Notes and Observations from Practice No. 13 of Tennessee Fall Camp

Tennessee practice was once again open to the media on Thursday morning, and there were several notes and observations from the day's outing. 

Quarterbacks

Joe Milton started off routes on air and got a few individual throws before Harrison Bailey came in alongside him. After Bailey came Hooker, while Brian Maurer was still not in attendance.

Today was a little sloppier than last week for the QBs, though some of that could be attributed to the dewy conditions on Haslam Field. Several intermediate passes were either too high or too low, though each gunslinger unleashed a good ball on go routes. Milton’s arm strength was on display there, as he unleashed an arcing toss that Jalin Hyatt corralled without much effort.

Harrison Bailey’s accuracy was on display during the longer throws, as he led one receiver perfectly in stride. He was consistent throughout the short period we saw him. 

Hooker seemed to struggle more today, though there weren’t many bailouts from the receivers, either.

Running Backs

Jerry Mack’s running back room still continues to show its young depth. Jabari Small, Tiyon Evans and Jaylen Wright should all see plenty of action in the season-opener. Evans is continuing to turn heads, and Jaylen Wright had an impressive scrimmage on Tuesday.

Wide Receivers

Jalin Hyatt said the other day that receivers should be held accountable for any ball to hit their hands, and today certainly proved that point.

There were two immediate drops when I arrived to routes on air from the defensive side of the field, and there were a couple more throughout the drill.

Throws from the QBs weren’t nearly as crisp today, so when you couple that with the drops, today’s media period featured a more difficult go of it for Tennessee’s passing game.

Jimmy Calloway was not present, while Velus Jones Jr. did seem to be wearing some sort of black sleeve on his right leg. We have been told by one source that Calloway is dealing with an injury that could sideline him for a short duration but the possibility of being back at 100% by the opener still remains on the table, but there is still nothing official on this front, so we will continue to monitor this. 

Tight Ends

Princeton Fant and Jacob Warren continue to lead Alex Golesh’s unit, which worked through hand placement and footwork during the first portion of today’s media viewing period. Golesh's group was whole today. 

Julian Nixon continues to receive extra attention from Golesh, though the freshman finished on a note that seemed to be to Golesh’s satisfaction. Nixon has seen significant increase in reps during the scrimmages and is making strides in adjusting to the position. He is a natural pass-catcher from all accounts. 

Offensive Line

Not much of a change here. This group is still working to create depth behind the first six. Yes, six. Dayne Davis appears to be the swing man at tackle, and he will be a primary piece of this rotation to start the season. Today we saw the offensive line work through footwork drills, and the intensity was high during one-on-one sessions.

Darnell Wright continues to look more comfortable working the left side.  

Defensive Line

The pads were popping on the defensive side of the ball, and that started with Rodney Garner’s unit. As before, Garner and OLB coach Mike Ekeler grouped their guys together during the circuit. They worked through getting off blocks and angle tackling. Tyler Baron’s off-season work was on display, too, as the former Catholic star has added a noticeable amount of muscle to his frame. Baron was wearing a cowboy neck collar today. There were some hints that he was dealing with an injury, but he was a full participant today.

Linebackers

Former Walk-on Kwauze Garland is still making strides at this position. This staff continues to have positive things to say about him. Garland is pushing Jeremy Banks for the second linebacker spot beside Juwan Mitchell. Morven Joseph looked a little tender at times, but he was a full-go. Keep in mind Tennessee is just two days removed from a scrimmage, so this is not uncommon. 

Defensive Back

This group worked turnover circuit and we did not see much of a change here. At this stage, we expect Warren Burrell, Alontae Taylor, Trevon Flowers, and Jaylen McCollough to be starters week one. The battle between Doneiko Slaughter and Theo Jackson still continues, and they will likely rotate a decent amount to start the season.