Some notes and observations from the open portion of practice on Saturday morning.
Smith returns: After missing the open practices earlier in the week, receiver Josh Smith returned to the practice field Saturday morning in a green, non-contact jersey. Smith had 23 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns this year, but has been limited with what Butch Jones called “muscular stuff” earlier this week as the Vols have been prepping for Northwestern.
Green squad: Running back Jalen Hurd, running back Alvin Kamara, cornerback Malik Foreman and running back Joseph Young were all in green, non-contact jerseys.
Circle of Life: Butch Jones started practice off with the Circle of Life drill – pitting Dontavius Blair against Charles Mosley in the most notable matchup. It’s always tough to see exactly who wins with the team huddled up around them.
Receiver group growing: In addition to getting Smith back, Jason Croom (knee) and Vincent Perry (knee) both got some route running in at practice on Saturday morning. Neither is expected to play in the Outback Bowl, though that’s a good sign for UT’s hopes of getting them back in spring practice to work on 2016.
