Cutcliffe and Chavis Break it Down

David Cutcliffe spoke about the offense on Thursday (summarized).

Tight Ends: We have some veterans at this position in Chris Brown and Brad Cottam and expect to see more production from the position this year. Jeff Cottam had a solid spring. Luke Stocker has a lot to learn but has a lot of ability and has made progress.

Wide Receivers: Have been more consistent in their blocking but they aren’t making enough big plays and are not getting good separation. Austin Rogers and Lucas Taylor are our top two guys with Quinton Hancock and Josh Briscoe being the next two. Hancock has made some of the tougher catches of all the receivers and has shown play making ability. Briscoe has shown that he can get separation but needs to finish plays. Casey Woods has played a lot and knows what to do. Slick Shelley still has a ways to go to compete.

Running Backs: Cut has been pleased with what he’s seen from Arian Foster. Arian has been there every minute of every practice. He’s versatile, has shown his natural ability and knows where to go and what to do. They expect to use him in some different ways this season.

Everybody’s seen LaMarcus Coker’s speed but he has had to miss some practice time to get things situated in the classroom. Montario Hardesty has been a spark. Roy Olasimbo is working his way to “being on the bus”.

Quarterbacks: Crompton has made tremendous progress. He’s a bit beat up and has an ankle that has been bothering him. Nick Stephens is a quick study but has a lot of work to do on fundamentals. Erik Ainge was having a tremendous spring before his injury and was “leaps and bounds” ahead of where he was after the bowl game.

John Chavis comments on the defense (summarized).

Linebackers: Jerod Mayo has proven he can play in this league but when you miss as much as he has, it’s going to be a battle for that staring job. Ryan Karl had some technique issues that needed work and he has addressed them. Elix Wilson has been impressive but is a bit nicked up. Rico McCoy is also in the mix. Our three starters should come out of those four previously mentioned. Adam Myers-White has shown improvement and is a possibilty. Dorian Davis could also factor in somewhere. Nick Reveiz has really impressed and deserves to be at Tennessee. He can help us. Reveiz has a great attitude and has really competed considering he is a non-scholarship guy. He will definitely see some playing time.

Defensive Backs: Jonathan Heffney continues to play well and needs to be a leader on the defense. Jarod Parrish is penciled in at the other safety. It will be his job to lose at the start of the fall. Antonio Wardlow needs to step up his game. At corner, Gaines and Johnson have made great strides. Art Evans, for a true freshman, has done well. He’s not ready now but he’s talented enough to play. Fellows will also be in the mix.

Defensive Ends: Xavier Mitchell had one of the best springs that a defensive end has had around here in a while. You could also put Antonio Reynolds in the same category in the second half of the spring. Wes Brown continues to improve his game and is ready to help. Andre Mathis has had some valuable learning experience and got some things accomplished.

Spring Awards. Marsalous Johnson and Ramon Foster earned the honors for most improved players in spring practice. Starting cornerback Marsalous Johnson is the recipient of the Andy Spiva Award which is given to the teams most improved defensive player. Backup tackle Ramon Foster earned the Harvey Robinson Award which goes to the offensive player that has shown the most improvement in the spring. They will be honored on Saturday at the Orange and White Game.

Pearl pulling his weight. Jimmy Hyams reported today that ticket sales for Tennessee basketball were $2.4 million before Bruce Pearl arrived. This past season ticket sales were $3.7 million. Concessions were about $840,000 last year compared to about half of that amout before he took over. That means Tennessee saw an increase in those areas of approximately $1.7 million and that does not consider donations for tickets or donations for the practice facility.