KNOXVILLE - Jalen Reeves-Maybin declared himself ready to go for his senior season at Tennessee, but the star linebacker continues to wonder if he'll truly be at 100 percent when the Volunteers open the season in nine days.
With Reeves-Maybin only a few months removed from shoulder surgery, the Vols have limited his contact in practice this month, and while he's not concerned about his shoulder slowing him down, Reeves-Maybin still is curious to see how it responds to the first good hit he makes in next Thursday's opener against Appalachian State.
"I still don't know," he said Monday. "You can't simulate once you get in a game and once you go. I haven't hit nobody full speed yet. I trust our training room and our strength staff and things like that.
"I've progressed well and I haven't had any setbacks yet, so when it comes time to go full speed, I can't hold back."
Reeves-Maybin, Tennessee's top tackler the past two seasons, has no intentions of doing so.
He insists he won't "baby it," though there may remain some doubt in his mind about his health.
In every practice this preseason Reeves-Maybin was in a green noncontact jersey, but he downplayed how much he's really been limited by his different jersey.
"I was basically doing everything," he said.
"I'm a pretty smart practice player, so I was able to handle it fine. Some guys, the green jersey don't mean nothing to him. I think I was able to handle it well, and I started to ease my way back into hitting and I think it's worked out good for me."
With Tennessee transitioning from training camp to game week with practices Monday and today before three days off, coach Butch Jones wants to ensure his team comes in fresh heading into the season.
"I think he has a lot more trust in us," Reeves-Maybin said. "We've been having some good practices, and I think he trusts us to come out and get our work done. We don't have to be in full pads every day to keep our mental focus up and intensity. We can still get quality practices in no matter what we're in, vests or shells or pads. I think he's trusted us in that aspect."
Most athletic Vol?
Defensive end might be Tennessee's deepest position, and according to one of the players there, the position group might include the team's most athletic player.
Redshirt freshman Darrell Taylor is worthy of the title, according to star Derek Barnett.
"D.T.'s a beast," Barnett said. "I just tell him to keep on working. I try to tell him some of the tricks I've picked up on how to pass rush, like reducing and bending well. D.T., he sticks out.
"He wants to get better and he wants to learn. If you tell him something he tries to put it into play. He's naturally gifted."
Fresh receivers
Of Tennessee's five first-year wide receivers, freshman Tyler Byrd has had the best preseason, while fellow rookies Brandon Johnson and Latrell Williams have been slowed by missed practice time due to injuries.
Their absences meant more action for junior college transfer Jeff George and freshman Marquez Callaway, and both appear to be carving out roles.
"They've made a lot of progress, especially during camp," junior wideout Josh Malone said, "with making plays with the ball in the air and just being able to take coaching and apply it to their game and take what they learn from the meeting room and improvements from the meeting room onto the field."
Tennessee's four returning receivers played as freshmen. The quartet of Malone (23), Josh Smith (12), Preston Williams (seven) and Jauan Jennings (14) combined for 56 receptions in their first years.
"You get thrown into the fire and just have to learn on the run," Malone said. "That's really all it is. I feel like you're really never ready as a freshman because you've never had college experience before and you never get a true test of game speed and going up against a high level of competition."
Tuttle update
Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle's status for the season opener remains unclear, but the big sophomore continues to show promising signs in practice of progress in his recovery from a nasty leg injury.
"He's progressed a lot," Barnett said. "He's on the field working with us every day. He's still knocking off some rust, but he's starting to look good. That's my roommate, so I try to keep him up with his confidence. He's going to be back and be ready to play. I don't know when, but he'll be back."
Status updates
Safety and kick returner Evan Berry returned to practice Monday after missing more than a week with an undisclosed injury, while receiver Johnson and running back Carlin Fils-aime returned and practiced in green jerseys.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.