Some notes and observations from Tennessee’s Saturday afternoon practice, their first practice in full pads of the 2016 fall camp.
Non-contact: Wide receiver Jauan Jennings, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and running back Jalen Hurd were in green, non-contact jerseys.
One-on-One: After stretching, players lined up at the five yard-line and did some one-on-one work. First up were the receivers vs. secondary. Some of the notable match-ups were defensive back Baylen Buchanan against receiver Brandon Johnson, cornerback Justin Martin vs. receiver Josh Malone, cornerback Cam Sutton against Malone again, and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin vs. tight end Ethan Wolf.
Most of the one-on-ones ended without a reception because the receiver just never got to the ball, but there were a couple notable exceptions. Josh Malone beat Cam Sutton and made a nice grab in the corner of the end zone, and Wolf powered his way past Reeves-Maybin to make a grab as well.
The other portion of the one-on-one period saw offensive linemen go up against defensive linemen with a quarterback moving around in the pocket attempting to avoid a sack. Notable match-ups there included defensive end Kyle Phillps vs. offensive lineman Drew Richmond, defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie against guard Jashon Robertson, defensive end Jonathan Kongbo vs. offensive lineman Austin Sanders, and linebacker Quart’e Sapp against offensive lineman Marcus Tatum.
During the drill, Richmond called out defensive end Cory Vereen and requested to go up against him. I don’t think he’ll be calling him out again any time soon, though, because Vereen got the better of Richmond with an explosive burst off the line. Marcus Tatum also called out Dimarya Mixon.
Thoughts on the passing game: Arguably the most talked about group this offseason has been Tennessee’s receivers. And I’m here to tell you that they looked really good in their first full day of pads. Well, running routes vs. air, anyway.
Take everything with a grain of salt in this section because the quarterbacks faced no pressure and the receivers didn’t go up against any defenders, but there were some promising signs during the quarterback-receiver portion of practice. Sophomore receiver Preston Williams especially stood out, making two difficult sideline grabs that saw him keep both feet in bounds and come down securely with the ball. Malone also made a solid catch along the sideline, although he followed that up later with a drop on a deep route near the sideline.
It may just be me, but it looks like Josh Dobbs has added a little touch on his deep pass. Once again, this was with him facing no pressure from a pass rush, but he was able to put a little more lift on his deep balls and made some pretty passes down the field, most notably one that sailed right into the arms of freshman receiver Marquez Callaway. Quinten Dormady also made a very nice, well thrown deep pass to Jeff George.
Other players that stood out:
- Alvin Kamara looks strong. Everyone knows he has the speed and elusiveness to make him a dangerous running back and receiver, but he looks like he’s added even more muscle. The term “bowling ball” is used to describe a more compact running back that can still pack a punch, and that certainly applies to Kamara. He made a huge impact against one of the trainers holding a pad while running with the ball in his hand, lowering his shoulder and plowing right past him.
- Josh Smith could end up being Tennessee’s most consistent receiver this season, and he sure looked like it during practice. He made a nice grab on a deep ball and also caught several intermediate passes with ease.
- Jonathan Kongbo is making regular appearances in these practice notes, but it’s for good reason. He didn’t do anything spectacular today, but he did get to the quarterback in a one-on-one drill and just overall looked strong and athletic in other defensive lineman drills today.
