Tennessee football concludes its camp portion of preseason practice this weekend before officially beginning its game prep for its season opener against Chattanooga.
The team has officially locked the media out of what little bit of practice they previously allowed us to watch so we’ve seen all that we’ll see of them before the season begins.
That makes it as good a time as any to analyze the whose stock is up and whose stock is down during fall camp. Diving into it now.
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Stock Up
LEO Depth
James Pearce Jr is the leader of the room and an elite player. We all knew that before fall camp. But Tennessee has an embarrassment of riches behind him.
There’s as much buzz around Josh Josephs as there is around any other player on Tennessee’s roster this fall camp who looks poised for a big junior season. Caleb Herring has added serious weight over the offseason and looks ready to earn a role on this season’s team. Even true freshman Jordan Ross looks very well put together for just arriving on campus a few months ago.
Which player earns the role on the opposite side of Tennessee’s defensive line on pass rush packages is going to be a fascinating development to watch.
Ethan Davis
I’ve been skeptical that Tennessee would use any tight end in a major role in its offense between the 20-yard lines. But redshirt freshman tight end Ethan Davis has been incredibly impressive this season.
He’s made plays every time we’ve watched competition at practice and there’s been positive buzz from him after both scrimmages. If he’s able to hold up run blocking then he could have the best season from a tight end during Josh Heupel’s tenure.
Davis is one of the players that I am most intrigued to watch this season.
Running Back Room
Whether Tennessee had enough running back was one of the biggest questions facing the roster this offseason. The question became even more significant when Cameron Seldon underwent shoulder surgery back in the spring. I entered fall camp at least mildly worried about this room and definitely curious as to how it would end up looking.
Tennessee has seriously minimized those questions this fall camp. Redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop keeps impressing and looks like a solid player with a high floor. Freshman Peyton Lewis has a high ceiling and also looks capable of earning a role on this year’s Tennessee team.
I had questions about Tennessee’s running back room entering camp, but I don’t have nearly as many questions anymore.
Stock Down
Safety Spot
The other big question I had entering fall camp was the safety spot and I feel worse than I did about this group. Even though Jourdan Thomas was likely going to start at STAR, his season ending injury is a big blow to the safety room because of his versatility.
MTSU transfer Jakobe Thomas hasn’t hit the ground running in fall camp which leaves Will Brooks as the probable starter beside Andre Turrentine.
Tennessee doesn’t have top end talent at safety and its depth is very shaky. Those combinations make this potentially the worst position group on the team.
Freshman Receivers
Tennessee has incredible depth at receiver and could rotate more at that spot than they have at any point during Josh Heupel’s tenure as head coach.
Nearly every returning receiver has had his moment this fall camp which makes it uncertain who will play the most snaps but makes rotating look all the more likely.
However, freshman receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley have both missed time with injuries and have been banged up. It’s not that these two haven’t looked like good players or that they’ve been unimpressive, but their absences combined with Tennessee’s depth makes it feel unlikely that they’ll start the season with a major role.
