By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports
The University of Tennessee football team completed Week 1 of an extended fall practice.
In doing so, UT released the official preseason, updated, expanded roster. Here are some notes from that roster as well as some things you should know about the Vols through one week of practice.
Here’s a deep dive in my blog “Vince’s View.”
The roster has 132 players on it. Of those, 85 are scholarship players and 47 are walk-ons.
Two players that aren’t on the roster are redshirt senior DB Baylen Buchanan and true freshman DB Tamarion McDonald. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt announced Buchanan is still recovering from the narrowing of the spine that caused him to miss last season. Pruitt also said McDonald would redshirt this season after having surgery in July. Being left off the roster would seem to rule out playing 4 or fewer games for that redshirt.
Position moves
Fr. Jimmy Holiday – QB to WR
Fr. RJ Perry – DL to OT
R-So. JJ Peterson – ILB to OLB
85 scholarship breakdown looks like this by position
QB – 4
RB – 6
WR – 11
TE/HB/FB – 6
OG/C – 10
OT – 6
DT – 5
DE – 8
ILB – 6
OLB – 7
CB – 7
S – 6
PK – 1
P – 1
LS – 1
*The specific positions were not listed on the roster, but my breakdown to separate players into main positions played. There is obviously crossover at numerous positions.
In watching the practice videos we’ve seen, I noticed several players looked noticeably different. One was sophomore RB Eric Gray, who looked thicker and stronger than his freshman season. That was something I felt would help him take that next step as a running back in the SEC and maybe even handle a starting load. The roster validated that weight and strength. Gray leads the team in weight added at plus-20 pounds since the last roster update. Gray told us last week about the work he put in this off-season.
Another player that immediately looked different was sophomore LB Henry To’oto’o, who looked trimmer than his freshman season. I asked Henry T about improvement to his body. He told me his number one thing in the off-season was to lose 10-12 pounds. He said he was at about 240 last season. He was listed at 235. He wanted to be able to run and get off blocks better. Pruitt says To’oto’o is lighter but stronger and it will allow him to improve his coverage skills, as he wanted.
Here are the biggest movers in weight gain and weight loss
Top Added Weight
RB Eric Gray +20 (now 205)
QB Jarrett Guarantano +15 (now 230)
DB Warren Burrell +14 (now 190)
OL Riley Locklear +14 (now 300)
OL Jahmir Johnson +14 (now 300)
DB Theo Jackson +13 (now 203)
OL RJ Perry +11 (now 310)
WR Jalin Hyatt +11 (now 175)
WR Josh Palmer +10 (now 210)
LB Aaron Beasley +10 (now 225)
OLB Kivon Bennett +10 (now 245)
Top Lost Weight
OL Javontez Spraggins -37 (now 315)
OL James Robinson -23 (now 320)
DL Elijah Simmons -20 (now 320)
WR Jimmy Calloway -17 (now 190)
LB Bryson Eason -15 (now 255)
LB Henry To’oto’o -10 (now 225)
DL Ja’Quain Blakely -10 (now 285)
OL Darnell Wright -10 (now 330)
12 players changed numbers from the previously released roster
CB Bryce Thompson 20 to 0
WR Velus Jones Jr. 12 to 1
RB Len’Neth Whitehead 35 to 4
S Trevon Flowers 25 to 1
WR Jalin Hyatt 21 to 11
WR Malachi Wideman 1 to 13
LB Morven Joseph 56 to 19
RB Jabari Small 33 to 20
WR Dee Beckwith 34 to 21
LB Martavius French 40 to 29
OL RJ Perry 89 to 70
CB Kenneth George Jr. 41 to 5
Jeremy Pruitt complemented the offensive line this week. He said they’ve moved some guys around some to give them different looks. One of those looks is swapping tackle positions with the two five-star sophomores. Darnell Wright, last season’s right tackle, has worked at left tackle with Wanya Morris, the starting left tackle all of 2019 has worked on the same line at right tackle. One 5-line group of apparent starters had Trey Smith at left guard, Brandon Kennedy at center and Jerome Carvin at right guard. Carvin and others are competing to be the one called upon if Cade Mays can’t played.
Speaking of Mays, the NCAA denied him a waiver and UT is in the appeals process. It’s a complicated, frustrating situation for Tennessee with the NCAA and Georgia. Jeremy Pruitt has expressed his disappointment on two different occasions, the second unsolicited. Mays is one of the 85 on the current roster.
Starting TE Austin Pope, who had off-season back surgery, could be back for the Vols season opener. Pruitt said he’s been practicing. That’s a surprising and extremely big development to get that level of blocker back in your offense that lacks anyone else proven behind him.
Freshman WR Jalin Hyatt is off to a nice start for the Vols, drawing compliments from Pruitt. He was my offseason pick to standout among the five true freshmen wide receivers.
Pruitt said that the team has had 23 total positive COVID-19, most when they returned after the 4th of July break. Pruitt mentioned that true freshman QB Harrison Bailey has been quarantining, but it’s been reported by The Athletic that Bailey did not test positive.
Pruitt said last week the team was testing once a week and would increase to twice a week during the season. I don’t think once a week is enough. A few days later, the SEC released revised protocols for health and safety around the league requiring teams to test twice a week.
The coaches all seem to be masked-up pretty well at practice to protect themselves and the players.
The Vols roster includes 16 players that played high school football in the Knoxville/East Tennessee area. 8 of those players are on scholarship and 8 are walk-ons.
Local players on the current roster (16)
RB Tee Hodge (Maryville)
TE Jacob Warren (Farragut)
OL Ollie Lane (Gibbs)
TE Austin Pope (CAK)
DL Darel Middleton (Oak Ridge)
LB Tyler Baron (Catholic)
OL Cooper Mays (Catholic)
OL Cade Mays (Catholic)
WR Jack Jancek (Catholic)
DL Tim Arnet (Catholic)
P Joe Doyle (Farragut)
WR Braden Collins (Farragut)
PK Luke Lynn (South-Doyle)
LB Eunique Valentine (Central)
DL Deven Jones (Hardin Valley Academy)
LS Matthew Salansky (Morristown West)
Find more of my broadcasting work at VinceSports.net.
