Distractions abound for Vols as classes resume at University of Tennessee

KNOXVILLE — The fall semester started today at the University of Tennessee, and that means a few important things to football coach Phillip Fulmer.

1. The season-opener is coming up soon.

2. Distractions are here to stay.

Campus comes alive when the entire student body descends upon it. Players have spent the summer working out and attending smaller classes, and they’ve fought through preseason camp the past three weeks.

Fulmer and his staff now hope that players study Football 101 and English 102, not Introduction to Southeastern Conference Coeds.

“They’re very tired, and they just started back to class, and all the girls are back,” Fulmer said after Wednesday’s practice. “They’re 18-to-22. They’re not all totally focused on football.”

But they were Wednesday. Most of them, at least. Fulmer said his team had just been through “one of our best practices, actually.

“Our team’s had good focus,” Fulmer added. “I know they’re very busy, and a couple of guys had classes that ran into practice or had to leave a few minutes early, but we’ll get all that worked out as we go along.

“If they’re an upperclassmen senior that’s trying to graduate, that’s fine. We’ll work with them, as we have a lot guys. But for freshmen to have a class in the middle of practice, that’s not going to happen.”

These Vols have generally avoided off-the-field distractions since spring practice, but another big test for the team’s veterans begins tonight. Who doesn’t remember their first few weeks of college? Didn’t it feel like you could do anything you wanted?

These Vols sure seem like a tight-knit group. They smile. They laugh. They man-hug. They dance. The camaraderie is clear, and it’s not divided between offense, defense and special teams. They all seem to support each other, and they’ve generally avoided distractions during the past few months.

Fulmer and his staff enjoy being around this group of players, and they’ve consistently complimented the team’s ability to self-police and lead by example. If that contineus over the next 10 days, that’s probably a good sign for this season.

Read www.timesfreepress.com throughout the day and Thursday’s print edition for more information.