Jeremy Pruitt Press Conference
Saturday, Sept. 5

Opening Statement…

“We had a scrimmage slated for today, really had one slated for Wednesday, and were going to back it up today, but we didn’t scrimmage. Got way too many guys out. We’ve got 44 players that didn’t practice today, and they hadn’t practiced for the last three or four practices. So just didn’t think that was wise to scrimmage and went with a normal practice – only got 30 offensive players that were able to practice. We really focused on two groups and still had a lot of situational football and had a chance to work short yardage, red area, some third down, so got some good work in on special teams.

“It’s just something that we’re going through. Obviously, as we ramp up the testing we’ve had a few more positives, which that’s going to happen. Really the big issue for us is the contact tracing and that’s where we’ve had tons of players, to be exact to this date, we’ve had 48 guys who’ve missed at least 14 days who were quarantined. Four of those guys have been quarantined twice. So we’re talking about 52 guys in that. Some of the guys who were in quarantine self-reported. They were around somebody with COVID and in the testing it ended up showing up that they have it. The other 50 guys, we’ve had 1 out of 50 that has eventually tested positive for COVID. So we’re trying to get through the contact tracing. You know when a guy misses 14 days of practice or 14 days of training, starting over is kind of having a cumulative effect a little bit. A few injuries here and there, nothing severe, but some guys have had to miss some practice time. It’s definitely been challenging and we’ve got to continue to improve as a football team and figure out the circumstances and figure out a way to be productive in them.”

On what his biggest concern is as the start of the season approaches…

“We’ve had very few COVID cases. We didn’t start until July. That was the first time we had a COVID case. We didn’t have much experience in the month of June. The contact tracing and the numbers as they add up, it’s been very tough to prepare a team to play. We get 25 practices, we’ll probably end up practicing 20 to 22 times unless we have something change over the next couple of weeks. We’re learning as we go.”

On when the team will begin prepping for South Carolina…

“We’ve had to do a little bit along the way. We’ve got certain positions we’re going to rely on guys that don’t have a whole lot of experience. We don’t know when somebody gets hit with a contact tracing and they’re in quarantine for 14 days. They may not be physically anything wrong with them, but they may not be able to come out of quarantine until the Wednesday before the South Carolina game. Trying to give the guys a little bit of a game plan. We’re approaching it one game at a time. That’s the game we’re focused on. We really kind of already started.”

On what he thinks the minimum threshold for the number of available players should be to play a game for the SEC…

“I don’t know exactly what that would be. To me, it’s first off, the safety of the kids. When you start reducing the numbers and start getting the workload that comes in preparation, these guys are not professionals. They need to work on fundamentals and the details. They need to learn how to play because you’ve got guys that maybe have been in the program for four years, and you have guys that just got here. When you start lining them up beside each other, a guy goes the wrong way, that’s when you get guys hurt. So, we really tried to take advantage of our walk-throughs to teach the guys so we can eliminate mental errors. At some point, you have to be able to block, you have to be able to tackle and you have to be able to secure the football, you have to be able to create turnovers. That’s really what football is.”

On how many of the 44 guys who didn’t practice were COVID-19 related…

“All of those guys are not COVID related. Some of those guys, whether it’s soft tissue injury or (other injuries), you know Austin Pope has got his back (injury). We’ve done surgery on Tamarion McDonald. Len’Neth Whitehead is a guy that still is recovering from his surgery, so I don’t know the exact number as far as COVID related, but I think it’s close to 27 or 28 when you talk about quarantine people also.”

On how many active cases of COVID-19 the team has right now…

“I think it’s seven or eight.”

On today being the original date for the season opener prior to the schedule changes…

“Well, I’m really happy we didn’t play today. If we had played today, we would have had a hard time beating anybody, so I guess that might be a blessing in itself.”

On if he misses the pageantry and fans involved with college football…

“Absolutely. The Southeastern Conference, the pageantry that goes with the games, the fans, the competitiveness in each game, even going on the road is a whole lot of fun. So absolutely, it’s something that I love to experience, and I love to be a part of. I’m thankful that I get a chance to be a part of it, but we’re not doing it right now. There’s lots of things that aren’t normal right now and we’re all learning to adapt and figure out a better way.”

On what he’s seen in terms of progression from the quarterbacks…

“Well, it’s frustrating when you can only practice with two groups because we have four quarterbacks, so that means two guys are not getting reps that they need to be getting and it’s hard to develop as a football player without practicing. So, that’s frustrating, trying to share the reps in there. We’ve got a plan and we’ve continued to work that plan. Probably the last three practices Brian Maurer has not done much. He’s got a little bit of a hamstring issue. The other three guys have taken the majority of the reps with Jarrett (Guarantano) taking the most, obviously, but those guys continue to improve. It’s a challenging deal when you talk about the makeup of the offensive line and wide receivers. We’ve already got a young group out there and when you throw in guys that possibly have to miss a day or two here or there, just the timing of routes, understanding having busts out there, so it’s something that we’ve continued to work hard to improve.”

On the testing protocols in the SEC…

“Well, I think the testing protocol is the same for everybody. The thing to me that probably is not consistent and is not consistent in our state, obviously, or nationally, is the contact tracing. It’s all based off of each individual county. Probably how many cases you have, they’re probably a little more strict. Hey, I’m not a doctor, we just follow the CDC guidelines. I’m just giving you the information. Is Knox County the same as Davidson County? We’re playing high school football here but they’re not there. They’re not (playing) in Shelby County. When we start talking about the different states – South Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Georgia – it’s probably different in each one of the universities locations.”

On the mental state of the program given the adversity …

“I’ve really been excited about our offensive unit because today we had 31 offensive players that didn’t practice and these guys continue to play together. They play with an attitude. I’ve been excited about them. Defensively, to me, has been very disappointing especially up front. Just lack of physicality to finish. It is something that we definitely have to improve on over the next three weeks.”

On how much more difficult his job is with COVID-19 and preparing the team …

“I’m sure it’s like that with everybody in the world with their jobs now. Circumstances are obviously different. We are going through a pandemic. There’s nothing to study the history of this. It’s all new and the information changes daily. The circumstances around us change daily, and we adapt and figure out the best way to help prepare our guys and give them a chance to be the best football players they can possibly be.”

On contact tracing and keeping the team safe …

“I think our guys are trying to do the right thing. They’re aware of it. If somebody that you live with gets it, you’re in quarantine. In our county, that’s the way it is. It might be like that everywhere. I don’t know. We’ve had some of that. I don’t think it’s something to where our players are not being responsible. I definitely don’t think that. My kids go to school, my three and five-year-old go to school. We put masks on them every day, and when I come home, it’s hard not to be around them. My mom and dad came this weekend to see their grandkids. My dad is a high school football coach, and I’ve got lots of nieces and nephews that go to their house. We try to be as safe as we possibly can but there are no guarantees. Everybody is just learning as we go, and we are doing the best that we possibly can.”

On Len’Neth Whitehead …

“He had a significant injury and we knew that when we signed him. Len’Neth is really progressed very well with his rehab. He’s not practicing as far as full-speed reps. He’s doing individual things. Hopefully, in three to four weeks, he’ll be at a point to where he can start taking full-speed reps. If he’s able to do that, maybe in the last half of the year, he’ll play a little bit. Again, he’s right on schedule with where he’s supposed to be and he’s working hard to get there.”

-UT Athletics

Jarrett Guarantano, R-Sr., QB

On how having the same coaches will help with consistency and his thoughts on the freshmen receivers…

“I’m lucky and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to be with my same coaches for Year 2, and I’m looking forward to the progress that I’m able to make. It’s been an easygoing offseason. I’ve been working pretty hard on just trying to maintain the offense and get better with it. It’s definitely going to be a lot better, just being able to have those guys and the same terminology for another year.

“The freshmen receivers, they’re all very talented guys and I’m excited to get to work with them. They’re all very hardworking and they’re in the complex 24-7, whether that’s in the weight room or they’re up top just getting their knowledge right, so I’m excited for them and I expect them to make a big impact this coming season.”

On the weight that he added in the offseason…

“Going into the offseason, me and Coach (Chris) Weinke decided on some things that I wanted to work on and some things that I wanted to progress in and one of those things was to put on weight and to get my speed back a little bit. So, throughout the whole offseason it was kind of weird doing it, but I had my mom on my weight gain program, and she helped me out a lot with that.”

On how his knowledge of the offense is now compared to a year ago…

 “I think it’s significant, honestly. I feel way more comfortable on the field. It feels like I’m not overthinking many things. I’m able just to read coverages and go through my progressions without having my thought process change throughout the whole thing. It’s definitely more easygoing and it’s way easier on my mind and my body going through some things.”

On his drive to be more consistent and the evolution of the run game with a veteran offensive line…

“Going into February, we wrote down a couple of key things and it was be consistent and lead. I think those were two things that I needed to work on and get better at. That’s been my focus every single day, just going into every day talking about stacking chips with Coach (Chris) Weinke and just being able to grow every single day in a sense of getting better either mentally, physically or just becoming a better football player.

“The running game, I’m very impressed with right now. I think it’s coming along. Eric Gray and Ty Chandler have been doing a real good job. We have a few freshmen running backs that are actually performing pretty well. Being able to have a whole offensive line come back and having some key staples there, it’s looking very good and I’m very excited for it to continue.”

On what it feels like to be able to process everything faster behind center…

“It feels way more comfortable. I feel like my mind’s not going 100,000 different places. I have a pre-snap read, a post-snap read, and being able to really truly understand the offense’s ins and outs, it allows me to move faster, it allows me to see things come open way quicker and deliver the ball more on time and accurately.”

On his decision to remain at Tennessee despite the adversity he’s had to face throughout his career…

 “I’m looking at a big thing on the wall that says, ‘This is Rocky Top’. I was talking to Bill before and those words and just this place means so much to me. I was thinking about my journey here and there’s no place that I would rather be, honestly. Of course, there’s been ups and downs and in life you experience many ups and downs, so it was nothing for me. There were some things I had to grow and learn from and I wouldn’t undo any of this, honestly. I just tell myself some things about the process, not trying to rush it, but there’s no place I would rather be. I’m lucky to be a Tennessee Vol and I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

On building a rapport with the new players when everyone returned and not rushing the process despite having an increased sense of urgency…

 “When we came back to campus there was a lot of indecisiveness whether we were having a season or not, but honestly, it didn’t affect the team that much. We were in here all hours of the day getting some extra work in no matter if you were a senior, junior, freshman or sophomore. So, being able to have a team that’s like that and always wants to get work in and perfect their craft made things a lot easier. We knew that the time was ticking and that we had a lot of new guys coming in that needed to contribute, so there were a lot of extra hours that we had to perform in. I’m happy with our guys’ work ethic up to this point, but there’s still a lot of work to do until South Carolina comes.”

On the main things he worked on over the summer…

“We wanted to work more on quicker feet, pocket movement, pocket awareness and just being to get inside and outside the pocket. I think we did a lot of good things throughout our training sessions and I’m excited to get to work.”

On the Culture Committee headed up by assistant coach Tee Martin and what experiences he’s taken away from that…

“We meet around every week or so, but it’s been pretty good. As you can see we’re making a change around the University of Tennessee and that’s a tribute to the actual university and the people that are a part of this university that are allowing us to help make a change in the world.”

On how he would characterize the offensive line play during fall camp…

“I’m very proud of the offensive line up to this day. They’ve been working very hard as a group and being able to see them understand the terminology another year has actually helped. We’re another year older up front and I think we have a lot of talent up there. It’s just coming along with work ethic and being able to get on the same page as everybody else.”

On how being an older player helps in knowing how to work during the offseason…

“Going back to the spring, like I said, I was motivated as ever. I didn’t have the season that I wanted to have last year and going into this one, I know I want to have a big year, so it wasn’t very hard for me to wake up every morning ready to work. I knew that there were a lot of things I wanted to work on, rather that was foot quickness, rather that was accuracy, rather that was ball placement on all my throws, so being able to have a focus every single day and saying I’m going to get better at this certain thing every day, it wasn’t too hard for me. This is something that I’ve learned over time. Probably when I was younger, I wouldn’t have been this way. It kind of takes a sense of maturity and a sense of getting older and being through some things that have brought me to this point.”

On some examples of things that being Year 2 in a system allows him to do as opposed to Year 1 in a new system…

 “Just in my game there’s a lot less indecisiveness. There’s the pre-snap read, post-snap read, there’s the communication aspect, there’s being able to talk guys through some things. It’s a complete different sense of feel out there with me I feel like right now. Just in the sense of myself, I feel like I’m more comfortable. I feel like a lot of the guys see that I’m more comfortable and confident in my abilities and the way that I can mentally inject my way into the game. I’ve always felt like I was a smart football player but being able to have Year 2 under the same offense, it allows me to kind of show it a little bit.”

-UT Athletics

Theo Jackson, Sr., DB

On the defensive backs …

“I feel like we will be a strength of the team because we have the most experience in the back end. Most of us have been playing since freshman year and we’ve all built up that camaraderie together. I just feel like with us being that close and listening to Coach (Derrick) Ansley, we can be a really good defensive backs unit.”

On playing alongside Trevon Flowers and Jaylin McCollough …

“I feel very comfortable, same as they feel. Us three, especially, are very close because we play the same positions; we play left and right safety. I feel with us three being close and being the quarterbacks of the defense, we are really good. All three of us are really close to Coach Ansley, so he guides us through it when we have trouble.”

On playing a lot of positions and matching up similar to basketball …

“Honestly, I feel it helps because it adds value to a player. At the next level, they look for versatile guys. Right now, (Ansley)’s building that. If someone goes down, we’re all versatile enough to play that different position so we can fill that void.”

On conversations off the field and how that helps on the field …

“Off the field, we challenge each other in everything. Off the field if we want to play video games, we challenge each other. If we want to go shoot hoops, challenge each other. It’s always a competition with us and even in practice we always challenge each other – who can get the most picks, who can cause the most forced fumbles. It is just always a competition with us.”

On replacing Nigel Warrior off the field …

“The biggest thing we lost was his overall leadership. I’m trying to take over that role being a leader for the backend. I’m just trying to make everyone closer by calling up DB meetings just to get in extra work or just going in with Coach Ansley to get the install so I can teach the young guys the install before practice or meetings. I feel like his leadership was the biggest thing we lost.”

On replacing Nigel Warrior on the field …

“We are really just trying to find the right guys. He had played strong safety and he had played it very well, so we are trying to find a playmaker to put in that position.”

On the cornerbacks …

“I’ve seen better technique from them this fall camp. Coach Ansley has been on our butts about technique, technique, technique. If you win with technique, then the only thing that can get you out of phase is your eyes and all that. I feel like us being better with technique and our corners being better with technique has really helped.”

-UT Athletics

Tennessee defensive end LaTrell Bumphus spoke with the media on Friday after practice 9.