KNOXVILLE -- Jashon Robertson may be Tennessee's best offensive lineman.
The sophomore still is finding the simplest of tasks a little trickier than usual at times.
Robertson started every game of his freshman season at right guard, but it's appearing less and less likely he'll play there for the Volunteers this season.
That's subject to change, of course, as Tennessee has yet to settle on a starting five up front with the season opener against Bowling Green now only 10 days away, though that's plenty of time for Robertson to find his way to center or back to his familiar spot at right guard.
"Coach Mo (offensive line coach Don Mahoney) did a great job of getting me center reps in the spring and in camp and having me snap in the winter and in the summer," Robertson said after Tuesday's practice.
"From a center standpoint, you have to set both ways. You have to set with your left foot back and your right foot back. That has helped me adjust to the left side, being able to set to the left and play from that perspective.
"It hadn't been too bad of a transition, but there have been some times I almost reached down and touched the ground with my right hand instead of my left hand."
Three of the positions on Tennessee's offensive line do appear settled: Kyler Kerbyson at left tackle, Coleman Thomas at right tackle and Mack Crowder at center.
University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones addresses the media during a preseason luncheon Monday, Aug. 3, 2015, in Knoxville. The teams first NCAA college football practice of the season is Tuesday.On the first-team line Tuesday, Robertson worked at left guard with Dylan Wiesman at right guard ahead of freshman Jack Jones. Brett Kendrick may be the Vols' swing man, as he played tackle and got some work at center after spending a chunk of the preseason at guard. Redshirt freshman Charles Mosley remains in the mix at guard.
Head coach Butch Jones said Tennessee is choosing competitiveness over continuity, which is considered a commodity for most offensive lines.
"We're still mixing things up," Jones said. "What we've found is the different positions that they're playing has really proved beneficial. You can never have enough guards or tackles or centers.
"It's finding the right fit for game one, and the right fit for game one may not be the right for game two, game three, game four. Every game is a different skill set that you're playing against. Maybe it's scheme, maybe it's one-on-one matchups.
"But we need to get it right, so we're going to take as much time as we need to do it. We just don't want to set a timetable. I know I said here a week ago that we wanted to have it set, but we're not ready to have it set yet."
The Vols used six different starting line lineups last season, but only one of those wasn't the result of an injury to a starter.
Tennessee already lost starting left guard Marcus Jackson and reserve guard Austin Sanders to season-ending biceps injuries this preseason.
"We went through a tremendous amount of adversity already," Robertson said, "so it's just kind of planning ahead just in case we may have this lineup in or that lineup in, this guy here, this guy there. I do think we'll have enough time to glue together. We've been mixing and matching a lot, but we've also just played a lot together in general, so I think we'll be fine.
"We try not to have any guys that are one-trick ponies. We try to have a group of versatile guys that can play in various positions. It don't matter who plays beside me, or who plays beside the next guy. We all know that we've all got each other's back."
Tennessee tidbits
Wide receiver Marquez North, cornerback Justin Martin and defensive end LaTroy Lewis practiced in green noncontact jerseys Tuesday. North has been out a little more than a week and Martin a little more than two weeks with knee injuries. Lewis hadn't practiced all preseason after having his knee scoped in the summer.
* Safety Todd Kelly Jr. and guard Jack Jones returned after sitting out Saturday's practice.
* Linebacker Cortez McDowell continues to be held out of practice. Tight end Alex Ellis (back spasms) and wide receivers Josh Smith (muscle spasms) and Jason Croom (knee) also did not practice. Freshman safety Stephen Griffin did some light running as he works his way back from an ankle injury.
* Colton Jumper, a former Baylor School standout, got some first-team work early in practice Tuesday, as did Malik Foreman at the nickel cornerback spot, where the Vols must replace the injured Rashaan Gaulden.
* Two other freshmen - cornerback Micah Abernathy and guard Venzell Boulware - had their helmet stripes removed following Tuesday's practice.
* Coach Jones said "just about everyone" in Tennessee's freshman class will play this season, with many of those newcomers slated to fill roles on special teams units.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.