The Vols took the field on Tuesday afternoon in the middle of the hottest part of the day for yet another full-padded practice. Tennessee has officially started Week 3 of fall camp, and Tuesday’s practice was possibly the hottest and most intense yet.
Here’s what we saw from Tennessee’s fall camp practice on August 15th.
Notes
- Jarrett Guarantano was back on the field with the quarterbacks today after missing the Vols’ open practice on Friday. He was reportedly back with the team on Saturday, but this was the first time we got to see him back after his absence due to a death in the family.
- All of Tennessee’s offensive linemen who had been held out were back in full pads and not in non-contact jerseys for today’s practice. Trey Smith, Marcus Tatum, and Brett Kendrick were all in attendance.
- Butch Jones had the team line up for a Circle of Life drill after stretches, and Ethan and Eli Wolf were lined up against each other. During the drill, Eli was awarded a scholarship.
Observations
Tennessee’s receivers worked on route running and footwork a lot today, and Tyler Byrd really stood out from a route running and awareness standpoint. Byrd is making a strong push to be the No. 2 receiver behind Jauan Jennings, and with the kind of natural athleticism he has coupled with his football IQ, he is well on his way to nabbing that spot as just a sophomore.
Freshman Josh Palmer has been one of the big stories of fall camp, and he continues to impress. He will still, at times, try to get a little fancy instead of moving up field like he should, but all in all he has very solid attributes that should earn him a good amount of playing time at receiver this fall.
The Vols’ safeties might be the strongest part of the defense. The defensive line is getting a great deal of attention, but the safety unit might end up with the most talented depth on defense this season. Todd Kelly Jr. is a consistent force back there, but Nigel Warrior continues to impress with his athleticism and instincts, and Micah Abernathy won’t let himself be forgotten in the battle for playing time either. Then throw in the surprise of freshman safety Theo Jackson, and this unit has some high quality depth and play-makers.
