Vols Make Multiple Position Changes During Off Week

Vols Make Multiple Position Changes During Off Week

Jeremy Pruitt opened his first media availability of the week up by saying, "For us, this open week was a great opportunity to go back to the basics. Just going back through the early days of install trying to catch some guys up and it was a good opportunity to do that and move some guys around to possibly create some opportunities for guys who have worked hard in practice and really give them an opportunity.”

Tennessee moved several guys around, and it appears Key Lawrence could now play a role in helping address the defensive woes Tennessee has suffered in the middle of the field. 

Pruitt said on Lawrence, "we moved Keshawn Lawrence to STAR and let him get some work there just to see what he looks like at that position. He is a guy that continues to work hard in practice. The guys in front of him at corner, he hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to play there during the games, but we thought he played well in the games that he’s played in; he’s done pretty well. We looked at him at STAR just to get more production out of that position. He possibly will get an opportunity on Saturday."

Pruitt added on other player moves, "We’ve moved some pieces. Bryson Eason is at outside linebacker. We took Pac Garland and moved him to inside linebacker to create a little more depth at that position. Morven Joseph has worked at inside and outside linebacker." Garland is one of the players who earned a scholarship after walking on last fall. He has moved across the secondary, but could serve as a viable option for Tennessee on 3rd downs.

Pruitt noted the importance of being able to do this during the bye week, "Normally, these things happen if you have them during the summer. During June and July, you can see these guys move around a little bit and get a clearer picture of what position they should play. Then, you get probably 14 really hard days of camp to see it. Some of these guys didn’t get to do it, so after going through the first five weeks of practice here, it’s an opportunity for us to put them into positions so that we can see them for their future."

Tennessee will look to improve to .500 on the season as they travel to Arkansas on Saturday to take on the Razorbacks in a matchup that is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.