KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt, along with coordinators Tyson Helton, Kevin Sherrer and Chris Rumph met with the media on Thursday for the first time this fall. The Volunteers officially begin fall practice on Friday afternoon at Haslam Field.
Pruitt and staff touched on a variety of topics, including the progress made throughout the summer, team goals and coming together as a unit as well as some new and old faces returning to the program.
Knowledge, Discipline, Team Unity Among Current Goals for Fall Camp
One of the first things Pruitt mentioned during his press conference was for the team to set goals and not just to learn how to do things, but to also understand the reasoning behind doing them.
“For us, the big thing is that we want to learn what to do, we want to learn how to do it, and we want to learn why it’s important to do it that way,” Pruitt said. “We want to be a smart football team. We want to understand what we’re trying to get done and understand what our opponents are trying to do to stop us or to create plays on us.”
Pruitt also harped on the importance that individual and team discipline plays in a successful football program, and how that can be built during fall camp.
“If you’re going to have a good program, you have to have discipline in your program, and there’s no better way to do it then in fall camp,” Pruitt said. “Everybody wants to do it the right way, and lots of folks can do it the right way some of the time, but if you look at the most successful teams, they have discipline and they figure out a way to have discipline all of the time, even in the most adverse situations.”
Team unity was another important area that Pruitt said the team will need to focus on during camp.
“We have to be able to come together as a team,” Pruitt said. “The beauty about this game is that somewhere everybody across the country is sitting in the locker room, getting ready to get started and everybody is 0-0.
“You have an opportunity to control what happens down the road, so building your identity, creating your identity, figuring out who you are and coming together as a team, that has to be a big focus for us.”
Hall and Jennings Back to Start Fall Camp
The Vols will welcome back two familiar faces for the start of fall camp with the duo of offensive lineman Chance Hall and wide receiver Jauan Jennings set to make their returns to the field.
Hall missed all of last season after sustaining a season-ending injury while Jennings was injured in the first quarter of UT’s season opener against Georgia Tech and missed the remainder of the year.
Since both players were unable to participate during the spring, Pruitt said they will be limited when camp begins on Friday.
“He (Chance Hall) started this summer working and has progressed his way into being able to practice,” Pruitt said. “I think it wouldn’t be smart of us to just throw him out there every day, so we’re going to work our way in and we have a plan with our training staff for the reps that he’ll take, and I know he’s really itching to get going, so we have a plan and we’re going to execute the plan.”
“Jauan will be one of the guys that is limited,” Pruitt said. “He’s cleared for practice but has not participated in any football activity since last fall, so he’s ready to go but we’re going to limit his reps as far as fall camp goes.”
Pruitt said redshirt senior defensive back Todd Kelly, Jr., will also be back at practice after missing most of last season and the spring following a knee injury.
Smith Returns
Freshman All-America offensive lineman Trey Smith is cleared to practice this fall after missing the spring. Blood clots in Smith’s lungs were discovered in February, and the Jackson, Tenn., native has been cleared by doctors to return to football following treatment. He is expected to be cleared for contact later this month.
“Trey is going to participate in everything we do, except no-contact, then he’ll be released probably August 19 or 20, somewhere around that date, so we’ll be excited to have everybody out there and getting going,” Pruitt said.
Smith played the majority of the 2016 season at guard, but also became the first Vol true freshman to start at left tackle in over 30 years. Pruitt said he will find a spot for the versatile Smith after evaluating the offensive line options during the early part of fall camp.
“The one thing about Trey is that he can play multiple positions, he did that last year,” Pruitt said. “We’d like to get him in a position and leave him there where he can find success and gain confidence.”
Transcriptions
Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt
Opening Statement:
“I hope everybody is excited as we are. It’s the only time of year where you aren’t in school, so you get a chance to build your football team. We have two weeks now that we don’t have to worry about school, it’s all football. Nowadays, except for the few times during bowl practices, it’s the only time that you get that, so it’s a great opportunity for guys to grow and develop as players. I know our guys have done a really good job this summer. Coach Fitzgerald has done a great job getting these guys in shape, our training staff has got these guys healthy and ready for fall camp. We’re excited about getting going. We’re going to have 109 guys to start off with, we have one that’s not here yet. Everybody in our program will be participating in practice.
“We will have a couple of guys that will be a little bit limited to start with but are building their way into the first scrimmage. We talked about Trey Smith. Trey is going to participate in everything we do, except no-contact, then he’ll be released probably August 19th or 20th, somewhere around that date, so we’ll be excited to have everybody out there and getting going. I know there’s a lot of guys who didn’t participate in spring that were injured that will be out there, that will be available, so I know these guys are hungry and ready to get started. We do have one signee that’s not here yet – he has a couple things that he’s working on – but he’ll be here as soon as he can get it done, so then we’ll have all 110 guys here.
“When you start fall camp, you have to figure out what kind of goals you’re going to get accomplished. I think it’s important that you set goals. For us, the big thing is that we want to learn what to do, we want to learn how to do it, and we want to learn why it’s important to do it that way. I think to have success as a football player and as a football team, you have to have knowledge. Some of that comes with experience, some of it comes in film study and some of it is just getting out there with repetitions every day. We want to be a smart football team. We want to understand what we’re trying to get done and understand what our opponents are trying to do to stop us or to create plays on us. If you’re going to have a good program, you have to have discipline in your program, and there’s no better way to do it then in fall camp. Everybody wants to do it the right way, and lots of folks can do it the right way some of the time, but if you look at the most successful teams, they have discipline and they figure out a way to have discipline all of the time, even in the most adverse situations.
“You have to develop mental and physical toughness. It’s easy to sit here and talk about it, and everybody does, but if you’re going to get it, you have to experience it, and that’s something that we have to do – we have to challenge our guys in camp and get where we understand that. To me, fundamentals, whether it’s stepping with the right foot, having your eyes in the right place, using the right hand placement, running the right routes, the right depth, ball security, all of those things that go into it. There’s things that when you get tired and things get tough, you’re going to go back to the fundamentals and habits that you’ve created, and we have to do a really good job during camp creating that.
“Playing with effort. That has nothing to do with talent, but I think the standard that you set, you’re going to set it early on. It starts in offseason conditioning, through spring ball and I think when you get to fall camp, you’re going to have guys that have not actually participated with the team yet, it’ll be their first practices, so the standard and the expectations of what kind of effort that you’re going to play with, that’s something that you’re going to do early on and it has to continue throughout the year.
“We have to be able to come together as a team. The beauty about this game is that somewhere everybody across the country is sitting in the locker room, getting ready to get started and everybody is 0-0. You have an opportunity to control what happens down the road, so building your identity, creating your identity, figuring out who you are and coming together as a team, that has to be a big focus for us.
“There’s opportunities in fall camp. We’re going to have 25 practices and I think one thing that our guys are fired up about is they have an opportunity. The way we practice, everybody gets the same opportunities to do it and they’ll get a chance to show what they can or cannot do. We tell the guys all the time, ‘you guys control who plays, we don’t.’ How do you perform on the practice field, how do you prepare? How do you work in the offseason, that’s going to dictate who plays, and I feel like everybody here feels like they have an opportunity. We have lots of competition, which is great. We need competition and we’re going to have it this fall camp, so it’ll be exciting for me to see how guys respond and who can be consistent in their performance day in and day out. We’re ready to get going.”
On if he has a good idea of the team’s strengths and weaknesses:
“I think we have an idea of where we need to go from. I think our team has really improved in the last three months in understanding what our expectations are. I think when we first got here, everything’s new, so anytime you do anything is a first time. The more you do something, the more confidence you gain in it, the more familiarity you get, so I look for a lot of improvement from our guys as fall camp goes.”
On what he is most anxious to see during fall practice and Chance Hall’s status:
“Chance has been released, he’s going to be practicing again. But you’re talking about a guy that didn’t play any football last year, didn’t participate in spring. He started this summer working and has progressed his way into being able to practice. I think it wouldn’t be smart of us to just throw him out there every day, so we’re going to work our way in and we have a plan with our training staff for the reps that he’ll take, and I know he’s really itching to get going, so we have a plan and we’re going to execute the plan.”
On if he anticipates position changes to continue in fall camp:
“In spring, we were really trying to figure out who could play what and we had some guys that could potentially play either side of the ball. I think we’ve got that set and we’re going to keep guys moving forward, so that’s a plus. We’ll practice the exact same way, so we’ll two-spot everything and we’ll have four groups going, so everybody will get the same amount of reps.”
On Jauan Jennings and if he is ready to go for fall camp:
“Jauan will be one of the guys that is limited. He’s cleared for practice but has not participated in any football activity since last fall, so he’s ready to go but we’re going to limit his reps as far as fall camp goes.”
On cornerbacks and the most important traits in order to decide prominent roles this fall:
“Well I think with any position you kind of have to know what you’re looking for at corner. To me, the first thing is that you’ve got to be able to play man-to-man and you’ve got to be able to play the ball because there’s lots of balls out on the perimeter. You’ve got to be a good tackler, and I think if you can tackle and play man-to-man, you can play the ball, and then you’ve got to talk about intangibles: Are you a smart football player? Do you know how to use your help? I think those are the most important things.”
On Trey Smith and how much he’ll be able to participate during fall camp:“Trey’s been doing everything for the last three months, so unlike some of these guys who have not participated because of not being cleared to practice yet – so with Chance (Hall), you’ve got a guy that’s not done all of the running, all of the lifting – Trey is not in that boat, he’s done everything, he just can’t have contact.”
On Todd Kelly Jr. and if he’s physically limited or “full go”:
“He’s full go.”
On the offensive line and their strength heading into fall camp:
“Well we’re bringing in 20 offensive linemen in total for fall camp. Obviously, we know the situation with Trey [Smith], so there’ll be 19 guys participating for the first two weeks, a couple of them on a limited basis – they’ll build up as far as this fall camp goes – but we’ve got plenty of competition. We’ve got guys that are capable, and it’ll be interesting to see how it shakes out.”
On Pruitt’s approach to using the redshirt rule:
“Well, we’re going to worry about winning football games and we’re going to play the guys that can help us win games. I think it’s something that as you look down the road, there’s been times over the years that you’ve been a little bit hesitant about possibly using a guy. Say you get a couple guys hurt at a position and they’re going to be out for a few weeks, do you burn this freshman’s redshirt by playing him in two games, knowing that when these two guys get back they’re going to move back? I think it will give them an opportunity and give you some options down the road. And there’s some things to think about towards the end of the season.”
On Trey Smith and his position this fall, and why Tyson Helton as offensive coordinator:
“Well, the one thing about Trey is that he can play multiple positions, he did that last year. We’d like to get him in a position and leave him there where he can find success and gain confidence. The good thing is, before we insert Trey, we’re going to have two weeks of practice so we’re going to figure out where we need him if that makes sense. I’ve known Tyson Helton for a long time. He was recruiting Hoover High School from Memphis University the first time that I met him. Then he went to UAB which was there in Birmingham and Will Friend was on the staff, so I spent a lot of time over there. I’ve been very impressed with him since that time when he would come to our practices, we’ve always had a lot of talent [and] he seemed to be a very good evaluator to figure out who the right guys were and weren’t, so when you just kind of follow his career – and we’ve been closely connected over the years – he’s done a fantastic job wherever he’s been.”
On Emmit Gooden and Dominick Wood-Anderson on their performance this summer:
“Well they’re big men. They’re going to be a couple years older than the freshmen coming in, so they do have some experience. I think they have the opportunity to contribute, and for them they’ll be learning: what’s the system, what’s the expectations? So I think having a little bit of experience in junior college will help them there with the transition. But both of those guys are talented and they kind of meet the size and speed criteria that we were looking for.”
On Bryce Thompson and his potential impact:
“To me, one thing that you need to be able to figure out is how to get your best players on the field. When you have 120 guys and you have guys like Bryce and like Alontae [Taylor] that have played both sides of the ball, they could play wide receiver, they could play tailback and they could play anywhere in the secondary. I’m trying to figure out the best combination to produce the best team. We felt like with where we were at it would be best to start him off at corner and then go from there.”
On the decision to not make assistant coaches available to the media during the season:
“Most everywhere that I’ve worked, it’s been that way. And I’ve appreciated it as an assistant coach, so I could focus on our opponents and not come out here and hang out with you guys, so with that experience I think that that’s good. Also, I think that it’s important that when you’re talking, you want one message, and I think that if you have one message, at least you know what the message will exactly be.”
On Alontae Taylor playing on both sides of the ball:
“We are going to start him off at defensive back, but he has the ability to play wide receiver. He can play either side of the ball. When you look at trying to get the best guys on the field and creating the best team, we decided to start him out at cornerback. I think that will create a lot of competition. He is a big guy who can play the ball, run and is instinctive. We talked a lot about it and looked at him on both sides. We just thought the best place for him to start off this fall would be on defensive.”
On the timeline for choosing a starting quarterback:
“The quarterbacks are no different than any other position. You have the same amount of competition. We have four guys who will be competing and they will all have the same opportunity. It’s the same as outside linebacker. If you have two guys that are about the same, then you play them both. If one is a little better than the other, then you play him and bring the other one in when the first gets tired. I think the same thing at quarterback. If we have somebody that asserts himself, it might be three days into fall camp or six weeks into the season. We have to figure out who gives us the best opportunity and they will control that. Not us.”
On how Tennessee compares to Alabama in 2007 when he first got there:“There are probably some similarities. We have a very hungry fan base and we are starting over. I can draw on experiences looking back at it. We have some guys here who have experiences, but we also have a lot of guys who don’t. We are starting over and everything is new. I think everybody that is involved in the program is excited about it. I think we are heading in the right direction. It starts with the administration and we have administrators who have given us everything we need to have success. We are ready to get started, and I think over the next couple of years, you will see vast improvement.”
On the determining factors in picking a quarterback:
“To me, the most important thing is when you get the ball it is about what you do with it. Are you giving it to the other team? Are you staying in the right play? Are you ending every possession with a kick? Are you impacting your teammates? It’s interesting because quarterbacks come in all shapes and sizes. It’s about taking your team and being able to move the ball, being productive and rallying everyone around you. To do that you have to have competitive situations and we have to put them in those situations to have an opportunity to separate themselves.”
On what he has seen from his defensive line this offseason:
“Kyle Phillips, Shy Tuttle, Paul Bain and Alexis Johnson are going to need to play well. If you look at the teams that have age on them, sometimes it equals success. Those four guys are the only seniors we have up front with the exception of Jonathan Kongbo, so we need them to play well.”
On what he attributes the offseason success to:
“I would say the familiarity with the coaches and players. When you talk about messages from the top down, anywhere you go in our program, the players are hearing the same stuff over and over again. I think that breeds confidence. As you get to know people, some trustworthiness comes into it a little bit. For me, it’s hard to walk into a team room full of guys, and you don’t know any of them and try to figure out who they are. I’m sure the same goes for us. I think our guys have bought in. They have done a fantastic job in the classroom and the weight room. They have been eating and growing, so our nutritionist is doing a great job. I think they are a little bit more confident in the direction we are going.”
On his decision to move Jonathan Kongbo from defensive end to linebacker:
“I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as people have made it out to be. When we play 4-3, we will play defensive end. If we play 3-4, we will move a few feet and play linebacker. There’s not that much difference in it. It’s all about figuring out how to get your best combination of guys on the field. He’s done a really good job of learning the position. He’s smart and worked hard and we will see how he does in camp.”
Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach Tyson Helton
On how he would describe his offense:
“The biggest thing is we do whatever it takes to win. I don’t think, in today’s game, you can be one particular thing. Defenses are going to dictate what you do offensively. You have to be able to put yourselves in positions to win games. You’re going to see multiple defenses, so you have to be able to attack what you’re seeing. The one thing that I like about our offense is that we’re very multiple. We can get under center, we can run the ball. We can get in the [shotgun], we can throw the ball. At the end of the day, it’s not about the offense, it’s about the players. The players are the ones who go win some games. It’s not the plays, it’s the players. You have to teach the players – ‘Hey, this is what’s important about the game – taking care of the football, knowing the situations that you’re in, putting yourself in a position to go win the game in the fourth quarter.’ That’s what good football teams do. It’s our job as coaches to put our players in positions to go do those things. To answer the question, ‘What is the offense?’ The offense is whatever we need to do to go win the game. We will be multiple. We will be under center, we will be in the shotgun. We’ll do things to put our players in positions to go win.”
On his thoughts about grad transfer QB Keller Chryst, RB Madre London:
“Two guys that have been in the fire. They’ve had a lot of experience. Both very passionate about wanting to win. They’re very driven. They understand – ‘Hey, this is my last chance to try to go out there and do something special.’ The thing that stands out most importantly to me is they’re team players. They’re here to win. They’re here to do what the team needs to do to win games. They’re for everybody and they’ve been a great addition to our football team. We’ll see where that goes, as far as when they play, how much they play and what their experiences are going to be here. I think they’ve brought a maturity to the team that we really appreciate.”
On whether OL Trey Smith will play guard or tackle:
“It’ll be based upon need. [Offensive Line] Coach (Will) Friend does a tremendous job of putting players in every spot. You move guys around. At some point in time, you’ve got to say, ‘Hey, let’s get some consistency there and play this guy in a certain area.’ But guys get cross-trained all the time. Depending upon where we are throughout the season, that would dictate where guys play. Not only for Trey, just the o-line in general.”
Defensive Coordinator Kevin Sherrer
On his connections to coach Pruitt over the years:
“Well, with him, football has always been a part of his life. His dad was a long-time high school coach in Alabama and three to four years in Tennessee. His brother also coaches. Every time, whether we get together or talk that’s we always talked about, football. That just goes to show you where his mind usually always is over the years. I don’t think he’s changed any. That’s kind of who he is. What you see is what you get. He’s going to speak his mind, and if you don’t want to know, then don’t ask.”
On the defense’s focus on stopping the run this season:
“The fundamental parts of playing the run and playing blocks and assignments and playing assignment ball and being tied together as a defense is where you have to start at. For us, it starts up front with the defensive line. Those guys have got to do their job and control the run and strike with their hands. The linebackers have got to fit off of that and then the secondary has to be able to fit off the linebackers. What each guy has to do is trust in the scheme and know that if I do my job, then we’re going to be successful.”
On finding some leaders for the defensive unit:
“A lot of those guys are still trying to feel us out just like we’re trying to feel them out, but that’s important. You need leaders on your team every year and depend on guys who have experience playing college football in this league. You’re going to depend on some guys that play certain positions where you need them to be vocal for the team. That’s going to be big for us. We’re going to need guys that when things aren’t going the way they need to be then they can step up and respond up to that. We don’t know who those guys are yet, but we’re going to find out during fall camp.”
On recruiting in many of the same areas he’s used to:
“It’s like anything, when you get to know people they know who you are and what you’re about. A lot of us on our staff started coaching high school football. You go into these schools and have been there and done that, so you kind of bring a different perspective. A lot of the places we’ve recruited know who we are, so that helps.”
On how many guys he wants to rotate up front:
“As many as we can. The more you have then the better off you’re going to be. We’re going to press our guys to compete every day and a lot of it depends on the limitations we have when we’re on the road traveling and things like that. If we can get three-deep at every position, that’s great. We’re going to play as many guys as we can because that’s our philosophy. We’re not going to go out there and keep guys fresh on the sidelines. We’re going to put them in and let them play.”
Co-Defensive Coordinator Chris Rumph
On having a lot of coaches who have experience playing or coaching in the SEC:
“When we are speaking about it, we are telling them how it is. We aren’t just reading about it from some book. We have experienced it ourselves. It just ups our credibility.”
On the benefit of coaches having SEC experience when it comes to recruiting:
“Before someone can believe in the shirt that you are wearing, they have to believe the man that’s wearing the shirt. Throughout the years, speaking for myself and some of the other guys as well, we have a great reputation as a man first. It doesn’t matter what shirt you put on, but when you put this shirt on it just enhances the product and yourself.”
On the progress in terms of strength and conditioning:
“It has been unbelievable. I was just up there looking at some of the numbers before I came out here. Some of the gains that not only my guys have made but as a team is unbelievable. These guys are changing their bodies. At one point they could come over to my house and I didn’t care if they took their shirt off around my wife. Now, I told them they can’t take their shirt off in front of my wife.”
On the coaching staff Coach Pruitt brought in:
“I think that the staff is a powerful staff. Sometimes I look around the room and I think, ‘Oh wow, that’s Tracy Rocker over there or Charles Kelly or coach Sherrer, oh man, Tyson (Helton) and those guys from Southern Cal.’ It’s really impressive. The best thing about it is none of these guys have any egos. We go in the meeting room and a guy will bring up an idea and there’s no egos, everyone is going along with the plan. With some of the guys we have on the staff and their track record and some of the things they have done, they are so humble. It’s a blessing. They could be in there saying, ‘I’m the guy who created all of these things.’ There are some humble guys in there, some great men.”
On how he shows the players that he is invested in them as people:
“I try to be genuine. I try to be who I am, Chris Rumph from St. Matthews, S.C. I’m nothing and God has blessed me. I appreciate that. I honor him every day and try and treat people the way they want to be treated. Throughout my time, I have seen all types of different coaching styles. I have seen styles that have worked and some that didn’t work. I have seen guys that yell and guys that don’t yell. I just learn all of that stuff and put it in a pot, a stew pot and mix it up and pour it onto me and it’s me. I just try to be genuine and try to let them know I love you and this is more than just football. It is life. I tell them all the time, if the only thing you learn from me is how to tackle, then I have failed. I don’t want to be a guy that just teaches you how to do that. I might as well leave if I want to do that. I want to teach them how to be a man, how to be a father, how to be a husband, how to treat your wife, how to treat your kids and how to treat people. That’s what it is all about. If we can do that, the world is going to be great. Guys get paid, so now it’s all about getting paid, what’s my next job, what’s my next position, my next car, my next house. It ain’t about that. It’s about these young men. It’s about producing because they are our future, unless you want them kicking in your door at night robbing you. If you don’t want that, teach them, so that’s what we have to do. If we are just teaching them ball, we have failed them. Anyone can do this. Anyone can teach them how to play football. Can we teach them how to be a man, a true man? Not someone out there running the streets trying to see girls he can get, how many drinks he can drink. That’s not about being a man. Anyone can do that. Can anyone sit in there, suck it up and be tough when times are tough, when your wife and kids are looking at you and trying to see how you are going to feed them? How are you going to keep the lights on? Are you going to go run out on them or are you going to sit in there and make it happen? You combine that with football because football teaches you that. It teaches you how to be mentally tough, physically tough and how to overcome adversity.”
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