Aug. 3, 2013
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Saturday's second day of Tennessee football training camp showed that the players would respond strongly to critiques and the video breakdown from the first practice.
Head coach Butch Jones noted that the freshman wide receivers stood out as a group on Saturday, a promising sign for a team that looks to replace a 2012 receiving corps that is now in the NFL.
"I was very encouraged by the freshman wide receivers," Jones said. "I think they improved our football team."
Jones had praise for the freshman receivers, saying that they have digested the playbook and are adapting well to the speed of college football.
"They've really added a competitive component to the offense, which is greatly needed," he said.
The team as a whole returned to the field ready and composed, showing improvement from a grueling first day.
"We challenged them and this group is extremely prideful." Jones said. "It was an okay practice, but our standard here is a little bit more. I like the way we came back and we battled."
Some of the young wideouts' counterparts also had a strong showing on day two, as the return of Brian Randolph and safety battle between Byron Moore and LaDarrell McNeil reflect the depth in middle of the UT secondary.
"It is a battle," Jones said. "First of all, getting Brian Randolph back, you can see the recovery from spring ball to now. He's quicker, he's stronger. With McNeil and Byron, there's just day-to-day competition. Competition is healthy, but it also helps us in the special teams game as well."