Tennessee was back out on the practice field on a warm Wednesday morning for practice No. 3 of fall camp. Today, the shoulder pads came on – but there’s still no knee or thigh pads, thus it’s not considered full pads. I’ve been told there’s 2-3 practice days of shells before the full pads will come on, likely Saturday.
Still, you can do a lot with the shoulder pads now on. The 11-on-11 period becomes clearer, though offensive and defensive lines still can’t go all the way ‘full-go.’ There’s no tackling to the ground but definitely some ‘popping’ heard all around the practice field today. The defense can now ‘mesh up’ with the ball carrier and the continued battling amongst the DBs and WRs continues on.
With the shoulder pads coming on, the intensity also stepped up a notch. Coaches were all over the team during circuits and individual work, preaching to give more and dig harder. Rodney Garner was his usual self, working the line on the bags while Brian Jean-Mary was animated in getting his crew to stay low coming out of their stances.
The intensity might have been at its peak over with the offensive line as day three of camp is already showing some aggressiveness throughout competition – especially with Gerald Mincey and RJ Perry this morning. Expect some spirited competition to continue with that group as the left tackle position is completely up for grabs.
One other note, veteran Jackson Lampley received some praise from Glen Elarbee on the morning during group work for his mechanical work.
Looking at the skill positions this morning, the quarterbacks and wide receivers were working redzone passing right at about the five and 10-yard lines going in. Jalin Hyatt looked smooth running various routes during the drill and catching footballs from both Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton – as two quarterbacks went at a time.
Squirrel White – who can do no wrong at the moment – made a really nice adjustment in the back of the end zone on a ball that was thrown severely behind him. He stopped, jumped and completed a near 360 degree grab while keeping his feet in bounds.
Throughout the drill, where the quarterbacks weren’t bad but did miss on some throws (the field shrinks in the red zone), freshman wideout Chas Nimrod was getting some 1-on-1 attention from Kelsey Pope. The coaching staff praised Nimrod in spring for how fast he was coming along, and Tennessee needs options on the outside. Getting one (if not both) of those young guys ready is a priority.
The running backs were working pass protection this morning as that has been made an emphasis by not only the coaches, but the backs themselves. Both Justin Williams-Thomas and Dylan Sampson mentioned the importance of growing in that regard in order to be ready to play. The backs really struggled last season at times in that regard, and also in spring when drilling with the linebackers.
On the injury front, Christian Charles was once again sporting a red, non-contact jersey. He was still going through some indy drills while we were out here, though. Cheyenne Labruzza joined him today with a red jersey while Jaylen Wright continues to work off to the side with a trainer.
One other note, we did not see Kamal Hadden out there today while media was present for practice. He very well could have been working inside and waiting until later in the workout to come out for the rest of practice – or maybe he had a prior obligation. Or maybe we just missed him, but we’ll keep an eye out to see if he’s back tomorrow. The cornerback was, however, sporting a hefty brace on his right elbow at practice on Tuesday.
Linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary will meet with the media after practice concludes – we’ll call it 11:20am for now. Players who will meet with the media today will be defenders Tyler Baron, DJ Terry, LaTrell Bumphus and Solon Page.
Still, you can do a lot with the shoulder pads now on. The 11-on-11 period becomes clearer, though offensive and defensive lines still can’t go all the way ‘full-go.’ There’s no tackling to the ground but definitely some ‘popping’ heard all around the practice field today. The defense can now ‘mesh up’ with the ball carrier and the continued battling amongst the DBs and WRs continues on.
With the shoulder pads coming on, the intensity also stepped up a notch. Coaches were all over the team during circuits and individual work, preaching to give more and dig harder. Rodney Garner was his usual self, working the line on the bags while Brian Jean-Mary was animated in getting his crew to stay low coming out of their stances.
The intensity might have been at its peak over with the offensive line as day three of camp is already showing some aggressiveness throughout competition – especially with Gerald Mincey and RJ Perry this morning. Expect some spirited competition to continue with that group as the left tackle position is completely up for grabs.
One other note, veteran Jackson Lampley received some praise from Glen Elarbee on the morning during group work for his mechanical work.
Looking at the skill positions this morning, the quarterbacks and wide receivers were working redzone passing right at about the five and 10-yard lines going in. Jalin Hyatt looked smooth running various routes during the drill and catching footballs from both Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton – as two quarterbacks went at a time.
Squirrel White – who can do no wrong at the moment – made a really nice adjustment in the back of the end zone on a ball that was thrown severely behind him. He stopped, jumped and completed a near 360 degree grab while keeping his feet in bounds.
Throughout the drill, where the quarterbacks weren’t bad but did miss on some throws (the field shrinks in the red zone), freshman wideout Chas Nimrod was getting some 1-on-1 attention from Kelsey Pope. The coaching staff praised Nimrod in spring for how fast he was coming along, and Tennessee needs options on the outside. Getting one (if not both) of those young guys ready is a priority.
The running backs were working pass protection this morning as that has been made an emphasis by not only the coaches, but the backs themselves. Both Justin Williams-Thomas and Dylan Sampson mentioned the importance of growing in that regard in order to be ready to play. The backs really struggled last season at times in that regard, and also in spring when drilling with the linebackers.
On the injury front, Christian Charles was once again sporting a red, non-contact jersey. He was still going through some indy drills while we were out here, though. Cheyenne Labruzza joined him today with a red jersey while Jaylen Wright continues to work off to the side with a trainer.
One other note, we did not see Kamal Hadden out there today while media was present for practice. He very well could have been working inside and waiting until later in the workout to come out for the rest of practice – or maybe he had a prior obligation. Or maybe we just missed him, but we’ll keep an eye out to see if he’s back tomorrow. The cornerback was, however, sporting a hefty brace on his right elbow at practice on Tuesday.
Linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary will meet with the media after practice concludes – we’ll call it 11:20am for now. Players who will meet with the media today will be defenders Tyler Baron, DJ Terry, LaTrell Bumphus and Solon Page.
