We begin this edition of the War Room as we always do. The War Room is a collective effort of notes and news gathered throughout the week by the Volquest staff that is located only on the General's Quarters. And now, it's on with the news.
Following Friday morning’s practice, Tennessee does indeed go into a game week mode as next week will be a game practice week with the Vols 13 days away from kickoff. What does that mean? Well it means reps for guys shift a bit as they work to get dialed in on continuity. So they won’t rotate as many combinations in team settings and for the younger players it’s a week to learn what goes into game prep. Now, they aren’t going to do two weeks of prep on Ball State but they will structure things differently in practice as “camp” comes to an end.
For this team the next few days are also about getting healthy and getting legs back. On the health side of things Kamal Hadden was back on the practice field on Wednesday but was still limited during the team period work as he basically just did the individual drills as he works to get back. Hadden has missed almost all of camp.
Jaylen Wright is basically on the same path. Wright is doing individual drills but hasn’t taken any contact and likely will not until the opener against Ball State if he’s ready then.
Several other guys are beaten up, but at this point there is no major concern with anyone. But the staff will be cautious with guys. Jacob Warren for example is a little banged up, so they won’t take any chances there with him as they look for a third tight end to go with Warren and Princeton Fant.
We continue to hear that the coaching wants and plans to play more players this fall. We expect you will see them play a lot of guys in the opener as they are heavily favored over Ball State.
Over the last week or so, Tennessee has worked a lot of different combinations with the first team, not necessarily for guys to compete for a starting job but just to see how they handle themselves. Freshman Joshua Josephs has had some work with the first team. Tight end Miles Campbell and transfer Charlie Browder have as well. Both freshman tailbacks, Dylan Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas, have gotten work with the first team.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the receiver rotation looks like. Jimmy Holiday has missed some time but should be fine and should be a part of it. The recent time Jimmy Calloway has missed comes at a critical juncture for him. Everyone you speak with will tell you how talented Callaway is, but he’s been plagued by inconsistency and being out doesn’t help him in gaining the coaching staff’s trust.
This staff showed last year they are fine with a small rotation, but the question is who’s the other outside receiver opposite of Cedric Tillman. We know Tillman and Hyatt in the slot, but that other spot is unclear. The guy the staff wants it to be is Bru McCoy and he’s shown he can do it in scrimmages and on the practice field. The problem is whether or not he will be eligible.
McCoy and Tennessee are still awaiting word. Will USC finally sign off on it or will they not sign off on his transfer which means McCoy ends up going through an appeals process with the NCAA. Everyone at Tennessee and McCoy were certainly hoping to have things resolved by this point. The longer it goes the more concerning it becomes. The guy who’s probably been the most consistent and has a chance to play opposite Tillman if McCoy can’t get eligible is Walker Merrill. We will see what happens over the next couple of weeks. It should be noted that Tennessee’s administration has and is working every angle/way they can to get things resolved.
Defensively, it will be an upset in our opinion if Tamarion McDonald doesn’t start at star/nickel. Wesley Walker has been a bit limited of late and McDonald has had a really nice fall camp. It certainly feels like the defensive staff will play a lot of guys in week one as they sort out their pecking order before traveling to Pitt.
On the uniform front, we had mentioned a while back that we believed a grey uniform was returning to the alternative uniform closet. We didn’t know it would be the exact same uniform as before. That uniform will be tweaked in the coming years as the plan is to wear them at least once a year through 2025.
One of the issues with new uniforms and helmets is the supply chain. Getting new helmets or just getting them refurbished is a bit challenging because of how long it’s taking to get supplies. Of course, Tennessee already has the smokey grey helmets so there’s no supply chain issue there.
While the program shifts into game week mode, construction crews are into ‘long hour mode' trying to finish up the two projects inside Neyland Stadium. The remaining seats have not been installed on the west sideline club. Those seats in the middle section which are padded like the ones in the premium section at Lindsey Nelson Stadium have arrived and are available to be installed. This week there has been a bunch of electrical work done in the club area (below the stadium). Crews have just half a handful of days left and some of that time is going to be spent cleaning up and removing supplies and equipment that is in the concourse area.
The party deck is nearing completion as the final touches are being done. There are tickets available still for that new section. It will be its own section. You can’t choose to hang out in there area unless you have a specific ticket for that section.
On the baseball front, Lindsey Nelson Stadium will be buzzing Sunday afternoon as the spotlight will be on youth baseball. Tennessee’s ball park is hosting the 13U Perfect Game Select Baseball Festival. It will televised and will feature Perfect Game’s top 13U players. Tony Vitello is always recruiting.
Following Friday morning’s practice, Tennessee does indeed go into a game week mode as next week will be a game practice week with the Vols 13 days away from kickoff. What does that mean? Well it means reps for guys shift a bit as they work to get dialed in on continuity. So they won’t rotate as many combinations in team settings and for the younger players it’s a week to learn what goes into game prep. Now, they aren’t going to do two weeks of prep on Ball State but they will structure things differently in practice as “camp” comes to an end.
For this team the next few days are also about getting healthy and getting legs back. On the health side of things Kamal Hadden was back on the practice field on Wednesday but was still limited during the team period work as he basically just did the individual drills as he works to get back. Hadden has missed almost all of camp.
Jaylen Wright is basically on the same path. Wright is doing individual drills but hasn’t taken any contact and likely will not until the opener against Ball State if he’s ready then.
Several other guys are beaten up, but at this point there is no major concern with anyone. But the staff will be cautious with guys. Jacob Warren for example is a little banged up, so they won’t take any chances there with him as they look for a third tight end to go with Warren and Princeton Fant.
We continue to hear that the coaching wants and plans to play more players this fall. We expect you will see them play a lot of guys in the opener as they are heavily favored over Ball State.
Over the last week or so, Tennessee has worked a lot of different combinations with the first team, not necessarily for guys to compete for a starting job but just to see how they handle themselves. Freshman Joshua Josephs has had some work with the first team. Tight end Miles Campbell and transfer Charlie Browder have as well. Both freshman tailbacks, Dylan Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas, have gotten work with the first team.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the receiver rotation looks like. Jimmy Holiday has missed some time but should be fine and should be a part of it. The recent time Jimmy Calloway has missed comes at a critical juncture for him. Everyone you speak with will tell you how talented Callaway is, but he’s been plagued by inconsistency and being out doesn’t help him in gaining the coaching staff’s trust.
This staff showed last year they are fine with a small rotation, but the question is who’s the other outside receiver opposite of Cedric Tillman. We know Tillman and Hyatt in the slot, but that other spot is unclear. The guy the staff wants it to be is Bru McCoy and he’s shown he can do it in scrimmages and on the practice field. The problem is whether or not he will be eligible.
McCoy and Tennessee are still awaiting word. Will USC finally sign off on it or will they not sign off on his transfer which means McCoy ends up going through an appeals process with the NCAA. Everyone at Tennessee and McCoy were certainly hoping to have things resolved by this point. The longer it goes the more concerning it becomes. The guy who’s probably been the most consistent and has a chance to play opposite Tillman if McCoy can’t get eligible is Walker Merrill. We will see what happens over the next couple of weeks. It should be noted that Tennessee’s administration has and is working every angle/way they can to get things resolved.
Defensively, it will be an upset in our opinion if Tamarion McDonald doesn’t start at star/nickel. Wesley Walker has been a bit limited of late and McDonald has had a really nice fall camp. It certainly feels like the defensive staff will play a lot of guys in week one as they sort out their pecking order before traveling to Pitt.
On the uniform front, we had mentioned a while back that we believed a grey uniform was returning to the alternative uniform closet. We didn’t know it would be the exact same uniform as before. That uniform will be tweaked in the coming years as the plan is to wear them at least once a year through 2025.
One of the issues with new uniforms and helmets is the supply chain. Getting new helmets or just getting them refurbished is a bit challenging because of how long it’s taking to get supplies. Of course, Tennessee already has the smokey grey helmets so there’s no supply chain issue there.
While the program shifts into game week mode, construction crews are into ‘long hour mode' trying to finish up the two projects inside Neyland Stadium. The remaining seats have not been installed on the west sideline club. Those seats in the middle section which are padded like the ones in the premium section at Lindsey Nelson Stadium have arrived and are available to be installed. This week there has been a bunch of electrical work done in the club area (below the stadium). Crews have just half a handful of days left and some of that time is going to be spent cleaning up and removing supplies and equipment that is in the concourse area.
The party deck is nearing completion as the final touches are being done. There are tickets available still for that new section. It will be its own section. You can’t choose to hang out in there area unless you have a specific ticket for that section.
On the baseball front, Lindsey Nelson Stadium will be buzzing Sunday afternoon as the spotlight will be on youth baseball. Tennessee’s ball park is hosting the 13U Perfect Game Select Baseball Festival. It will televised and will feature Perfect Game’s top 13U players. Tony Vitello is always recruiting.
