The camp just wrapped up within the hour and we are still loading some things and doing some work but we wanted to share some thoughts on what we saw:
PAUL'S THOUGHTS
We'll start with the instate guys that came to the camp and that means we have to start with Chase Hayden's performance. I don't know what position he's going to play in college, but he was open on every route this afternoon in one-on-ones. He lined up as a receiver and no linebacker could keep him in check. He didn't win RB MVP, that went to Brian Robinson who made some really nice plays, But Hayden was the most consistent RB at the even in my opinion.
With Hayden, he said Tennessee has been coming after him as hard as anyone since his last visit which makes me think they weren't heading into it.
Maleik Gray had a fine day. He lined up at linebacker and was in coverage most of the day. It's interesting, he has the athleticism, but I think he's still putting all the pieces together in terms of being the complete linebacker. Because he does so many things well I think he's still an athlete playing linebacker. You also have to take into account that this event is so hard for linebackers to shine. Gray got his hands on some balls today which is always an accomplishment.
Prince Fant was up and down at times. He dropped a few balls and at times struggled to get separation at the line, but once he has some space he knows how to use his strength and size to shield defenders. As the day went on he got better and I think he ended up having a solid day after a slower start in one-on-ones.
Tennessee's in a good spot with both of those guys right now.
I really liked Brentwood Academy receiver Cam Johnson. I know he has some offers as a 2018 guy, but I think he's flying under the radar some.
Also, Cade Mays had a good day after he figured out the setting. It was his first major camp like this and it took him a couple of reps to get going and once he did he looked good. He's a big kid and very aggressive and that paid off.
Moving out of state, I really like Trey Blount's game. I think he's really smooth and mad some tough catches today. Really moves his body well in the air.
At linebacker, it was a great field. Now, no one shined in one-on-ones, but just watching some of these guys move in space was impressive. Tyler Taylor, Chandler Wooten and JaQuan Henderson really caught my eye. While Wooten and Taylor are becoming familiar names for VQers, Henderson was a good looking athlete, too. He hopes to visit Tennessee this week while he's on break.
Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer of Pace Academy in OL walked away with OL MVP and deservedly so. He's a big man and as a 2018 kid he still has room to get better. I liked his game.
On the defensive line we didn't see much from Marquez Bembry, but I liked what we saw from Michael Allen. He's long and has a ton of room to grow and put on weight. Also, Alabama commit Aaron sterling doesn't stick out at just 6-1, but he's a load to handle coming off the edge with a nice combination of burst and strength. Tennessee is still involved in that one.
At quarterback Emory Jones throws a really pretty ball. Now, like I saw when I saw him at the 7-on-7, he still has work to do with accuracy, but man the ball looks great coming out of his hand. Once he becomes more consistent he's going to be really good.
Kentucky commitment Mac Jones throws a really pretty ball. No idea if Tennessee will ever get involved or if they will want to, but the kid has a nice arm. For the second camp he won the MVP and there were no arguments.
BRENT'S THOUGHTS
Before I get to the performances of players, let me first mention the performance of the Tennessee coaching staff and recruiting office as the Vols were a prominently mentioned team in Atlanta. Clearly, the Vols have generated interest among many of the Southeast's best.
Running back Chase Hayden had a really nice day. Hayden in one on one's was a match-up nightmare for linebackers and really no one covered him with any kind of consistency. Hayden weighed in at over 180 pounds and I like the heavier version of Hayden. He hasn't lost any quickness and clearly can be more physical thanks to the bigger frame.
At the quarterback position, it's just one day but I personally liked Emory Jones more than N'Kosi Perry. I didn't think Perry was very accurate. It was windy, but he didn't deliver the ball particularly well. Jones struggled with accuracy at times, but at other times delivered the ball well particularly in the middle of the field. Jones has another year to further develop as well which is another reason I liked his game better today. Jones will be in Knoxville for the spring game and certainly likes the Vols.
Cade Mays is still developing in his pass protection work. He's so physical that you don't fully appreciate his game in a camp setting. However, working at tackle against speed ends, Mays got better as the day went on. The other thing is just his mentality. He was ready for all comers and tried to jump in for every rep. He was trying to do a little recruiting as well today.
Princeton Fant's frame is a big asset to his game. He had some nice moments. But I think he's still working to get his full explosiveness back coming off the knee injury that cost him last season. It was hard to judge receivers given the wind and the struggles some of the quarterbacks had on Saturday.
Wide receiver Trey Blount was the best receiver in my opinion. I thought he showed good hands and nice route running and the ability to get behind the defensive backs. Another receiver who just recently got an offer and did some good things was Malcolm Askew. Askew said he was offered by Tommy Thigpen this week. Askew can play on either side of the ball and said he actually thought the defensive side was likely his college home. He was a good looking athlete for sure.
I had a chance to see linebacker Solon Page. He's about 20 pounds heavier than a year ago. He will be in Knoxville the Friday before the spring game and in visiting with both him and his father, Tennessee is very much a factor as Tommy Thigpen visits with them a lot.
Thigpen and the Vols are in on a bunch of linebackers with guys like Page, and Chandler Wooten. Wooten will be back up in May and is certainly feeling the Vols right now. The linebacker one on one drills are tough for the linebackers and guys like Wooten, Page, and even Maliek Gray won some and lost some as you would expect. It's going to be fascinating to see how linebacker recruiting shakes out. Thigpen's board is pretty big with good players and only 2-3 spots in this class.
I learned a long time to not put too much stock in one camp day. As the saying goes, the film doesn't lie. What you can take away from today is that this staff has really developed relationships with the class of 2017 and those are going to grow as more unofficial visits to campus will be happening in the coming weeks/months.
PAUL'S THOUGHTS
We'll start with the instate guys that came to the camp and that means we have to start with Chase Hayden's performance. I don't know what position he's going to play in college, but he was open on every route this afternoon in one-on-ones. He lined up as a receiver and no linebacker could keep him in check. He didn't win RB MVP, that went to Brian Robinson who made some really nice plays, But Hayden was the most consistent RB at the even in my opinion.
With Hayden, he said Tennessee has been coming after him as hard as anyone since his last visit which makes me think they weren't heading into it.
Maleik Gray had a fine day. He lined up at linebacker and was in coverage most of the day. It's interesting, he has the athleticism, but I think he's still putting all the pieces together in terms of being the complete linebacker. Because he does so many things well I think he's still an athlete playing linebacker. You also have to take into account that this event is so hard for linebackers to shine. Gray got his hands on some balls today which is always an accomplishment.
Prince Fant was up and down at times. He dropped a few balls and at times struggled to get separation at the line, but once he has some space he knows how to use his strength and size to shield defenders. As the day went on he got better and I think he ended up having a solid day after a slower start in one-on-ones.
Tennessee's in a good spot with both of those guys right now.
I really liked Brentwood Academy receiver Cam Johnson. I know he has some offers as a 2018 guy, but I think he's flying under the radar some.
Also, Cade Mays had a good day after he figured out the setting. It was his first major camp like this and it took him a couple of reps to get going and once he did he looked good. He's a big kid and very aggressive and that paid off.
Moving out of state, I really like Trey Blount's game. I think he's really smooth and mad some tough catches today. Really moves his body well in the air.
At linebacker, it was a great field. Now, no one shined in one-on-ones, but just watching some of these guys move in space was impressive. Tyler Taylor, Chandler Wooten and JaQuan Henderson really caught my eye. While Wooten and Taylor are becoming familiar names for VQers, Henderson was a good looking athlete, too. He hopes to visit Tennessee this week while he's on break.
Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer of Pace Academy in OL walked away with OL MVP and deservedly so. He's a big man and as a 2018 kid he still has room to get better. I liked his game.
On the defensive line we didn't see much from Marquez Bembry, but I liked what we saw from Michael Allen. He's long and has a ton of room to grow and put on weight. Also, Alabama commit Aaron sterling doesn't stick out at just 6-1, but he's a load to handle coming off the edge with a nice combination of burst and strength. Tennessee is still involved in that one.
At quarterback Emory Jones throws a really pretty ball. Now, like I saw when I saw him at the 7-on-7, he still has work to do with accuracy, but man the ball looks great coming out of his hand. Once he becomes more consistent he's going to be really good.
Kentucky commitment Mac Jones throws a really pretty ball. No idea if Tennessee will ever get involved or if they will want to, but the kid has a nice arm. For the second camp he won the MVP and there were no arguments.
BRENT'S THOUGHTS
Before I get to the performances of players, let me first mention the performance of the Tennessee coaching staff and recruiting office as the Vols were a prominently mentioned team in Atlanta. Clearly, the Vols have generated interest among many of the Southeast's best.
Running back Chase Hayden had a really nice day. Hayden in one on one's was a match-up nightmare for linebackers and really no one covered him with any kind of consistency. Hayden weighed in at over 180 pounds and I like the heavier version of Hayden. He hasn't lost any quickness and clearly can be more physical thanks to the bigger frame.
At the quarterback position, it's just one day but I personally liked Emory Jones more than N'Kosi Perry. I didn't think Perry was very accurate. It was windy, but he didn't deliver the ball particularly well. Jones struggled with accuracy at times, but at other times delivered the ball well particularly in the middle of the field. Jones has another year to further develop as well which is another reason I liked his game better today. Jones will be in Knoxville for the spring game and certainly likes the Vols.
Cade Mays is still developing in his pass protection work. He's so physical that you don't fully appreciate his game in a camp setting. However, working at tackle against speed ends, Mays got better as the day went on. The other thing is just his mentality. He was ready for all comers and tried to jump in for every rep. He was trying to do a little recruiting as well today.
Princeton Fant's frame is a big asset to his game. He had some nice moments. But I think he's still working to get his full explosiveness back coming off the knee injury that cost him last season. It was hard to judge receivers given the wind and the struggles some of the quarterbacks had on Saturday.
Wide receiver Trey Blount was the best receiver in my opinion. I thought he showed good hands and nice route running and the ability to get behind the defensive backs. Another receiver who just recently got an offer and did some good things was Malcolm Askew. Askew said he was offered by Tommy Thigpen this week. Askew can play on either side of the ball and said he actually thought the defensive side was likely his college home. He was a good looking athlete for sure.
I had a chance to see linebacker Solon Page. He's about 20 pounds heavier than a year ago. He will be in Knoxville the Friday before the spring game and in visiting with both him and his father, Tennessee is very much a factor as Tommy Thigpen visits with them a lot.
Thigpen and the Vols are in on a bunch of linebackers with guys like Page, and Chandler Wooten. Wooten will be back up in May and is certainly feeling the Vols right now. The linebacker one on one drills are tough for the linebackers and guys like Wooten, Page, and even Maliek Gray won some and lost some as you would expect. It's going to be fascinating to see how linebacker recruiting shakes out. Thigpen's board is pretty big with good players and only 2-3 spots in this class.
I learned a long time to not put too much stock in one camp day. As the saying goes, the film doesn't lie. What you can take away from today is that this staff has really developed relationships with the class of 2017 and those are going to grow as more unofficial visits to campus will be happening in the coming weeks/months.
