KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee football team donned full pads for the first time during fall training camp on Friday night at Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. Inclement weather forced the Vols into the indoor practice facility for the duration of the fifth practice of the 2017 season.
Head Coach Butch Jones said liked the Vols’ mentality during the first practice where the team could truly go “live,” but noted that Team 121 still must work on its consistency, while being detail-oriented.
“We have to continue to grow and get better, but I like the mentality of our football team,” Jones said. “We really challenged them coming off an off day and starting fast, the way we started the day with our walkthrough and all that, they were able to do that.”
Following practice, Jones announced junior offensive tackle Chance Hall will miss the season because of a knee injury that will require surgery. The Roanoke, Va., native has made 13 starts in his career at the right tackle position. Jones said Hall will redshirt and will return for the 2018 season.
“Chance Hall will be out this season,” Jones said. “He’s going to have surgery and he’ll have a redshirt year and he’ll come back and be stronger than ever for it.
JUST A PRECAUTION
Jones also announced that a trio of offensive lineman – redshirt senior Brett Kendrick, sophomore Marcus Tatum and freshman Trey Smith – missed Friday’spractice as a precaution. All three are not expected to miss significant time and could be back as early as this weekend.
“We had a couple of offensive linemen out today in Trey Smith, Brett Kendrick, Marcus Tatum, but they’ll all be back,” Jones said. “Some of them may be back tomorrow and maybe Sunday and maybe on Tuesday, but nothing significant. Some are kind of precautionary pulling them out, but again we need to get them back.”
‘SELF-MADE’ VICKERS LEADS D-LINE
Redshirt senior Kendal Vickers continues to lead the Vols’ defensive line. The Havelock, N.C., native brings 26 consecutive starts into the 2017 season. Vickers came to Rocky Top as a defensive end who barely weighed 220 pounds, but transformed himself into the anchor of Tennessee’s interior defensive line following a redshirt season in 2013 and a five-game stint in a backup role in 2014. He’s listed at 295 pounds this fall and is coming off a season where he registered 38 tackles, including 6.0 TFLs.
“He’s a self-made player,” Jones said. “He’s really made himself into what I feel is one of the better defensive tackles in the country, and that’s all through him with his hard work and determination. He’s now one of our vocal leaders, and when you have the respect of your peers I think that speaks volumes over anything else and he definitely has the respect of his teammates.”
Vickers embraces his role at the helm of the defensive line and has high expectations for himself in his final collegiate season.
“I always saw myself as trying to be one of the best defensive tackles in the conference,” Vickers said. “I’m going to work for it every day, I’m going to practice for it every day and I’m going to lead like it every day.”
VERSATILE ROBERTSON GETS COMFORTABLE AT CENTER
Senior Jashon Robertson is proving to be one of the SEC’s most versatile offensive linemen as he continues to take reps at center after getting a look at the position in the spring. The Nashville, Tenn., native spent the bulk of his first three seasons, playing guard and making 35 starts.
“So far, I’ve played guard and center, and already some guys have moved around at different spots,” Robertson said. “We would like to have a sense of versatility, but at the same time we do have to develop some continuity. That will come when we figure out who the best five are, and we have that group together, then we can build that continuity.”
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Vols will practice on Saturday and Sunday and will only meet and lift on Monday.
POST-PRACTICE QUOTES
Head Coach Butch Jones
(Opening Statement)
“Some updates that I told you I’d let you know. Chance Hall will be out this season. He’s going to have surgery and he’ll have a redshirt year and he’ll come back and be stronger than ever for it. We had a couple of offensive linemen out today in Trey Smith, Brett Kendrick, Marcus Tatum, but they’ll all be back. Some of them may be back tomorrow and maybe Sunday and maybe on Tuesday, but nothing significant. Some are kind of precautionary pulling them out, but again we need to get them back.
“In terms of practice wise, I think the big thing overall is just consistency, especially on offense. Too many dropped footballs today. We threw a lot at our offense in terms of blitz pickup and a lot of different things that we’re doing different defensively, and so they had a lot thrown at them today. We have to continue to grow and get better, but I like the mentality of our football team. We really challenged them coming off an off day and starting fast, the way we started the day with our walkthrough and all that, they were able to do that.”
(On Kendal Vickers progression over his career)
“I think first of all, what defines grow? I think growth is first of all, he was what, 220 some odd pounds when he came here. What he’s done with his body has really been remarkable and the ability to keep the weight on. I think from a maturation process, when he came in here he was very quiet and he just worked and never said two words. You could tell that he had the work ethic and the inner drive to be a very good football player. He’s a self-made player. He’s really made himself into what I feel is one of the better defensive tackles in the country, and that’s all through him with his hard work and determination. He’s now one of our vocal leaders, and when you have the respect of your peers I think that speaks volumes over anything else and he definitely has the respect of his teammates.”
(On Chance Hall’s availability for the spring)
“I don’t know. We will cross that bridge down the line.”
(On how confident he still feels about the offensive line)
“Very confident. It’s valuable reps that these kids are getting right now and they are having a lot thrown at them. Obviously we will get those individuals back in a day or two, but it’s continuity and we’ve got to keep that competitive battle going, so we’ve got to get them back.”
(On Shy Tuttle)
“Shy is beginning to progress. He is working individual drills. He has not done any team activities yet, but he continues to progress and we are very very encouraged by what we have seen so far.”
(On Shy Tuttle’s recovery from injury)
“I would say that maybe he is a little bit ahead of schedule. But, again, he is doing the individual (drills). He’s doing some movements and you can see him getting better and better each day with his movements. That has been in the encouraging thing.”
(On how encouraging Tuttle’s progress has been)
“It’s really encouraging when you get him out here and he’s in full pads today and he is doing individual drills with his teammates. That’s extremely encouraging. He has worked very very hard, but also you can see the excitement in him as well and his demeanor.”
(On Chance Hall, Tennessee sticking with him when he was injured during his high school senior season and him playing as a freshman)
“Obviously he was in a tough situation coming in with some meaningful games and having to play as a true freshman. Chance is a competitor. (Competing) is very important to him and (his injury) really unfortunate, but he will bounce back and he will be better for it.”
(On what he has seen out of Latrell Williams)
“We think Latrell had one of the better springs of any of our receivers. He has picked it up where he left off. The big thing for him is just consistency in route running and consistency in catching the football. We all know he is very very explosive and he works exceptionally hard, as do all of our players. We pleased in terms of the work ethic and mentality of our receiving corps. The big thing though is one drop is too many. As we know, a drop in our offense is basically the equivalent of a turnover. It stifles your momentum and we can’t have that. That gets back to the discipline and the things of being a football team that doesn’t beat itself. I’ve been very encouraged with Latrell all throughout camp so far through practice five as I have with the entire receiving corps.”
(On what he has seen out of Tyler Byrd)
“A little more intensity. A little more focus than the spring. Obviously he played a lot of meaningful reps for us in games as a true freshman. We need that experience and we need him to continue to grow and he has been able to do that. He now wants to be on special teams as well. His attitude is outstanding. His work ethic has been outstanding. I see him getting better and better.”
“He is playing slot right now. We will mix it up a little on the outside as well. That’s the thing. We require all of our receivers to know all of the positions.”
(On LaTrell Bumphus)
“It’s all happening very fast. What we see is a very talented young man who is very very explosive with a great center of gravity, tough and has very very good ball skills. We just need to continue to progress with him day by day. But he is an individual who we anticipate can help us at that position.”
Offensive lineman Jashon Robertson
(on transition to center during summer)
“I tried to snap every day, and more specifically I tried to snap when I was tired, after a lift or after a run. Those are usually the ones that get kind of ugly at times, the ones when you’re tired. We have this snap accuracy chart. I’m at 81 percent overall, my worst day being a 79 and my best being a high 80. I just have to be consistent every day.”
(on how O-line will have to adjust with potential injuries mid-season)
“Well, as we already know, those types of things happen. So, right now is the perfect time to get work in at different spots, and create that versatility. With that being said, hopefully we don’t have any of those type of issues, but they usually do happen, and guys have had the opportunity to play in different spots. After that, we’ll try to narrow it down to five, six, seven guys, and whoever it is can build a chemistry to become a great offensive line.”
(on versatility of line during camp)
“So far, I’ve played guard and center, and already some guys have moved around at different spots. We would like to have a sense of versatility, but at the same time we do have to develop some continuity. That will come when we figure out who the best five are, and we have that group together, then we can build that continuity.”
Defensive tackle Kendal Vickers
(On the team’s first practice in pads)
“I feel like today was a great day. The defense was swarming to the ball and the offense was getting after it. I can say for the defensive line, we made it a point of emphasis to be a defensive-run led team. I feel like today is the first day we’ve done that and we can keep building on that. We were flying around. There was a lot of energy today. If we keep that energy the rest of camp, then that’d be a positive.”
(On the offensive line depth)
“I think we have a lot of depth this year on the offensive line and we have a lot of experience as well. I Know Jashon is a leader of the group and he’s done a great job of leading those guys and he’s bringing everybody along. They’re a well-oiled machine right now.”
(On seeing himself as a leader and the expectations head coach Butch Jones has)
“I definitely do. I look forward to it. I always saw myself as trying to be one of the best defensive tackles in the conference. I’m going to work for it every day, I’m going to practice for it every day and I’m going to lead like it every day.”
-UT Athletics
