KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time since preparations for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Tennessee football donned shoulder pads in a practice as the Volunteers spent two hours working out in shells on Friday afternoon at Haslam Field.

“We didn’t get a chance to do that in the spring, so I know our players were excited to have a chance to strike people up front and finish with thuds and (being) a little bit closer to football,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “I really think over the last three days our offense continues to improve as far as how fast we’re getting lined up, getting the calls in, communicating, taking care of the football.”

Pruitt discussed the health improvement of senior tight end Austin Pope, who underwent surgery earlier this summer.

“He’s been out there every day. He continues to improve and if he continues to improve like he has the last five weeks, he should be ready to play for the opener.”

Among the many young skill position players seeing several reps include freshman wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.

“Jalin is a guy that is very polished,” Pruitt said. “He’s had three really good practices, and he’s got to continue to do that. He’s got to work on ball security. It’s a little different in this league because everybody plays in your face. In high school, very few teams probably played him that way, so he’s got to continue to work really hard at the line of scrimmage, at the top of routes, and he’s a guy that can play really all three spots at wide receiver.”

Tennessee will quickly turnaround and practice Saturday evening to conclude the first week of preseason camp.

Below are quotes from Pruitt’s post practice media availability.

Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt Press Conference
Practice #3 | Friday, Aug. 21

Opening Statement

“Today was our third practice, first day in shells. We didn’t get a chance to do that in the spring, so I know our players were excited to have a chance to strike people up front and finish with thuds and (being) a little bit closer to football. I really think over the last three days our offense continues to improve as far as how fast we’re getting lined up, getting the calls in, communicating, taking care of the football. I was really pleased with our offensive line today. They continued to improve and develop some chemistry up there. We’re playing a lot of guys. (We have) a lot of guys getting a lot of different opportunities there. (We’re) moving some guys around, but you can tell from a conceptual standpoint we’re a lot further ahead than we were probably when we practiced in spring thanks to the OTAs we had this summer.

“Defensively, we’ve got to continue to work on trying to create turnovers at practice. First day we had a chance to thud somebody up and there’s guys out there that flashed and looked like we’d been doing it for a while, and we’ve got other guys that have to continue to improve.

“One thing that I want to update everybody on is Tamarion McDonald. He had shoulder surgery this summer, and we elected to do that so that he would be ready when we started in the winter time, so we went ahead and got that done for him. With the uncertainty at that point and time during the pandemic we felt like that was the best thing to do so we went ahead and did that. So, he’s a guy that will definitely be redshirting this season.”

On freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey …

“He has not practiced. At the last press conference, I told you all that we had some guys that were in some social quarantine and he’s one of the guys that is.”

On the practice plan for senior offensive lineman Trey Smith …

“Well he definitely will be doing more than he did last year because last year he did zero. With the season being pushed back and with the way that we’ve spread practice out – 25 practices, I think it’s over 36 days or 42 days, whatever it is – there’s breaks in between so it’s going to allow him to get several practices during camp.”

On his thoughts on the reduced crowd capacities and how that will be different from a coaching standpoint …

“Well it’s one of the great things about this league, is every week, every stadium is going to be full so obviously that’ll be something different, but we train year-round – obviously there’s eight weeks that we give them off – but we train when nobody’s looking. That’s the mindset that I believe we have to have as a team. I know things have changed daily over the last six months so who knows what’s liable to happen as the season goes, in a positive way or a negative way, who knows? The way we’re looking at it is, we’re training when nobody’s looking so, we’ve got to be ready whenever the time comes.”

On freshman wide receiver Jalin Hyatt …

“We have a lot of young receivers and one thing about all of them is they can run. They’re really fast. Jalin is a guy that is very polished. He’s had three really good practices, and he’s got to continue to do that. He’s got to work on ball security. It’s a little different in this league because everybody plays in your face. In high school, very few teams probably played him that way, so he’s got to continue to work really hard at the line of scrimmage, at the top of routes, and he’s a guy that can play really all three spots at wide receiver.”

On the new NCAA legislation giving all players another year of eligibility …

“Talking about the new legislation, we just found out about it coming off the field. I think it’s a great idea. The NCAA is in place – and we’re all here, all of us together, everybody that’s in college athletics – we’re here to serve all the student-athletes. I think that it’s a great opportunity for them in a time of uncertainty so they can make decisions about their future and probably alleviate some anxiety for them. So, I think it’s a great idea.”

On senior tight end Austin Pope …

“He’s been out there every day. He continues to improve and if he continues to improve like he has the last five weeks, he should be ready to play for the opener.”

On sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o and his next step as a player …

“Last year, Daniel Bituli was the signal caller on defense. Henry is plenty capable of doing that this year, he was last year. But that’s one of the things that will be added to him this year – being the signal caller on defense, making sure everybody is lined up. Communication, he is the quarterback of the defense.  One thing that he’s really worked on is his coverage, whether it is zone drops or playing man-to-man. He’s really changed his body this offseason, probably a little lighter but probably stronger now and he’s really trimmed up.”

On sophomore running back Eric Gray …

“Eric has really good leadership ability. He’s a great student, works extremely hard all the time. He’s a really good practice player. He’s worked really hard in the weight room; he’s probably put on 10 pounds since last year. Him working hard at practice and in the classroom, that’s who he is and that’s who he was in high school and that’s just the way he’s wired. He’s a great guy to just follow his lead on and off the field.”

On roster management in light of the new NCAA rule regarding eligibility…

“Well I have not studied the legislation, but it’s probably pretty simple. Where the numbers come into effect, these seniors, a team that has 30 seniors on scholarship is obviously different from a team that has five. Just because you’re a senior doesn’t mean you’re going to come back and play. I’m sure they’re going to do the right thing, that’s what the NCAA is there for. Whenever that happens, we’ll adjust.”

On if he is okay with the scholarship limit staying at 85 …

“No, there’s no way we can operate that way. On every team, there will be some young men that decide to come back. We can’t predict what’s going to happen over the next three months. I’m sure those circumstances will affect people’s decisions.”

On areas of practice that improved this week …

“We’ve got to improve in every phase. Offense, defense, even special teams. There’s certain groups that are a little older and have more experience and it has shown in the first three practices. We’ve got to continue to improve at everything. We’ve got to find good leaders in each group and got to have guys that affect other guys in a positive way.”

On Trevon Flowers, Theo Jackson and new guys who will replace Nigel Warrior …

“Well we’ve practiced three times. All those guys have had some good plays, and they’ve probably all had some bad plays. We’re working on consistency. We have talent back there in the backfield, and we have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football games. It’s time for them to elevate their game. This starts with practice and we’ve got to do it with consistency.”

On freshman defensive back Keyshawn Lawrence and junior defensive back Bryce Thompson …

“Keyshawn (Lawrence) is learning the system. For any young player, I guess you can say it takes a little bit of time. We’ve played lots of true freshmen over the years. He’s a guy that has plenty of ability along with Doneiko Slaughter. Those guys are competing. We’ve got lots of opportunities out there. In the end, we’ll play the best players that we feel like will give us a chance to win. Those guys certainly have an opportunity to be one of the five or six guys, or eight or 10 guys that play. We play a lot of guys and we try to play the guys who deserve to play. Over the last couple of years, we’ve done that and we’ve had some success back there. We’ll continue to do that.

“When it comes to Bryce (Thompson), everybody’s got to work on consistency – Bryce, the entire secondary, the entire team. This is a new year, and we have to take it one day at a time and continue to work hard and be able to master our position so we’ll be ready to play our best.”

On Cade Mays at practice …

“We two spot so everybody gets the same amount of reps so Cade (Mays) is in there working just like everybody else. Last week the question to me was about his waiver. It’s interesting to me, for him, that the NCAA and everybody associated with college athletics, we always try to serve the kids, right? And Cade’s a guy that based off of none of his doing, he has nothing to do with it. There’s a circumstance there obviously with a lawsuit between his parents and the University of Georgia, and it was something that started while he was there. I’m sure he worked hard to be the best player he could be. I’m sure there was probably pressure on both sides from their coaching staff and him as player. It’s just something that doesn’t happen a whole lot. So it is an unusual circumstance. Him electing to transfer and us applying for a waiver, to me, it’s just common sense. If there’s a lawsuit going on with your employer, it’s probably not the healthiest situation in the world and that’s not bashing anybody at Georgia, that’s just common sense to me. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to play this year. He’s working hard every day, just like he’s going to. It would be very disappointing on many levels if any kid, in this pandemic, is denied the opportunity to play.”

On the NCAA’s academic-based incentive for student-athletes …

“Obviously, we learned about it last Thursday, so it’s something from an administrative standpoint we’ve got to decide what we want to do. We have certainly put it in motion, and we’re coming up with a plan.”

-UT Athletics

Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt spoke to the media after Vols practice 3 on Friday via Zoom.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As Major League Baseball rolls on, the majority of teams are already more than a third of the way through their seasons as we near the end of August.

See how former Vols in the MLB are faring below. The 2020 Minor League Baseball season was canceled due to COVID-19.

Check UTSports.com for updates throughout the season.

Zack Godley — RHP, Boston Red Sox
Season: 5 App, 4 GS, 0-2, 6.87 ERA, 18.1 IP, 27 H, 14 R, 14 ER, 7 BB, 18 K, 1.85 WHIP

Since coming on in relief in his 2020 debut, Godley has moved into the Red Sox starting rotation and has started in each of his last four appearances. The veteran right hander had rough outings in losses to the Yankees (Aug. 1) and Rays (Aug. 12), but put forth a pair of quality performances in his other two starts.

Godley pitched four shutout innings while allowing just three hits and striking out three batters in Boston’s 2-1 loss to Toronto on Aug. 8. In his most recent outing, Godley had four strikeouts and allowed just one run on four hits in four innings of work, earning a no-decision against the Phillies on Aug.18.

Yan Gomes — C, Washington Nationals
Season: 9 G, 34 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 11 TB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 0 SB, .235 AVG, .297 OBP, .324 SLG

After a slow start to the year, Gomes has reeled off five straight games with a hit, including three multi-hit performances for the Nationals.

The veteran backstop went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in Washington’s 16-4 thumping of the Mets on Aug. 10 before recording a pair of extra-base knocks – a double and a triple – to go along with two RBI in the Nationals’ 15-3 thrashing of the Orioles on Aug. 14. Gomes had two more hits and another RBI in his last game played, an 8-5 win over the Braves on Aug. 18.

Nick Senzel — OF, Cincinnati Reds
Season: 14 G, 45 AB, 7 R, 11 H, 22 TB, 5 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 10 K, 2 SB, .244 AVG, .327 OBP, .489 SLG

Senzel has cooled off a bit after a hot start to the season but had a big day at the plate against the Pirates on Aug. 13. The Knoxville product went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and a career-high four RBI. Senzel has not played since Aug. 14 and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 19.

Drew Steckenrider — RHP, Miami Marlins
Season: N/A

On July 23, Steckenrider was placed on the 60-day injured list with right triceps tendonitis and has not seen action this season.

Christian Stewart — OF, Detroit Tigers
Season: 19 G, 50 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 17 K, .160 AVG, .236 OBP, .260 SLG

Stewart has struggled in the month of August, batting just .133 with four hits and one RBI. The Georgia native had a solid day at the plate on Aug. 7 against Pittsburgh, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and an RBI, but has recorded just one hit in the eight games since then.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (August 20, 2020) – The Southeastern Conference on Thursday announced creation of the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice, a league-wide body consisting of a diverse group of student-athletes, administrators, coaches and SEC staff.

The Council will identify resources, outline strategies and assist with implementation of efforts that, when taken together, will promote racial equity and social justice, while also fostering diversity, helping overcome racism and pursuing non-discrimination in intercollegiate athletics.

“An important movement has been ignited around the equitable treatment of all underrepresented minorities, and the SEC is determined to be a leader in the pursuit of meaningful and lasting change,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “With the Council as our guide, we will develop an action agenda built on the foundation that all are created equal and ensure this truth echoes across our stadiums, our arenas, our campuses, our communities, our states and our nation.”

Members of the Council include individuals from within the Conference’s existing student-athlete engagement program – a multi-faceted effort involving more than 60 student leaders in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and all other SEC sponsored sports. Racial equity and social justice will be required discussions during all student-athlete leadership and advisory council meetings, while those groups’ chairs, vice chairs and/or other identified leaders will participate in Council meetings.

In addition, the Council will include administrative leaders from each campus and head coaches from each SEC sport (see full list below), who will regularly meet with SEC student-athletes to better understand and respond to their questions and concerns.

“Today’s youth are our leaders and change agents of tomorrow, and by listening, asking and seeking their insights and counsel, we have begun the shared journey toward racial equality,” said Sankey.

Alongside student-athletes, the SEC has used the past several weeks to gather and understand perspectives from a range of stakeholders across its 14 campuses, including presidents and chancellors, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, various sport head coaches, mental health professionals and the SEC staff.

Those discussions helped create a framework for the Council, which will provide ongoing guidance to the SEC office and updates to Conference leaders at regular intervals. The Council will initially focus on the following five strategic areas:

Increasing Access and Representation for Underrepresented Minorities
Providing Enhanced Support for Underrepresented Minorities
Improving Education on Racial and Social Issues for All Stakeholders
Deepening Commitments to Local Communities
Raising Awareness of Racial Inequity and Social Injustice

Among other efforts, the Council will be tasked with identifying resources related to racial equity and social justice for educational and professional development programs for athletics department staff, coaches and student-athletes; outlining support mechanisms for underrepresented minorities within the athletics department; and identifying opportunities for the SEC to bolster ongoing university and athletics department diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In addition, the Council will advise athletics departments and the Conference office on ways student-athletes, coaches and staff may fulfill their ongoing civic responsibilities in the electoral process.

Coupled with student-athlete participation, members of the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice include the following university administrators and head coaches.

University Administrators

University of Alabama – Dr. James King, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Culverhouse College of Business & Faculty Athletics Representative
University of Arkansas – Derita Ratcliffe, Deputy Director of Athletics & Senior Woman Administrator
Auburn University – Allen Greene, Director of Athletics
University of Florida – Dr. Chris Hass, Associate Provost for Academic & Faculty Affairs
University of Georgia – Darrice Griffin, Deputy Director of Athletics
University of Kentucky – Melissa Gleason, Executive Associate Director of Athletics & Chief Financial Officer
Louisiana State University – Dr. Dereck Rovaris, Vice Provost for Diversity & Chief Diversity Officer
University of Mississippi – Dr. Charlotte Fant Pegues, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Mississippi State University – Dr. Angel Brutus, Assistant Director of Athletics in Counseling and Sport Psychology Services
University of Missouri – Kamrhan Farwell, Vice Chancellor for Communications & Marketing
University of South Carolina – Julian Williams, Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
University of Tennessee – Tyvi Small, Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Engagement
Texas A&M University – Michael Thompson, Deputy Director of Athletics
Vanderbilt University – Dr. Candice Storey Lee, Director of Athletics

Head Coaches

Baseball – Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt University
Men’s Basketball – Cuonzo Martin, University of Missouri
Women’s Basketball – Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina
Equestrian – Meghan Boenig, University of Georgia
Football – Derek Mason, Vanderbilt University
Men’s Golf – Nick Clinard, Auburn University
Women’s Golf – Ginger Brown-Lemm, Mississippi State University
Gymnastics – Tim Garrison, University of Kentucky
Soccer – G. Guerrieri, Texas A&M University
Softball – Pat Murphy, University of Alabama
Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving
Neil Harper, University of Arkansas
Anthony Nesty, University of Florida
Men’s Tennis – Bryan Shelton, University of Florida
Women’s Tennis – Allison Ojeda, University of Tennessee
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Lonnie Greene, University of Kentucky
Connie Price-Smith, Ole Miss
Volleyball – Fran Flory, LSU

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