Vols Spring Practice #5

[Fingers]

Bru McCoy did not participate as has been the case all spring to date. McCoy had a big cast on his arm. Fellow receiver Dont’e Thornton was fully dressed out but working to the side while going through routes on air. Jabari Small was in his jersey only, not wearing shoulder pads or a helmet while working off to the side and not going through drills with his teammates. Freshman running back Cameron Seldon was in a red non contact jersey but was going through drills. Freshman tight end Ethan Davis joined Seldon in a red non contact jersey.

Joe Milton III looked very crisp and polished Tuesday morning. Tennessee started by throwing lots of short, touch routes and Milton looked good there completing all of his passes. The senior kept it up as they moved to longer throws and was mostly passing to Chas Nimrod, Ramel Keyton and Squirrel White.

After struggling in routes on air last week, Nico Iamaleava looked better Tuesday morning. A number of Iamaleava passes still hit the ground including one set of reps where he really struggled, but he was definitely more consistent and completed more passes than he did last week. Iamaleava got plenty of work in with freshman receiver Nathan Leacock and redshirt freshman Kaleb Webb.

Jaylen Wright is bigger this spring and looks like a complete running back. With Small sidelined for at least part of the spring, Wright can move his way up the depth chart and set himself up for more playing time this fall. Certainly his ability to consistently protect the ball will be a major factor there.

BYU transfer linebacker Keenan Pili is a strong looking athlete and looked well adjusted to his new gig in Knoxville. Sophomore linebacker Elijah Herring also looked up a few pounds from last fall. I’m fascinated to see how the athletic linebacker develops ahead of this fall.

Defensive lineman Dominic Bailey is off to a strong start to the spring and looks like one of the Vols’ better defensive linemen. Bailey had a large role last season but could be in store for an even larger one this fall.

Early enrollee freshman Caleb Herring is an incredibly impressive looking player. The Murfreesboro native needs to add some weight especially in his lower half but he is tall with long arms and extremely athletic. Herring looks like a potential contributor early this fall.

r.schumpert

Tennessee is hosting a handful of noteworthy visitors for today’s practice. Among the players in attendance are four-star Class of 2024 WR target Rico Scott of Pennsylvania, four-star Class of 2024 CB target Earl Kulp of Miami, Class of 2024 CB target Jay Harper of Alabama, Class of 2025 DB target Jaylan Morgan of Rockvale, Tenn., and Class of 2026 OL Darius Gray of Virginia.

callahan

Jaylen Wright looks and carries himself like an upperclassman. He’s leading the line through drills and showing the other backs how to go through the reps and Jerry Mack tells him what the next set will be and he knows what to do. Wright showed an improved ability to run through tacklers and pick up yards after contact and he is very solid physically.

Dylan Sampson looks quick and explosive as you would expect, and freshman DeSean Bishop hardly looks out of place.

Freshman Seldon looks explosive even in such a setting as this where he’s taking a handoff or catching a short pass. He’s got a burst in and out of his breaks, is advanced from a physical standpoint and catches the ball naturally as well. He’s learning a lot right now but there’s a lot to like.

Caught a bit of offensive line drills on Tuesday morning and perhaps the most notable thing there was Jeremiah Crawford working at left tackle and Gerald Mincey at right tackle. Ollie Lane and Javontez Spraggins were the first guys up at the guard spots as the Vols worked some left- and right-side tandem blocks with the guards and tackles. The second group up on the left was an all-transfer duo of John Campbell Jr. at tackle and Andrej Karic at guard.

p.brown

Former Vol specialists – punter Paxton Brooks and kicker Chase McGrath – were present for the start of the workout. Both are expected to be taking part in Tennessee’s Pro Day on Thursday.

The offense looked to be having a better day compared to Saturday, at least while media was present. Quarterbacks were throwing routes on air and Tuesday is was the go route and sideline fades. Joe Milton connected on a few deep balls, which are always beautiful, and Nico Iamleava did as well. With only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, it’s easy to see the separation in this exercise with the top-two compared to the rest of the others.

Kaleb Webb was on the receiving end of the Nico longball while Ramel Keyton caught the Milton ball. Keyton continues to be a bright spot as there’s no doubting his improvements. He has become a much-better pass-catcher over the last year and is on pace to make it extremely difficult to remove him from the field next fall.

Freshman Jalen Smith is a guy who is physical from the point of attack and uses his hands to punch and create separation. Elijah Herring is becoming more and more of a leader, leading his group in every drill and quick to correct when someone is out of line.

Secondary players – as well as some linebackers – got some work in with the rolling donut. The rolling donut is that padded dummy that looks like the letter ‘O’ and is rolled out to simulate a ball-carrier. The defender will work getting his head across and making a form tackle, simulating an open-field stop. Wesley Walker and Tamarion McDonald look good doing this, as well as Aaron Beasley and Kalib Perry with the linebacker group.

e.cain

 

[TheMagnificantOne]

 

[UTblood4life]

Number 2
Ty fingers

 

[tobybeast]

Thanks Fingers!!!

 

[SpringBokVol]

Just awesome

 

[Sara Clark]

Thank you so very much for gathering this information for us.

 

[joevol33]

Thanks Fingers

 

[VolFanNC09]

It’s interesting to see if Keyton will be the next consistent breakout player at WR following Tillman and Hyatt. Basically with all the talk about Squirrel and McCoy, it sounds like Keyton has really been putting in the work.

 

[Vol_guy]

It’s interesting to see if Keyton will be the next consistent breakout player at WR following Tillman and Hyatt. Basically with all the talk about Squirrel and McCoy, it sounds like Keyton has really been putting in the work.

I'm hoping that we see a lot of 4 wide sets, with McCoy & Keyton on the outside and White & Thornton in the slots. That has the potential to be extremely deadly.

 

[volmandu]

How is Addison Nichols faring ? Is he in line for start this year ? Or needs more time ?

 

[VolBricks]

I like what I am "hearing" from the OL, backs and receivers. What I am not hearing a lot about is the secondary. What advances are they making? Who looks like they should be starting come fall? Are they being taught to turn and look for the ball during drills? Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[volmandu]

Are they being taught to turn and look for the ball during drills?

To be fair, they did turn around in 2022 (unlike the last Martinez stint under Butch), however they were still always out of place and often found themselves chasing the WR after the catch lol .. to make it more weird, it usually happened on crucial 3rd and 4th downs a lot ..

 

[sjt18]

How is Addison Nichols faring ? Is he in line for start this year ? Or needs more time ?

I think I saw something the other day indicating he's in the mix at OG and back up C.

I hope someone emerges. I'm not as confident of Lane at OG as I would like to be.

 

[ftsandersvol]

What advances are they making?

 

[GoBigOrange_2309]

I'm hoping that we see a lot of 4 wide sets, with McCoy & Keyton on the outside and White & Thornton in the slots. That has the potential to be extremely deadly.

Yep. Then a guy like Seldon who can line up anywhere

 

[Hank Bukowski]

It’s interesting to see if Keyton will be the next consistent breakout player at WR following Tillman and Hyatt. Basically with all the talk about Squirrel and McCoy, it sounds like Keyton has really been putting in the work.

Keyton has certainly earned his stripes with his clutch performances this past season. He’s proven he’s a go-to option every game. And I’m confident he is taking nothing for granted this year and is out there earning his role and playing time from scratch yet again.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

It’s interesting to see if Keyton will be the next consistent breakout player at WR following Tillman and Hyatt. Basically with all the talk about Squirrel and McCoy, it sounds like Keyton has really been putting in the work.

We are going to have four NFL level wide receivers playing every Saturday and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them.

The o-line just needs to hold down the fort and let Joe spin that thing because dudes are gonna be wiiiiide open.

 

[The Original Fade]

It’s interesting to see if Keyton will be the next consistent breakout player at WR following Tillman and Hyatt. Basically with all the talk about Squirrel and McCoy, it sounds like Keyton has really been putting in the work.

Plus Thornton, Nimrod, Webb and Leacock. We loaded

 

[VFL-82-JP]

After struggling in routes on air last week, Nico Iamaleava looked better Tuesday morning. A number of Iamaleava passes still hit the ground including one set of reps where he really struggled, but he was definitely more consistent and completed more passes than he did last week.

Sounds like our freshman backup QB is learning. That's awesome to hear.

You know what I mean: there's usually a dip before the rise. A young fella learns everything his high school coaches know to teach him and then shines his junior and senior years using those techniques. Then he gets to the college level and there's a whole 'nother level of development. Making those adjustments, initially he's not gonna be as crisp and sharp as before. But after all the new training has time to settle in and become routine, then the real gains come on gangbuster.

Sounds like Nico's making the transition well, and perhaps even quickly.

Go Vols!

 

[Orangeblooded615]

Our RB group is gunna be nasty.

 

[LittleVol]

Sounds like our freshman backup QB is learning. That's awesome to hear.

You know what I mean: there's usually a dip before the rise. A young fella learns everything his high school coaches know to teach him and then shines his junior and senior years using those techniques. Then he gets to the college level and there's a whole 'nother level of development. Making those adjustments, initially he's not gonna be as crisp and sharp as before. But after all the new training has time to settle in and become routine, then the real gains come on gangbuster.

Sounds like Nico's making the transition well, and perhaps even quickly.

Go Vols!

Yup.
Looks like more than anything Nico is adjusting to how coach Hazle wants him to move his feet different in the pocket.

More urgency. Like Peyton.
Peyton had very good feet in the pocket.
The quicker the feet, the easier it is to position the body to throw.

I really like what I'm seeing from Coach Hazle.

 

[LittleVol]

Our RB group is gunna be nasty.

Yup!

Wright, Sampson, and Seldon are difference makers. Small is Mr. Reliable.

Bishop and Keith would probably be a solid tandem too down the road.

 

[volmandu]

Yep. Then a guy like Seldon who can line up anywhere

Yes some speedy guys will be great threats to use. However, keep in mind that since we go up-tempo and do do not substitute, a lot of these new comers won't see the field until they have the full playbook down or garbage time.

 

[pimo1]

thanks fingers

 

[barrylee]

Seems to me these players we are bringing in now are head and shoulders above what we brought in with other regimes.

I’m trying to stay grounded but it’s difficult, guess having a real coach helps!!