Vols DB Kelly Earns "Lockdown Chain" For Defensive Work

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After Tennessee’s 10^th practice of the spring, coach Butch Jones was happy with the Vols’ first workout in shells this spring.

"I thought today we had a productive day," said Jones. "First shells practice for this football team, again, it is understanding now how do you practice with shells. I thought our players for the most part did a good job of handling that. We will be back in full pads on Thursday."

Key to Tuesday's practice was that the baker's dozen Vols who are sidelined from full participation in spring football joined in the session in various ways.

"We were able to involve them in some fashion of practice,” Jones said. “So for them to actually get some physical reps, get some mental reps was great and it is also helpful for our younger players, now to see our older players get lined up in a stance, do some different things."

Sophomore Emmanuel Moseley was back in action on Tuesday after missing time suffering from mononucleosis.

"He has been cleared so they had Emmanuel Moseley back in practice and add to that competitive structure, component that we talk about in our football program,” Jones said. “It was great to have him back."

Also, running back Alvin Kamara returned to action after being limited over the last few practices with a thigh bruise.

"(He) gave us some valuable repetitions and Jalen Hurd had a lot of valuable repetitions,” Jones said. 

KELLY LOCKS IT DOWN

As the Vols re-entered the Anderson Training Center following Tuesday's practice, one Vol was wearing a little extra jewelry. Now the Vols don't allow necklaces to be worn on the practice field, with the exception of one: the lockdown chain, a thick chain with a large master lock.

Sophomore safety Todd Kelly Jr., earned the honor of being Mr. Lockdown following his performance over the last week.

"It's the lockdown chain," Kelly said. "Whoever has the most swarm points out of the defensive backfield that's who gets it. You wear it before and after practice. I had a pretty good scrimmage Saturday and I got some swarm points so I was awarded the lockdown chain."

Jones said its important for unit coaches to reward their players.

"That is a motivational tool that coach Martinez uses," said Jones. "We talk about power of the position. Every coach is a group leader of their position group and it is their responsibility, it is the players responsibility to work to be the best position group to meet their full potential. But we never diminish the team concept. Coach Martinez does a great job with that and it is something the defensive backs came up with and it is something that they are extremely motivated with."

It means a lot to Kelly to wear the heavy-duty chain.

"We take pride in the defensive backfield," Kelly said. "You know we're the last line of defense so we've got to keep it up back there."

Will Kelly wear the chain back to his campus room?

"It's kind of heavy so I'm gonna hang it up in the defensive backfield room once I leave here, but I've got to show it off to the receivers and what not," he said. "At the end of the day it's just a pride thing. Whoever has it we all support them.?"

Freshman quarterback Quinten Dormady is making the most of his opportunity to enroll early at Tennessee and begin practicing with the Vols.

It's huge to come in right now, get in the playbook, get around the guys, throw, go through spring. That's a huge advantage."

The quarterback is focusing on multiple different aspects of the game in order to successfully transition from high school to college football.

"I'm just trying to do what I can as far as getting in the playbook, that kind of thing, getting around the players, talking to them," said Dormady. "I'm just trying to work out the little kinks because obviously this is my first spring with this group of players so there's definitely little kinks to work out."

Dormady has observed that the main difference between college and high school football is the speed, but that's not the aspect of the game that he's working on the most.

"The thing I've been working on the most is my footwork," Dormady said. "You know, moving in the pocket, doing the right drop with the right concept."

Dormady is also getting more comfortable with running the ball, something he didn't do much in high school.

"Coming out of high school I didn't necessarily run the ball a whole lot, but I think that the game is going that way and you have to be able to run."

The quarterback is also getting adjusted to the increase in play calls and a wider variety of defensive coverage.

"Going into high school games, the defense is going to run a couple different coverages. Here, there's more than a couple that they're going to run in a game. I'm just kind of figuring that out."

Despite his quick transition to college football and campus life, Dormady is thankful for the help he's receiving from both coaches and players.

"I think I'm getting more and more comfortable each day. Obviously it's going to take time but I think I'm on the right track right now," Dormady said. "The coaches are obviously helping me, Josh [Dobbs] is helping me. We're all working together and that's how it should be."

Moving positions isn't always easy, but it seems as though redshirt sophomore Kendal Vickers has found a home as an inside player on the defensive line.

Since last fall camp, Vickers has gone from 265 pounds to 288 pounds. Vickers hasn't lost his speed and he's only improved in the weight room as he can now squat 710 pounds.

His improvements in every area of his game have impressed defensive line coach Steve Stripling as well as the head of Team 119.

"Kendal Vickers right now is an inside player for us. He has handled that move exceptionally well," head coach Butch Jones said. "He has put the added weight on that is needed to play inside. He is becoming more and more comfortable in that role, in that position. You can see the speed of the game slowing down for him. You can really start to see him now use his technique.

"And we talk about toughness and technique and leverage, every player in our program is given a leverage grade after every single practice and you can see the improvements are marked and very visible each and every practice. I have been very pleased with him."

Vickers enjoys the move to the inside and is now comfortable at the position knowing that he can help his team.

"I kind of like playing in the phone booth better," Vickers said. "I've always been good with my hand. Playing inside, I can utilize that a lot more than I did on the outside. "

Vickers notes that despite playing in five games last season, it was a season that he defines as a process to finally get where he is this spring. Vickers credits his teammates for pushing him to improve as well as his locked in mentality.

"Last year was kind of a process. I was underweight when coach moved me to tackle, so I was still doing a lot of the things that I'm doing now but I was still undersized. Now that I'm at the weight I need to be I feel like I'm doing a lot better job."

Lining up against Jashon Robertson and working next to LaTroy Lewis, he feels as though he's getting even better with the great competition.

"It's rough sometimes," Vickers said. "Sometimes I get the best of [Jashon] and sometimes he gets the best of me. One thing is that we compete every day, and when we compete every day, we're making each other better."

One aspect that Vickers has improved on is his mentality. Being all in for Team 119, his consistency has allowed him to focus on daily goals while acclimating to the playbook.

"Maybe before I wasn't as locked in as I am now," Vickers said. "I have no excuse. I'm going 110 miles per hour.

"It's me not thinking so much and just reacting. I can react to blocks. I can react to a lot of things. I'm a lot smarter than I was before. I can see the back field and know what's coming. I've gotten a lot smarter."

During the 2014 season, the Tennessee Volunteers punted 80 times. All 80 of those punts came from the right leg of senior Matt Darr, who posted an average of 42.2 yards per punt and was named a candidate for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top punter.

With Darr gone, there is an opening for the starting position on the 2015 team. Enter walk-on redshirt sophomore Trevor Daniel. Daniel, an in-state product from Dickson County High School, has been making a strong push for the job this spring.

"It is a big opportunity for me," said Daniel after practice on Tuesday. "It's a blessing for me because I'm a walk-on, and so I'm really excited about it."

Daniel knows that he needs to keep improving and mentions striving for consistency as his primary focus. He says that head coach Butch Jones has been pushing him, but that he embraces the challenge.

"I love whenever people to push me to be better," said Daniel. "It just makes me work harder and makes me want to try harder. I feel like it improves my punting."

More competition for the starting punter position will arrive during the summer when Vols' signee Tommy Townsend steps on to campus. Townsend was a 2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection and received a scholarship from Tennessee. Daniel welcomes the addition of Townsend, but makes it clear that he will fight hard for that starting spot.

"Somebody's got to step up and I'm trying to be that guy," Daniel said. I know there's competition, but hopefully I can be the starting punter."?