When Tennessee begins preseason football practice the first week of August, coach Jeremy Pruitt is expecting to have a dramatically different roster than the one that was on display in last month's spring game.
Before Thursday's Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga, Pruitt suggested that 27 to 30 players who did not participate in last month's spring game will be available in the fall as some return from injury and others arrive on campus for the first time.
The overhaul, Pruitt said, will "completely change our football team."
Pruitt was unhappy with the team after the Orange beat the White 34-7 in front of an announced crowd of 65,098 at Neyland Stadium on April 21. But he seemed more optimistic Thursday as he noted that about 30 players are remaining on campus for the May mini-term and some of them have been spotted working out.
"You know what?" Pruitt said. "I felt a lot better after the spring was over with and we had a chance to sit down. You get a chance to explain to guys where they're at, what they need to work on moving forward. I think it's good for the players to understand exactly where they're at. I think a lot of the guys left out of there in a really positive mood knowing what they needed to work on this summer."
Despite Pruitt's harsh critiques after the spring game, he said "no" when asked Thursday if any players have indicated the intent to transfer. Pruitt also said "no" when asked about the potential addition of more graduate transfers to the roster.
The Volunteers have thin depth at cornerback and offensive line, especially with several offensive linemen working through health concerns. Pruitt told the crowd at First Tennessee Pavilion that 2017 Freshman All-America offensive lineman Trey Smith is "feeling great."
Smith did conditioning work with Tennessee's strength staff during the spring session but did not participate in practices because of a personal health issue.
Offensive linemen Chance Hall and K'Rojhn Calbert are rehabilitating from knee injuries, with Calbert further along in that process than Hall.
"He did get to participate some towards the end of spring and he's done pretty well coming off that injury," Pruitt said of Calbert, who will be a redshirt freshman. "He's staying in the month of May and rehabbing."
SEC Network analyst Greg McElroy, who covered Tennessee's spring game, suggested during an interview on Sports Radio WNML this week that the Vols could have as many as 12 players who start in the season opener against West Virginia who did not play in the spring game. With Pruitt's estimation of 27-30 players who did not play in the spring game being available for the season, McElroy's projection seems believable.
"Well, it's going to be hard for me to gauge who could be a starter and who can't when there's thirty guys that wasn't on our team that didn't participate in the spring," Pruitt said. "I know that the good thing is there will be lots of competition."
Peterson options
Incoming freshman linebacker JJ Peterson is perhaps the crown jewel of Tennessee's 2018 signing class. The exact position for the four-star recruit from Moultrie, Ga., within the linebacker corps in the Vols' 3-4 defensive scheme has not been decided yet.
"The good thing is he can play multiple positions, so that's exciting," Pruitt said.
Recruiting worries
Tennessee ranks 10th in the SEC with five commitments in the 2019 recruiting class, but Pruitt is not losing sleep over that with more than seven months remaining until the early signing period.
"Well, I'm really worried about the guys we get," Pruitt said. "I don't know how many everybody else is getting. I think our guys are doing a really good job. We're excited about the direction we're going."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.