Spring practices are a time for a team to improve on things they didn’t do well the previous season and for new players to integrate into the roster. It’s also a time for a head coach to see what his team is made of as they head into summer and prepare for the fall. And that’s been especially true this spring for Tennessee as they welcome in yet another head coach.
Jeremy Pruitt is the Vols’ newest head football coach, and he’s spent most of this spring adjusting to becoming a head coach for the first time and figuring out what his new roster looks like. For the first week or so, Pruitt and his new staff were just trying to learn about Tennessee’s players and what exactly he had at each position. The last few weeks have been spent switching players around to see where each player could flourish most, and he and his staff have been attempting to teach Tennessee’s players new schemes.
So, how has it been going?
According to Pruitt, he’s seen improvement at most positions, but he’s far from satisfied. When asked about his defense and specifically his secondary, Pruitt said that a lack of talent isn’t the issue with those players; it’s about learning how to play properly.
“We got guys who have plenty of talent,” Pruitt said after practice on Tuesday. “Talent’s not an issue. We gotta learn how to play, learn how to compete. We gotta be a smart football player.”
Tennessee’s defense isn’t the only unit that fits that bill according to Pruitt. He also said on Tuesday that he’s seen improvement from the Vols’ running backs, but there’s still plenty to work on with them too.
“We have guys who make some good runs, but maybe when they get out in the open field, they ain’t securing the ball the correct way,” Pruitt stated. “Sometimes you get guys that make runs and might not have done exactly what they’re supposed to do. There’s a bunch of things that go into it.
“As a whole, I think the group of running backs have improved this spring. We have very little depth at that position. That’s why we moved Princeton Fant to that position. We’re looking for able bodies to play running back. The guys who have had a chance to compete have done that.”
When the spring started, the Vols had only a trio of rising sophomores at running back after Pruitt announced he would be moving junior Carlin Fils-aime to the secondary. Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan, and Trey Coleman were the only scholarship backs in the rotation, and Jordan even missed some time due to a minor surgery. That’s why, as Pruitt stated, they moved wide receiver/tight end Princeton Fant over to the position.
Depth has been a concern at a lot of positions this spring, not just running back. Tennessee’s quarterback position has just two scholarship players, and the offensive line doesn’t have enough scholarship players to fill out a complete two-deep depth chart.
And it’s because of that lack of depth that Pruitt has been hesitant to really grade his team, especially in the trenches.
“I think it’s hard to grade where we’re at on either side of the ball because we’ve had some guys out at key positions and we’ve moved guys around,” Pruitt said. “But I can tell you this: We’ve improved in both areas on the offensive line and defensive line as the spring has progressed.”
Spring practices are all about growth and development. And Pruitt has seen that so far this spring. But Tennessee’s roster still isn’t where he wants it to be, and there’s plenty of room for even more improvement.
