Tennessee football returns to Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the 2024 Orange-And-White Spring Game. It’ll be a very different spring game this season with the capacity crowd only being 10,000 because of renovations going on at the stadium.
So the surrounding circumstances will be different but there’s still a handful of storylines to follow for the game’s itself. Taking a look at three of them here.
More From RTI: Everything To Know About The 2024 Orange-And-White Game
Opportunities For Running Backs
Two of the five scholarship running backs on Tennessee’s roster are currently injured— early enrollee freshman Peyton Lewis and sophomore running back Cameron Seldon. Seldon’s injury is particularly noteworthy because he is projected to be Tennessee’s second running back this fall.
That presents a major opportunity for second year running backs DeSean Bishop and Khalifa Keith who will get extended reps in this game and have a chance to prove their worth.
With Seldon potentially sidelined into the opening part of the season, Tennessee could look for a running back once the transfer portal opens again after spring practice. This is a chance for Bishop or Keith to prove that to the coaches that they’re capable of being Dylan Sampson’s backup if possible.
Can Tennessee’s Offensive Line Hold Up
Tennessee’s offensive line could be severely limited during the spring game. Guards Javontez Spraggins and Andrej Karic have been limited or out for the entirety of spring practice while center Cooper Mays and guard Jackson Lampley haven’t practiced in the last week and change.
While the Vols have pieced together a strong starting offensive line, depth remains a major question mark for that group. And Tennessee has one of the nation’s best defensive lines which makes it an incredibly difficult task for the offensive line.
Can Tennessee’s offense get much of anything going as they are overmatched on the line of scrimmage? That is what I’ll be curious to watch. It could make it hard to make many evaluations of the rest of the skill position players.
Receivers Versus Defensive Back
Two of the positions with the most competition entering the 2024 season are receivers and defensive backs. We get the chance to see the two groups battle it out on Saturday.
What’s perhaps most intriguing is the depth that both groups have (at least at corner and receiver. Less so at safety). This will allow for a number of quality reps and competition as they work their way down the depth chart.
Dont’e Thornton and Chris Brazzell II are the two receivers I’m most intrigued to watch while I’m curious to get a look at Jermod McCoy and what Jordan Matthews looks like potentially working some at STAR.
How much work each receiver gets with starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava could be the most telling part of the day as it pertains to the offense.
