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A crackly-voiced Butch Jones expressed his displeasure with the team’s performance to the media, saying they “grinded though” today but lacked the “maturity and leadership that’s necessary to play winning football.” He called the offense sloppy and said they put the ball on the ground too many times. And there were too many penalties.
The biggest news of the day, however, was the return of suspended Tennessee wide receiver Von Pearson. On Wednesday, the Knoxville District Attorney announced there was insufficient evidence to file charges. Today, Pearson was officially reinstated to the football team.
Butch Jones said Pearson will begin practice tomorrow but will have to undergo the five practice acclimation period as required by the NCAA. However, it was clear Jones didn’t want to dwell on the subject.
“We’re not here to talk about Von anymore,” Jones said. “Von’s got a long way to go, we’re here to talk about our football team getting better. He’s just a small piece of our football team and he’s going to have to work his way back in football shape and he’s going to have to earn playing time.”
“There is no entitlement in our football program. Before he’s ready to go on the field, he’s going to have to earn it because we have some football players doing some very good things.”
JAKOB JOHNSON MOVES TO TIGHT END
The other big news on the day was the move of sophomore defensive lineman/linebacker Jakob Johnson to tight end. He appeared in 12 games in 2014 for the Vols, totaling eight solo tackles and six assists on defense.
Jones said of Johnson, “I brought him in today and I got about one sentence out of my mouth and he said ‘Coach, I love this football team and I’ll do whatever it takes to win. If you think I can help the team at tight end, I’ll move to tight end.’ So I told him we’ll give it a few days and we’ll see how it works. He got valuable live game repetitions at linebacker last year so he can always move back.”
JAUAN JENNINGS CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
For a true freshman who recently changed positions, moving from quarterback to wide receiver, Jauan Jennings continues to impress with his athleticism.
“Jauan Jennings continues to learn the nuances of playing receiver, the receiver conditioning that’s expected, the mental toughness,” Jones said.
JASON CROOM HELD OUT AND OTHER INJURIES
Jason Croom, who’s recovering from knee surgery for an injury suffered before last season’s Taxslayer Bowl, was held out of practice again Friday.
“We held Jason out the last couple weeks,” Jones said. “With the knee and the rehabilitation, we have to be careful that we don’t overdo it, but it’s nothing that’s long-term. Some of it is precautionary.”
Jashon Robertson was back at practice today after being held out yesterday due to a stomach bug. Trevarris Saulsberry, however, was held out again.
Freshman Quay Picou practiced for the first time on Friday, but without any pads. Like Pearson, he’ll be required to go through the NCAA-mandated five-day waiting period.
Tennessee’s practice on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 3:50 p.m.
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