Tennessee football returned to the Anderson Training Center on Monday morning for its fifth practice of the spring. It’s the Vols’ second practice in full pads this spring and the first time I’ve gotten to see them in full pads after being in Charlotte for basketball this weekend when they put pads on for the first time.
The first three sessions of practice were open to the media meaning we got to watch approximately the first 20 minutes of practice.
Here’s our notes and observations from practice the Vols’ fifth spring practice.
Offense
Let’s start with who was limited. Receivers Bru McCoy and Nathan Leacock both weren’t in pads but went through the warm up portion of practice before moving off and working on the side for the rest of open portions of practice.
Offensive linemen Javontez Spraggins and Andrej Karic both remain limited and working on the side. Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Masai Reddick joined the duo working on the side the rest of practice.
Staying along the offensive line, Cooper Mays, Vysen Lang, William Satterwhite and Dayne Davis were all getting some work at center. Satterwhite is an early enrollee freshman and it’s interesting to see him get work there. Davis is the versatile veteran of the offensive line group. I’ve seen him work at tackle, guard and center now this spring.
Tennessee’s running backs were working on pass protection during the open portions of practice. That will be an underrated key for a young group.
The Vols routes on air portion was working in the red zone on Monday. Nico Iamaleava was passing to Dont’e Thornton, Squirrel White and Kaleb Webb.
White was sharp, making a very impressive one-handed catch on a red zone fade. Iamaleava was relatively sharp though he did airmail one throw to Webb over the middle.
Gaston Moore was the second quarterback to go through drills, throwing to Chas Nimrod, Braylon Staley and Chris Brazzell II. Staley was impressive and a crisp route runner.
Freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger has moved up the order and is now throwing before both Navy Shuler and Ryan Damron. He passed to Mike Matthews, Dayton Sneed and Trey Weary. Matthews had one drop.
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Defense
The injuries are less significant on the defensive end where Elijah Herring and Christian Charles were working off to the side. Freshman Kaleb Beasley was not out on the practice field after suffering an injury over the weekend.
Tennessee’s defensive line continues to be the most impressive group on that side of the ball. The Vols returned a number of key pieces at that spot but the development of Daevin Hobbs is an encouraging sign as Tennessee looks to replace Tyler Baron. Stanford defensive tackle Jaxson Moi looks the part as well. He’s bigger than I expected after the Vols landed him out of the portal.
Keenan Pili continues to lead the way in reps for Tennessee’s inside linebacker group. The Vols have a lot of talent at linebacker but it’s all young talent. His ability to be a veteran leader in that room is invaluable.
The competition between the young linebackers is going to be fascinating over the course of the offseason. Jeremiah Telander and Arion Carter could be due for key break out seasons. I’ll also be curious to see if Edwin Spillman can break the lineup as a freshman.
There was plenty of technique work for Tennessee’s defensive backs. Early enrollee freshman Boo Carter continues to be a compelling piece at safety as he looks to make an impact in a thin room.
