In probably the biggest news coming from Tennessee’s practice on Thursday, sophomore offensive tackle Coleman Thomas returned to the practice field for the first time since March 24th.
Thomas was arrested last month and charged in an incident involving a stolen Xbox and video games from a school dormitory on March 13th, but charges were dropped on Wednesday, allowing his immediate return to the team.
“He was actually a lot better than I thought he would be,” offensive line coach Don Mahoney said of Thomas’ return. “Playing center, his snap location was good. He has always been a guy who understands the offense and I was quite surprised that he was further ahead than I thought he would be.”
Thomas is expected to work exclusively at center during the last four spring practices, which became even more important after his extended absence.
“Just reps,” offensive coordinator Mike Debord said. “He got in there and got reps again. So again, he’s got a shorter spring. But he’s focused and he’s working on getting better so he’s got to make every rep count.”
Forum discussion: Coleman Thomas cleared of wrongdoing, charges dropped