

[Catfishvfl]

Aight!

 

[VOLFan65]

First page! Lets go!

 

[Hulk]

Awesome!!

 

[FLVOL_79]

Come on Trey Smith!!

 

[USMC-TNVOL]

Still exchange issues with the center and QB? I know it’s early in practices but good lord.

 

[zeppelin128]

Still exchange issues with the center and QB? I know it’s early in practices but good lord.

These offensive line issues were getting old about three years ago. Still seems to be the overriding problem. Hard for the team to progress as a whole when JG is getting knocked out of his cleats as soon as he takes the snap.

 

[orangebloodgmc]

These offensive line issues were getting old about three years ago. Still seems to be the overriding problem. Hard for the team to progress as a whole when JG is getting knocked out of his cleats as soon as he takes the snap.

Chillax, man. Multiple guys lining up there and guy who might be best C doing individual drills off to the side.

 

[ProudVOLfan]

Man, I would love to see Trey suit up this year!

 

[mitzustu]

This spring is huge for Wanya. I think he starts day 1. I’d say Wright is a heavy rotator after first bye.

 

[W.TN.Orange Blood]

I'll be glad when coaches finally find Princeton Fant's position to play get-after-it football.
Running back tight end defensive back wide receiver water boy......geez man. But ya'll carry on though. GBO!!!

 

[SpookyAction]

 

[Roustabout]

Wait, that didn’t actually go to plan.

 

[KBVol]

This spring is huge for Wanya. I think he starts day 1. I’d say Wright is a heavy rotator after first bye.

Agree. People can talk about strength and conditioning, an extra year in the program, a year of game experience and a new, better OC.....but last year’s OL was a finalist for worst OL in college football history....so to just run the same guys out there again this year is insane to me. You got the best freshmen OL haul in the country this year with 2 5star and 2 more 4star players and they need to play....badly. Morris and Wright absolutely MUST be starters this year and it’s up to Chaney and Friend (ugh) to get em ready.

 

[VOLFan65]

Agree. People can talk about strength and conditioning, an extra year in the program, a year of game experience and a new, better OC.....but last year’s OL was a finalist for worst OL in college football history....so to just run the same guys out there again this year is insane to me. You got the best freshmen OL haul in the country this year with 2 5star and 2 more 4star players and they need to play....badly. Morris and Wright absolutely MUST be starters this year and it’s up to Chaney and Friend (ugh) to get em ready.

Those guys have day 1 starter potential. Normally it would be insane to start freshmen at a position like LT. Takes a grown man to play that position in the SEC. Honestly for a kid to be able to come in and start at LT in the SEC and hold his own he would almost have to be a 5 star out of high school. Don't know what those mamas are feeding those boys!

 

[mitzustu]

Those guys have day 1 starter potential. Normally it would be insane to start freshmen at a position like LT. Takes a grown man to play that position in the SEC. Honestly for a kid to be able to come in and start at LT in the SEC and hold his own he would almost have to be a 5 star out of high school. Don't know what those mamas are feeding those boys!

I don’t think Wright will start day 1. It’s just going to be extremely tough with the experience in front of him, the ground he needs to make up in the weight room, and learning the position in college. He’ll stick his nose in there and get in the rotation post-bye week.

 

[KBVol]

Those guys have day 1 starter potential. Normally it would be insane to start freshmen at a position like LT. Takes a grown man to play that position in the SEC. Honestly for a kid to be able to come in and start at LT in the SEC and hold his own he would almost have to be a 5 star out of high school. Don't know what those mamas are feeding those boys!

You definitely don’t want to have to play true freshmen OL in the SEC if you’re not desperate and don’t absolutely have to.....but we’re desperate and I think we absolutely have to, especially when the true freshmen are both top 25-30 players in the country.

 

[orangebloodgmc]

You definitely don’t want to have to play true freshmen OL in the SEC if you’re not desperate and don’t absolutely have to.....but we’re desperate and I think we absolutely have to, especially when the true freshmen are both top 25-30 players in the country.

The guys we had before should be better than they were before. If the freshmen are even better than that, then that would be just fine.

 

[KBVol]

The guys we had before should be better than they were before. If the freshmen are even better than that, then that would be just fine.

Why? Why will they be better? They literally couldn’t/wouldn’t even so much as get in anybody’s way last year, much less block them. Fully 1/3 of all Tennessee running plays last year was for negative yardage, which, BY FAR, led the nation. I’ve never witnessed so much OL ineptitude, incompetence and utter futility with the guys we ran out there last year. I’m of the opinion that we simply need an overhaul of personnel.

 

[orangebloodgmc]

Why? Why will they be better? They literally couldn’t/wouldn’t even so much as get in anybody’s way last year, much less block them. Fully 1/3 of all Tennessee running plays last year was for negative yardage, which, BY FAR, led the nation. I’ve never witnessed so much OL ineptitude, incompetence and utter futility with the guys we ran out there last year. I’m of the opinion that we simply need an overhaul of personnel.

Stronger, heavier, no longer 1st year p.t. deer in headlights, more and different coaching... stuff like that. There are no guarantees. Either these guys will be the best option, or the frosh will beat them out. We'll know more in August.

 

[BeardedVol]

The guys we had before should be better than they were before. If the freshmen are even better than that, then that would be just fine.

Last year we had guys on the oline that only hit 270 lbs soaking wet, in full pads, with a gut full of lunch. I'm not much one for starting freshmen on the lines myself, but the alternative is much worse.

 

[Behr]

Why? Why will they be better? They literally couldn’t/wouldn’t even so much as get in anybody’s way last year, much less block them. Fully 1/3 of all Tennessee running plays last year was for negative yardage, which, BY FAR, led the nation. I’ve never witnessed so much OL ineptitude, incompetence and utter futility with the guys we ran out there last year. I’m of the opinion that we simply need an overhaul of personnel.

After reading this and BV's post, I'm convinced if they all just gain 5 lbs. and get in somebody's way they will be better.

 

[Remy]

After reading this and BV's post, I'm convinced if they all just gain 5 lbs. and get in somebody's way they will be better.

Behr, that was the issue, they mostly whiffed, I'm talking about blocking air rather than impeding their assignment at all. See our first offensive play of the season that our Bama xfer at center got roundly chastised for as an example. Turns out it was not his assignment to block and that youngster turned it around and pretty much owned that same UWV player the rest of the game, but his OL peers did not. Whiffs and air blocks the rest of the season were turned in by almost all of them except Trey and even he did not have anywhere near the success of his freshman campaign. IMO the TEs were the worst as a group. Many many many plays they just watched guys go around them or even ducked and blew an assignment rather than even attempt a block.