Vols team recruiting rankings, other Sunday notes

Tennessee picked up two new commits this weekend in the class of 2018: Quarterback Michael Penix and wide receiver Jatavious Harris both committed following the Orange and White Game.

With those two in the mix, the Vols have seven total commits — one 5-star, one 4-star and five 3-stars —  which currently ranks 14th in the 247Sports 2018 Football Composite Team Rankings. That’s second-best among SEC schools behind only LSU.

Tennesse’s 2019 class is ranked 5th after the Cam Wynn commit. Way too early, right?

Cole Cubelic high on Trey Smith and offensive line

SEC Network sideline analyst Cole Cubelic had positive things to say about the Vols based on the spring game. He likes the offensive line, specifically Trey Smith (even though he spelled his name incorrectly — we knew what you meant, Cole) and Jashon Robertson. He also believes this year’s offense appears ‘much less finesse based’ and the quarterback battle is ‘pretty close’.

  • “I actually believe the OL will be better. I like Robertson at center & Tre Smith can play now at guard. Will have actually depth.”
  • “Tre Smith has big time punch & power. Gets off the ball well in run game. Looks natural & solid at OG. Couple mental errors.”
  • “Offende appears to be much less finesse based. Would’ve liked to have seen more of run game. QBs looked pretty close to me.”

New Tennessee commit Michael Penix at The Opening

Fresh off of his Tennessee commitment on Saturday, Florida quarterback Michael Penix was at The Opening in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. An interesting statistic: last year Penix threw for 2,078 yards and 31 touchdowns with only one interception. (player thread:  ’18 FL QB Michael Penix Jr.)

Lady Vols softball

I don’t post very often about Lady Vols softball, but their recent run of 20 consecutive wins is a noteworthy accomplishment. The streak fell short of hitting the 21-game mark this afternoon, however, when No. 16 LSU hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 7th to secure a 1-0 victory. The ninth-ranked Lady Vols are now 41-6 on the season and 13-4 in the SEC. (discussion: Lady Vols vs LSU)

Video and highlights from the Orange and White game

If you missed the Orange and White game over the weekend be sure to check out our game recap and the full game video, commercial free of course. With the weather cancellation, it’s just under an hour long. Or, if you prefer only the highlights, you can watch all ten of Quinten Dormady’s pass completions plus his throws in the quarterback challenge and the individual Circle of Life drills.

ESPN lists four Vols in Draft’s top 100 players

If you’re like me, you’re probably getting tired of the endless analysis and are ready for the NFL Draft to begin on Thursday. But after not having any players drafted in 2015 or 2016, it’s nice to see Tennessee mentioned in the discussion. ESPN writer Jeff Legwold lists four Vols in his top 100 players.

  • No. 12 Derrick Barnett
  • No. 35 Alvin Kamara
  • No. 96 Cameron Sutton
  • No. 100 Joshua Dobbs

Butch Praises Callaway

Sometimes it’s hard to sort through all of Butch’s coachspeak, but his praise of Marquez Callaway on Saturday was noteworthy. Callaway and Latrell Williams are both players who could be solid contributors this fall.

“I think Marquez Callaway had as good of a spring as anyone on our football team. He was consistent. He practiced (in practices) 1-15, and he continued to grind and get better,” Jones said. “We asked a lot of him in terms of reps. He had the highest rep count on the team.”

“Latrell Williams is growing up right now, so for him to get the valuable reps during (practices) 1-15 was very critical.”

Spring award winners

Overlooked by many in the discussion about Saturday’s spring game, is the fact that several Vols earned preseason awards, voted on by their peers.

“We let the players decide on most of them,” Butch Jones said. “I think it starts with your unsung heroes, your walk-ons, who bring it every day. We had a number of individuals that made it through all 15 practices.”

“If you look at Quay Picou, his momentum started right from the time Coach Rock got here in the weight room. That process started in January, and heʼs now pound-for-pound one of the strongest players we have on our football team. We wanted to see if that would translate to the football field. We saw that start to occur.”

“When you look at the leadership awards, John Kelly is one of those individuals who brings it every day.”

“Darrell Taylor is another individual who is growing into a leadership role. It gets back to helping others get better with no agenda.”

“For the 63 Award, Marquez Callaway has done a great job.”

“Jakob Johnson and Justin Martin were the Most Improved. Justin was consistent in his performance all spring. He is going to be very driven every single day.”

The full list of awards is as follows:

  • The Al Wilson Teammate Award: Darrell Taylor
  • The Peyton Manning Teammate Award: John Kelly
  • The Harvey Robinson Award (most improved on offense): Jakob Johnson
  • The Andy Spiva Award (most improved on defense): Justin Martin
  • The John Stucky Award (best physical condition): Latrell Williams and Quay Picou
  • Tennessee Football Spring 63 Award: Marquez Callaway

VolNation favorite Paul Bain was one of four who won ‘The My All Award’ given to non-scholarship athletes for their contribution and effort throughout spring practice.

Freak

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