Tennessee wrapped up its final true practice this spring, concluding Thursday’s session in only helmets and shorts as Butch Jones aims to finish April without anymore injuries.
Interesting, a number of guys who haven't really participated all spring — Josh Smith, Rashaan Gaulden, Quart’e Sapp, Micah Abernathy — all rocked helmets and went through various drills. Smith even ran routes with the quarterbacks during the “pat-and-go” drill.
Overall, it was a very chill practice environment, with lots of special teams work (PR, KO, directional kickoffs, etc.)
Quick hitters
* Freshman standout OL Trey Smith was taking reps at guard Thursday.
* The quarterbacks appeared as if they were ready for spring to be over, too, as no one in the group was particularly sharp during the routes on air. At one point, Dormady and Jancek combined for seven straight misses on go-routes. QD ironed out his overthrows when they transitioned to cross patterns and digs, while Guarantano was definitely the best QB during the drill but also had his share of misfires.
* Taking a page out of the Kevin Beard book, Butch showed all the kick returners how to properly run a drill one time, faking like he was fielding a kick but showing the players the proper footwork.
* The safeties and corners continue to work on defending the option and ball-location drills.
* At the end of the media viewing period, Brady Hoke was working exclusively with the DEs, while graduate assistant Ollie worked with the DTs.
@Rob Lewis notes
It was a loose Tennessee team on the practice field today as the Vols wrapped up the last day of spring with a helmets only session.
We got to see a good bit of ‘routes on air work’ with the QBs and receivers. None of the quarterbacks looked ultra sharp from my point of view but some different receivers flashed some nice skills. Marquez Callaway stood out with a few nice grabs, showing some impressive hands and body control.
Jakob Johnson got some high praise from Larry Scott after Tuesday’s practice and in watching Johnson closely he does look like he’s catching the ball more smoothly than in the past.
Lastly, just as on Tuesday, a large number of guys who have been limited or out entirely were on the field today doing more than we’ve seen them at any point in spring. That group included Josh Smith, Brandon Johnson, Kyle Phillips, Elliot Berry and Rashaan Gaulden among others.
@Brent_Hubbs notes
On the offensive line, true freshman Trey Smith continues to get some snaps at guard. Smith was working a great deal at right guard early in practice. As spring practice has winded down, offensive line coach Walt Wells has taking some looks at some different combinations.
Smith's work at guard has also meant some more first team reps for sophomore Marcus Tatum.
Another early focus in the Vols final spring practice of the year was a good bit of work in pass protection which included the running backs. A key point of emphasis for a young back like Carlin Fils-Aime.
Defensively it was more option work for the safeties as they work on their Georgia Tech jump start. Another guy who continues to earn some praise is freshman D'Andre Johnson. Being an early enrollee has been huge for him. He got a jumpstart on getting bigger and stronger and he has gotten a great feel for how physical you have to play at this level.
And in conjuction with the end of the final spring practice, Jones was having some food trucks roll in for a meal as a reward for his team and the end of spring.
Interesting, a number of guys who haven't really participated all spring — Josh Smith, Rashaan Gaulden, Quart’e Sapp, Micah Abernathy — all rocked helmets and went through various drills. Smith even ran routes with the quarterbacks during the “pat-and-go” drill.
Overall, it was a very chill practice environment, with lots of special teams work (PR, KO, directional kickoffs, etc.)
Quick hitters
* Freshman standout OL Trey Smith was taking reps at guard Thursday.
* The quarterbacks appeared as if they were ready for spring to be over, too, as no one in the group was particularly sharp during the routes on air. At one point, Dormady and Jancek combined for seven straight misses on go-routes. QD ironed out his overthrows when they transitioned to cross patterns and digs, while Guarantano was definitely the best QB during the drill but also had his share of misfires.
* Taking a page out of the Kevin Beard book, Butch showed all the kick returners how to properly run a drill one time, faking like he was fielding a kick but showing the players the proper footwork.
* The safeties and corners continue to work on defending the option and ball-location drills.
* At the end of the media viewing period, Brady Hoke was working exclusively with the DEs, while graduate assistant Ollie worked with the DTs.
@Rob Lewis notes
It was a loose Tennessee team on the practice field today as the Vols wrapped up the last day of spring with a helmets only session.
We got to see a good bit of ‘routes on air work’ with the QBs and receivers. None of the quarterbacks looked ultra sharp from my point of view but some different receivers flashed some nice skills. Marquez Callaway stood out with a few nice grabs, showing some impressive hands and body control.
Jakob Johnson got some high praise from Larry Scott after Tuesday’s practice and in watching Johnson closely he does look like he’s catching the ball more smoothly than in the past.
Lastly, just as on Tuesday, a large number of guys who have been limited or out entirely were on the field today doing more than we’ve seen them at any point in spring. That group included Josh Smith, Brandon Johnson, Kyle Phillips, Elliot Berry and Rashaan Gaulden among others.
@Brent_Hubbs notes
On the offensive line, true freshman Trey Smith continues to get some snaps at guard. Smith was working a great deal at right guard early in practice. As spring practice has winded down, offensive line coach Walt Wells has taking some looks at some different combinations.
Smith's work at guard has also meant some more first team reps for sophomore Marcus Tatum.
Another early focus in the Vols final spring practice of the year was a good bit of work in pass protection which included the running backs. A key point of emphasis for a young back like Carlin Fils-Aime.
Defensively it was more option work for the safeties as they work on their Georgia Tech jump start. Another guy who continues to earn some praise is freshman D'Andre Johnson. Being an early enrollee has been huge for him. He got a jumpstart on getting bigger and stronger and he has gotten a great feel for how physical you have to play at this level.
And in conjuction with the end of the final spring practice, Jones was having some food trucks roll in for a meal as a reward for his team and the end of spring.
