Notes and Observations from Tennessee’s Eighth Day of Spring Practice

The Tennessee football team worked out under a dreary gray sky for its eighth day of spring practice on Tuesday.

Here are our notes and observations:

No Jabari Small

This note is the most crucial, as Tennessee’s starting running back was not present during mesh drills or later on during the media viewing period.

Jaylen Wright took reps with Hendon Hooker, with Justin Williams-Thomas following alongside Joe Milton.

Tayven Jackson worked with Patrick Wilk, a freshman out of Nashville, while Gaston Moore finished with Len’Neath Whitehead.

Navy Shuler did not get a rep during mesh drill or the read-option exercise, since there was not another available back to run with him.

QBs Consistent, Receivers Show Out

Quarterbacks have remained consistent as Tennessee’s route tree has expanded, while the Vols’ pass catchers have impressed as more is introduced.

Marquarius “Squirrel” White continues to flash his speed, which was helpful on go routes Tuesday, while Jalin Hyatt made some impressive snags across his body.

So far, Hyatt’s improvement continues to reflect the offseason strength work we discussed earlier.

Overall, each receiver looked crisp on routes, with Hyatt and Kaleb Webb registering especially clean reps.

Browder, Nixon Still Getting Extra Coaching

As mentioned the other day, UCF transfer Charlie Browder has been on the receiving end of some individual coaching from Alex Golesh.

Julian Nixon continues to receive detailed info as well, as he and Browder work behind Jacob Warren and Princeton Fant.

Mincey Improving

On the offensive line, Gerald Mincey continues improving — albeit with a focus on alignment and steps.

There is still no clear answer at offensive tackle for the Vols.

Heupel Observes LBs, DL Improvement

Josh Heupel continued observing his defense on Tuesday, specifically the linebackers during the day’s media viewing period.

Brian Jean-Mary’s group worked on filling gaps from under the chute before moving on to individual sled reps.

As far as the defensive line, Rodney Garner’s group continued working on footwork under the chute before wrapping up dummies.

Elijah Simmons continues to flash here, as his weight loss seems to have slowly given way to the increased motor that Garner mentioned they needed to see from him.

On Tuesday, Simmons continued producing harder and faster reps. His development will be a huge key to Tennessee’s pass-rushing success this fall.

Stay with us for more updates today, as Jean-Mary and a couple of players will be available to the media after practice concludes.