'Different mindset' leads to solid practice for Vols' Josh Smith

Josh Smith hauls in a pass as Arkansas State's Chris Humes approaches in this file photo.
Josh Smith hauls in a pass as Arkansas State's Chris Humes approaches in this file photo.

KNOXVILLE -- Most college football players find the going tougher by the time they reach the 13th of 15 spring practices.

Tennessee receiver Josh Smith, on the other hand, appears to be finding his groove at this late stage.

The rising third-year sophomore, who's used the spring to work his way back into form after missing all but three games of last season due to an ankle injury, had what Volunteers coach Butch Jones called his best practice of the spring Tuesday.

"I just came out with a different mindset that, 'OK, I'm going to get better today,'" Smith said after practice. "Me and Coach Z (receivers coach Zach Azzanni) had a really good meeting, me and him, and I felt like that had a lot to do with it. Me and him just had a heart-to-heart, and I felt like it was good.

"I'm playing not just for me. I'm playing for all the receivers and the coaches, and Coach Z is someone special to me. I'm trying to play for him and all the guys around me."

Tennessee is shorthanded at wide receiver this spring, and with a couple of its more reliable targets battling inconsistency or struggling occasionally with drops, Smith's solid practice is encouraging for Tennessee.

"He came out and he attacked things. He's obviously in better football condition," Jones said. "I think that's a byproduct over time of practice. He played with confidence, caught the football and he was able to advance the football.

"He just played aggressively, played like he played at the beginning of last season, so that was great to see."

That was when Smith was showing he could be productive for the Vols.

In a little less than three full games, he recorded 10 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown, and his five-catch, 58-yard game in the loss at Oklahoma was cut short by an ankle injury that eventually required season-ending surgery.

Smith struggled to regain his conditioning early in spring after not being able to run for a few months, but he said he felt better Tuesday in that regard.

"At the beginning of the spring, I was really, really feeling it, because I hadn't run in forever," he said. "I'm really feeling like I've caught up to my conditioning level, but it definitely could be better. I'm kind excited.

"I've just got to keep going through May and into the offseason."

photo Shy Tuttle, defensive tackle, and early enrollee in University of Tennessee's 2015 football class, is interviewed at the Anderson Training Center in Knoxville in this Jan. 14, 2015, file photo. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL)

Shy's advice

One half of the touted tandem of defensive tackles who headlined Tennessee's 2015 recruiting class joined the program in January, Shy Tuttle shared some of the advice he's given to fellow freshman Kahlil McKenzie, the five-star recruit who will join the Vols in the summer.

"I told him to run a lot," Tuttle quipped.

Going through spring allowed Tuttle, a four-star recruit, to get a head start on improving his conditioning and attacking the learning curve defensive linemen face when they go from high school to college football.

"It's a lot," he said. "Just working on hands, leverage -- it's the little fine details that help improve your game. I've made a big jump from my first practice to now."

The Vols are glad he's getting the process started now instead of in August.

"Thank goodness he's here," Jones said. "He's learning our style of play. He's learning how to fight through mental fatigue, physical fatigue, the mental toughness, the mental conditioning, that it's about technique and toughness through technique, the ability to sustain plays (and) fight through things. You can talk about it all you want, but you never know until it happens.

"The 13 practices have been very, very big for him. He's very intelligent. He knows what he needs to do to continue to get better."

Special guests

Former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, the program's most famous alum, is expected to be in attendance for Saturday's Orange and White Game at Neyland Stadium (4 p.m., SEC Network Alternate).

"Peyton's a great friend, and Peyton's been a tremendous resource for myself and our entire coaching staff," Jones said. "I think a lot of our relationship and everything that he means to Tennessee football. It'll be special having him back this weekend, and not just him, but all of our former players."

The Vols also are hosting a "Wide Receiver U" reunion for a number of former Tennessee wideouts as part of the large collection of former players and coaches who will be in attendance.

Spring game

Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri all held their spring games this past Saturday, cranking up the competition for visits from recruits.

That won't be the case for Tennessee. Arkansas is the only other SEC team sharing its spring game with the Vols. Of course, that was by design, as Jones and the Vols use the game as a recruiting tool, perhaps above all else.

The game will be two 15-minute quarters and two 12-minute quarters, both with a running clock, of 11-on-11 football. The Vols will mix in some one-on-ones between offensive and defensive linemen and receivers and defensive backs, too, along with a quarterback competition. It'll be scored much like the past two spring games.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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