Pruitt: Vols DB's Need to "Improve Consistency & Elevate Their Game" in 2020

Pruitt: Vols DB's Need to "Improve Consistency & Elevate Their Game" in 2020

Tennessee's secondary is considered to be one of the strengths of the team heading into the 2020 season. The Vols only lost Nigel Warrior, while returning Bryce Thompson, Alontae Taylor, Jaylen McCollough, Warren Burrell, Shawn Shamburger, Theo Jackson, Trevon Flowers, and Kenneth George, with each having multiple starts last fall.

During Friday's media availability, Pruitt offered a comment on multiple players in the secondary with an emphasis on consistency. 

When asked about Flowers and Jackson filling the void left by Warrior, Pruitt said, "Well, we've practiced three times. All those guys have had some good plays, and they've probably all had some bad plays. We're working on consistency. We have talent back there in the backfield, and we have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football games. It's time for them to elevate their game. This starts with practice, and we've got to do it with consistency."

Thompson has been one of the most consistent defensive back for the Vols since arriving on campus in 2018. "When it comes to Bryce (Thompson), everybody's got to work on consistency – Bryce, the entire secondary, the entire team. This is a new year, and we have to take it one day at a time and continue to work hard and be able to master our position, so we'll be ready to play our best," Pruitt said on Friday evening.

While the Vols lost Warrior, they brought in one of the most versatile defensive back recruits in the country in Keyshawn Lawrence and a hard-hitting safety in Doneiko Slaughter. "Keyshawn (Lawrence) is learning the system. For any young player, I guess you can say it takes a little bit of time. We've played lots of true freshmen over the years. He's a guy that has plenty of ability along with Doneiko Slaughter.  Those guys are competing. We've got lots of opportunities out there. In the end, we'll play the best players that we feel like will give us a chance to win. Those guys certainly have an opportunity to be one of the five or six guys or eight or ten guys that play. We play a lot of guys, and we try to play the guys who deserve to play. Over the last couple of years, we've done that, and we've had some success back there. We'll continue to do that," Pruitt said on the opportunity ahead of the talented freshmen."

Lawrence has already turned heads this summer in the weight room, as he won the Freshman Summer Workhorse Award.