If you are here for drama, that's not what I deal in. I don't really do rumors either. These are the notes I've heard or things I've seen summarized. Simple, straightforward, and drama-free.
Quarterbacks - Quinten Dormady certainly seems to be the favorite to win the job. He appears to be the player most consistently working with the top center candidates and the guy who goes first through drills. He also appears to get the bulk of Mike Canales' attention. That isn't to say Guarantano won't play early in the season or that he won't be utilized in certain packages throughout the season, but it is to say that I think the team may unofficially have it's starter. Will McBride continues to show a good arm and more maturity than one might expect from a freshman. Despite his ranking last cycle, he looks like a steal for the Vols.
Running backs - Despite the rave reviews for Tim Jordan, don't think for a second that means that Ty Chandler or Trey Coleman aren't impressive in their own rights. All three freshmen have looked capable of helping the team this season despite their youth. Coleman is a big back with good footwork. Jordan looks impressive and goes through drills with confidence. Chandler is ridiculously explosive and picks things up quickly. All three are very good receivers to boot. Speaking of good receivers, John Kelly looks like a slot receiver when it comes time to catch the ball but he also leaves no doubt that he is very much a running back. He is also the clear leader of the group. Carlin Fils-aime has looked good in his own right, but his explosion that he showed in high school is still something that needs to materialize.
Wide receivers - Marquez Callaway is looking like an early favorite for a starting job alongside Tyler Byrd and Jauan Jennings. That's not to take anything away from the other receivers, because among the players who have looked very good are Josh Smith, Brandon Johnson, Josh Palmer, Jordan Murphy, and Latrell Williams. If nothing else, it looks like Tennessee won't have any problem putting together a strong rotation at receiver. They are young as a group, but they haven't made too many terrible mistakes and they've done a pretty good job overall of securing the football against the air. Butch has had them go toe-to-toe against the defensive backs today and they split the drill with the defenders, but the wins the offense didn't get were due to very good coverage rather than any failings of the receivers.
Tight end - Early returns seem to suggest that Ethan Wolf has had his best offseason and his focus and performance is better than ever. Jakob Johnson has turned the corner after spending time working with the wide receivers in the offseason to improve his hands. Eli Wolf and Austin Pope look capable of helping the team out. However, the biggest surprise might be how fluid and athletic freshman LaTrell Bumphus has looked. It's not a stretch to believe he could be the heir apparent to Wolf and Johnson after this season as he simply looks like everything you could hope for from an SEC tight end. That said, he's still a bit raw and this next year will be important in his development as he works to master the craft of playing tight end.
Offensive line - Brett Kendrick, Drew Richmond, and Trey Smith seem to have starting jobs all but locked down at right tackle, right guard, and left tackle, but there is a very real pair of competitions for the starting jobs at left guard and center. Jashon Robertson and Coleman Thomas appear to be the likely candidates at center, although others are getting work there, perhaps most notably redshirt freshman Ryan Johnson. At left guard, the candidates are clear in Jack Jones and Venzell Boulware. What's less clear is who is most likely to win the job. I don't think either of these competitions will wrap up easily and could keep going long into camp. Jack Jones did miss practice Sunday, but he's been out there every practice since. Kendrick, Smith, and Marcus Tatum missed the first practice in pads, but it didn't sound especially serious as two of the three might return as soon as tomorrow. Robertson seems to be the top option to replace Smith at right guard if necessary. Chance Hall will redshirt this season, which was hinted at previously with his second opinion. Rarely does that mean anything good.
Defensive line - Most of the news here is fairly good. Matthew Butler has gotten looks at every position on the defensive line and looked capable of helping at each one. Shy Tuttle isn't doing everything but is going through some position drills. Kyle Phillips looks the healthiest he's been since arriving on campus, and the same is true of Kahlil McKenzie. Jonathan Kongbo is becoming a leader both in his words and actions. Darrell Taylor is still a freak athlete, but now he's also very much a defensive end. Kendal Vickers has looked very good. Quay Picou can help the team this year. Deandre Johnson looks the part. All-in-all, good news across the defensive line.
Linebacker - Camp started with news the fans really didn't want to hear, with Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Daniel Bituli out for the first week. They are well on their way to being back and could well be full go by next week. Quart'e Sapp is looking good in his return. Cortez McDowell looks like a different player after dropping some weight. Dillon Bates is in the mix to potentially see playing time at strongside linebacker. Austin Smith is an athletic freak at outside linebacker. Shanon Reid and Will Ignont look very good for freshmen. Again, mostly good news across the board.
Defensive backs - I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but again the news is pretty good. Evan Berry, Nigel Warrior, Todd Kelly Jr., and Micah Abernathy have things locked down at safety, and freshmen Theo Jackson and Maleik Gray have looked good. Jackson is a more natural safety than Gray right now, but Gray had been a high school linebacker so that's to be expected. Things are looking up at corner, with both real competition taking place and old liabilities looking improved. Justin Martin is looking better and better. Emmanuel Moseley is doing well despite performing in a non-contact jersey. Marquill Osborne, Baylen Buchanan, Cheyenne Labruzza, and DJ Henderson are performing well, as is Shaq Wiggins (to nobody's surprise). Terrell Bailey and Shawn Shamburger have flashes here and there, but among the freshmen corners Labruzza has a clear edge.
Special teams - Theo Jackson is pushing to be the top option at punt returner, pushing previously presumed top dog Marquez Callaway. Both can flash in that role. Evan Berry is the kick returner, obviously. Trevor Daniel is the punter, of course. Aaron Medley is supposedly being pushed by freshman Brent Cimaglia. I'm not sure how much I believe that. It strikes me as coach speak for the most part, but perhaps there's a nugget of truth in there.
Coaches - We've all seen how the staff changes have helped in recruiting, but the early returns on the field have been pretty positive as well. Hoke and Warren have supposedly been huge upgrades on defense. Walt Wells is a teacher as well as a coach on the offensive line, and the receivers look a lot better under Beard. Mike Canales seems to have the quarterbacks performing well. As far as injuries and the like are concerned, Butch Jones is being fairly forthcoming, perhaps even more than most coaches this time of year. His gag order with the media hasn't really come into play too much.
All things considered, so far so good in camp. There haven't been any serious new injuries, it seems. Mostly some minor dings that have prompted the staff to hold guys out in order to keep a minor injury from getting any worse. I think if the season started tomorrow, the only guys who wouldn't play would probably be Shy Tuttle and Chance Hall, and that's where you'd like to be since neither are new injuries.
Good stuff, Corey!
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