Notes From Tennessee's First Bowl Practice in Nashville

Tennessee started bowl prep today in Nashville at Vanderbilt's stadium. The Vols arrived in Nashville last night and did not waste any time in hitting the practice field this morning. The media were allowed select viewing periods, and here are Volunteer Country's notes and observations from the outing.

Personnel Notes

Theo Jackson was out of the non-contact jersey, which was different from our last viewing period. He was healthy and active today. Jackson has been one of the most overlooked players in the country this fall and the Vols will certainly benefit by having him ready to go in the star position.

Cade Mays was with the team in Nashville this morning, but he was working out on the side. It remains unclear if an NFL decision has been made, but this likely isn't a positive sign for him hitting the playing surface on Thursday. We will see. Jeremiah Crawford has continued to make strong progress and Dayne Davis has been solid when filling in for Mays. The combination will likely see plenty of work if Mays is unable to go.

I could not get a good look, but Juwan Mitchell appeared to go through some run/stretch exercises with the team. This is a nice change of pace there. His status for a return has remained unclear for some time. Aubrey Solomon and Elijah Simmons were also not dressed out today.

A source inside the program says the Vols are in a good spot regarding COVID issues, which is a good sign moving forward. Obviously, as we have seen with the bowl cancellations of late, things can change at any time, but this is a good start for Tennessee. Purdue is not in town yet, but that was planned ahead of time, as they will not come down until later in the week.

Elsewhere, did get a look at Christian Charles again, and although he was sporting a knee brace, he looked healthier and moved well in a special teams period. Did not see Kaemen Marley, who worked at LB early in bowl prep. Continuing to dig there.

Special Teams Emphasis

Again, Tennessee got in extensive special teams work to start the practice session. It is a joint effort among the coaches, but Mike Ekeler is phenomenal during this period. His ability to teach multiple guys in this session and have his hand involved in multiple aspects is what makes him one of the nation's best special team coaches. Apache Mohan received praise during this period as he had a solid rep in front of Ekeler.

Offensive Variations

I cannot go into much detail at this point, but it does appear the Vols offense could look a little different on the 30th, based on conversations I have had and some of the work that was put in today. I would expect some obvious wrinkles in the passing game, but we will see how they plan to attack Purdue in the run game. Look for Tennessee to get its playmakers in space.

Defensive Line

I felt this group looked really solid from start to finish of our viewing period. Rodney Garner was his normal self, but the group as a whole was very consistent in what they were doing. I thought Omari Thomas, in particular, looked very agile and ready to go. The second-year defender has continued to come along, and the Vols will need disruptive line play on Thursday afternoon.

Mood

Tennessee seemed to be locked in. There wasn't a lot of extra chatter or goofing around. This has been a staple of the Heupel practices we have seen this year. The Vols did not waste any reps, especially in the specialty period. There was some music going, and the players were all locked into what the others were doing. That is a positive sign, given the fact they just checked into the hotel late yesterday evening coming in after Christmas and had to get to work this morning.