The spring practice slate in Knoxville has officially begun.
Fresh off of a shutout win in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl over Iowa on New Year’s Day, the Tennessee football team hit the practice field on a chilly Monday morning in Knoxville for a limited workout featuring several new and returning players.
With it being more of an introductory walkthrough practice, Tennessee kept things on the indoor field with the media around due to the cold weather outside. Still, though, the Vols welcomed back headlining players such as Nico Iamaleava and James Pearce Jr. while also debuting first looks at newcomers such as WR Chris Brazzell II and QB Jake Merklinger.
After Tennessee’s opening practice on Monday, U.T. head coach Josh Heupel met with the media for a 15-minute press conference to kick off the week. Heupel began his press conference by wishing good luck to Tennessee’s men’s and women’s basketball teams in the upcoming NCAA Tournament before moving into some football talk.
Heupel spoke about the revamped roster that Tennessee will go into the season with but still having the culture cornerstones based on what has been built over the last few years. Heupel also spoke about newcomers such as Brazzell and his two new assistant coaches in William Inge and De’Rail Sims.
More from RTI: Tennessee Newcomers Roster Cheat Sheet: Numbers, Height, Weight, and More
Tennessee Football: Notes And Observations – Spring Practice Number One
Check out Josh Heupel’s opening press conference from Monday morning in Knoxville below:
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel
