Here are Tuesday’s observations…
The pat-and-go period wasn't particularly sharp today. Quinten Dormady did look really good and was easily the best of the bunch, but the rest of the quarterbacks had a bit of an off day, as way too many balls hit the ground. Jarrett Guarantano threw a couple of nice strikes, but he also had several overthrows on nine routes and post patterns.
Freshman wideout Joshua Palmer made a really grab adjustment to catch a seam route — only to get a talking to by Larry Scott for running the route wrong. Later, Palmer got an earful from Butch Jones about not planting his foot correctly during a slant route. Tennessee’s coaching staff clearly things highly of the freshman and is working closely to make him as ready as possible for the 2017 season.
Elsewhere, I continue to be impressed with all three freshman tailbacks’ hands. Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan are solid receivers, but Trey Coleman might have the best hands of the bunch. He really just plucks the ball from the air.
Defensively, Tennessee began one of its “Georgia Tech days” in earnest, as all three units worked on various drills related to the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option. The defensive line worked on shedding cut blocks and getting off the ground, while the cornerbacks did a similar drills on avoiding downfield cut blocks.
The linebackers and safeties both worked on maintaining eye discipline while “tracking the alley.” The purpose of the drill was to follow the A-back or wideout going in motion but still maintaining gap discipline.
