Tennessee football spring practice is underway.
After a 10-3 season and the first College Football Playoff berth in program history, the Vols are back on the practice field taunting a new roster.
“I love spring ball because it’s an intentional time of fundamental technique,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “Just, you’re starting on the football side, on the ground floor. You reset every year. So, a lot of fun to get back out there with those guys.”
Here’s some takeaways from what Heupel had to say.
Lots of newcomers
The end of a season signifies the transition to a new roster. Tennessee experienced turnover in departments that have had stability for many years, but it welcomed 27 new guys to the field on Friday.
“Today is day one,” Heupel said. “As you would expect, great energy. Guys playing hard, too. There’s going to be a bunch as we go back and watch the tape. It’s the beginning part of the journey. And challenged those guys after practice.”
Tennessee only brought in four newbies from the transfer portal: Notre Dame offensive lineman Sam Pendleton, Alabama wide receiver Amari Jefferson, Duke running back Star Thomas and Arizona offensive lineman Wendell Moe Jr.
Freshmen fill up the remaining 24 slots for the new season. Guys like highly touted quarterback prospect George MacIntyre and top-rated recruit David Sanders were amongst those who got their first spring practice under their belt.
“He’s had great work habits since he arrived, continued to grow,” Heupel said of Sanders. “There’s a lot of growth for him and every young guy that has come onto our roster. He’s put on weight, got to continue to do that, continue to grow into his frame, but he’s got great athleticism.”
As practice continues, it will be a chance for the newcomers to continue gaining reps in a new system. Contrary to popular actions around college football, Tennessee will still be having a spring game — giving its roster a chance to play in front of fans before taking the field in the fall.
Quarterback progression
Entering his third season on campus, quarterback Nico Iamaleava has a lot to build on. As a first-year starter, Iamaleava led the Vols to a playoff berth but still left some undesirable performances on the table throughout the year.
As he begins his second offseason with starter expectations, the laundry list of improvements remains a key focus.
“Command and control of what we’re doing offensively, better with his eyes, fundamental position to be accurate with the football, leadership,” Heupel said. “It’s the checklist of playing the quarterback position, all of those things. He’s got a chance to continue to get better.”
Behind Iamaleava, competition is imminent. Jake Merklinger returns after his freshman year, while true freshman quarterback MacIntyre gets his first chance at spring ball. The two are in a battle for the backup spot, something that will likely take the rest of the offseason to solve.
“I like what he did today, but there’s going to be a lot of growth here through spring ball,” Heupel said of MacIntyre. “…So just to understand that you just got to continually invest and you’ll reap the rewards as you go through the process.”
Opportunities in wide receiver room
Tennessee’s offseason in the wide receiver room resulted in the most turnover on the roster. The Vols return only three guys from last season.
Chris Brazzell II, Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are the only returnees while Alabama transfer Jefferson was onboarded as the only other receiver with a year of college under his belt.
Insert two freshmen, Travis Smith Jr. and Radarious Jackson into spring practice and that rounds out the Vols’ scholarship receiver room.
“Opportunity exists and really like the group, their physical traits,” Heupel said. “They’re big, they’re long, athletic, really intelligent football guys, really mature. They grasp onto what we’ve given them up until this point in a really, really good way. So they did a really nice job out there, made some plays. So excited about that group.”
Matthews headlines the pack as the exciting returnee. A touted prospect in high school, Matthews saw limited action in his first season at Tennessee. As he turns the page to year two, the expectations are heightened in a largely unknown corps.
“In year two for him, growth of control in his mind, how he approaches everything every day, he has really matured in a really good way,” Heupel said. “And so I’m excited about what he’s done up until this point in the offseason, but really like what he did today on the practice field. We have high hopes and expectations for him.”
Tennessee continues spring practice on Monday, March 10, in preparation for the spring game on April 12.
