photo by Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee practiced in shells for the second consecutive day on Friday as fall training camp rolled into its fourth day at Haslam Field.
For coach Butch Jones, it was another learning opportunity and teaching point about maturity, communication and the discipline it takes to play winning football in the Southeastern Conference.
"We grinded through practice today," Jones said.
"It was our first afternoon practice and it was sunny. We talked about our mature football team. I did not see that maturity today.
"When you have players who have played, it doesn't now get to just be, `This is my assignment.' Or `This is my responsibility.' It's more of, `OK, this is what the offense of the defense is going to run against us and this is how we solve those problems.' That's something that we're really trying to instill in this football team but we challenged them today because that wasn't up to our standard and our expectations. I know we have a group of kids who work exceptionally hard and they'll bounce back tomorrow.
While addressing the media following practice, Jones also announced that wide receiver Von Pearson has been reinstated to the football team and will begin practice on Saturday.
"We found out and were informed today so we reinstated him. Due to privacy laws and respecting that, that's pretty much all I can say. But he'll begin practice (Saturday) with the team. He'll undergo the five practice acclimization period that is required by the NCAA.
"Von has got a long way to go. He's just a small piece of our football team and he's going to have to work his way back into football shape and he's going to have to earn his playing time. There is no entitlement in our football program. Before he's ready to go on the field, he's going to have to earn it," Jones said.
Hurd's Consistent Focus
Sophomore running back Jalen Hurd has received rave reviews from the coaching staff throughout preseason camp with praises noting his marked growth in physical stature as well as in leadership. Still, it appears those commendations have fallen on deaf ears as the middle Tennessee product was quick to list his deficiencies following Friday's practice.
"I've got a lot of things to work on," Hurd said when asked how his game has grown since the spring. "I've still got to work on my explosiveness, back shoulder cuts, working on stiff arm, using my tools, get[ting] faster, and just staying healthy with my body."
But as Hurd continues to prepare himself for the season-opener in Nashville--not far from his native Henderson--there are plenty of things for Vol fans to be excited about when it comes to the 6-3 tailback. With his weight now nearing his offseason goal of 240, Hurd continues to show quick feet and a strong mental determination.
"I just worked hard," Hurd said about his weight gain. "I stick to a really strict eating regimen over the winter and the summer and it helps me a lot with my explosiveness. I feel good."
Reeves-Maybin On MLB Competition
Junior weakside linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin shared his take on the preseason camp's intriguing battle at middle linebacker on Friday, echoing defensive coordinator John Jancek's statement from the previous day that the competition at "Mike" is wide open.
"They're all attacking it, they're all learning it," Reeves-Maybin said. "Nobody has shown any sign of weakness to me."
Reeves-Maybin, who is a two-year starter at "Will" linebacker, was impressed with redshirt junior Kenny Bynum's one start at middle linebacker in the TaxSlayer Bowl win over Iowa.
"Kenny is really mature," he said. "He's one of the smartest people in the room. He was prepared for it, he knows the assignments, he knows how to get everybody lined up and you can definitely see it now."
Kelly Sees Competition, Cohesion Among DBs
Todd Kelly Jr. is seeing a lot of competition in the Vols secondary this offseason and the Knoxville product wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's very high competition, and that's what you want," Kelly said following Friday's practice. "You saw a little bit of that during the spring, and you know all five of our safeties are out there trying to make plays and doing the best we can, and at the same time learning and helping each other. That's the only way you get better--with competition. So every rep we take, we try to all make plays out there and communicate."
Kelly will be hoping the enhanced competition helps him improve on a true freshman season that saw him appear in all 13 games while also leading all freshmen in the SEC with three interceptions. However, the focus remains on the success of the unit as a whole, not only the individual.
"It's not about yourself. It's about the team. We call it power of the position, so whenever someone's out there--not just the safeties, but the corners and also the nickels--when we have five people out there on defense, no matter who it is, we're all supportive and we want to make plays."
Johnson Seeing Work at TE
Sophomore Jakob Johnson just may have a new position by the time the season-opener rolls around on Sept. 5. The Stuttgart, Germany, native--who spent his true freshman season at linebacker--got work with the tight ends during Friday's practice.
"We tried Jakob Johnson a little bit at tight end, trying to get more competition in that spot," Vols coach Butch Jones said post-practice. "I want to see a little bit on video of how he did, but Jakob is an individual who will do anything to help the football team."
As a linebacker, Johnson appeared in 12 games for UT last season and earned two starts. He made 14 tackles on the season.
Jones admitted that Johnson has little experience on the offensive side of the ball, but noted that the requisite skill set for the proposed move is present.
"We see the ball skills every day with all the ball drills in practice that our linebackers do. So he has a very good skillset in terms of catching the ball. He's a very tough player. So you try to help the young man get on the field, but also how can you help your football team?"
Tennessee Wolfpack
Tight ends Ethan Wolf and Eli Wolf are among Tennessee's latest brother tandems on the current roster, joining the Berrys (Evan and Elliott) and the Abernathys (Ralph David IV and Micah). Sophomore Ethan is happy to be reunited with his younger sibling.
"I'm glad to be able to play football with him and be able to talk ball with him again," Ethan said of freshman Eli. "It's nice that he's here too because we grew up playing sports together. It's been a good time."
Ethan is coming off of a solid 2014 season with 23 catches for 212 yards. He became the first true freshman in Tennessee history to start the season at tight end, something that not even current NFL VFLs like Jason Witten or Mychal Rivera had done. However the 6-5, 240-pounder refuses to let his status as the 2014 starter go to his head.
"Snap and clear," he said. "Complacency is what kills a lot of people. Coming into fall camp thinking, 'Hey, I started last year' - you can't let that be your mindset or you won't get better."
While Ethan was a higher-ranked prospect in his class, Eli had the more prolific high school career, setting Minister High School records with 124 career receptions, 2,234 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns and helping the Wildcats win the 2014 Ohio State Division VI Championship.
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)