The Tennessee Vols hit the practice field on Monday afternoon for their first day of Fall Camp 2020.
Compiled here are news and notes from their first day.
One phrase that stood out to me when talking about practice: “We have a football team now, we’ve got a guy at just about every position.”
The QB’s are valuing the opinion of former Notre Dame OC Chip Long. Being able to bounce things off him and get his advice is just an added bonus for QB coach Chris Weinke.
- Jarrett Guarantano was running the first-team offense on Monday, with Brian Maurer and JT Shrout splitting time running with the 2’s. There were a few players absent from practice Monday, according to Jeremy Pruitt.
- Henry To’o To’o, Quavaris Crouch, and Jeremy Banks were the three guys rotating at inside linebacker.
- Even though it was the first day, I was told that the secondary was all over the field and will be a strong point for the Vols this season. With Bryce Thompson, Kenneth George, Alontae Taylor, Trevon Flowers, and Jaylen McCollough, the group will benefit from a nice 2-deep.
- I was told the defensive line is surprisingly pretty deep with skill “oddly enough” as one person noted. With Emmit Gooden no longer a part of this team, it’s key for Aubrey Solomon and others to have a bigger impact.
- The TE position will be up for grabs, with the position pretty decent with depth, was just a “meh” first day for some. “It will be interesting to see who steps up and grabs the role.” With Austin Pope still recovering from surgery, this one will be interesting to watch over the next month and change.
- The excitement level around practice was noticeable to coaches. “Big plays were getting guys to celebrate and talk trash, which is good for competitive spirit. Last year they might’ve gotten a little hype, but then it was just like ‘Ok then.'”
Long way to go, but it sounds like 2020 got off to an energetic start.
