KNOXVILLE - Tennessee running backs coach Robert Gillespie has been working with his three freshmen for less than a month - at least in person.
Gillespie said this week that he spent time teaching Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan and Trey Coleman basics of what to expect at Tennessee through video chats in the spring as they concluded their senior years of high school.
The trio received more of Gillespie's principles in the summer, taught to them by junior running back John Kelly.
So even though Gillespie has had his hands on the young players only since preseason practice began at the end of July, he already has developed a bold assessment of the collective abilities of the group headlined by Chandler.
"He along with the other two backs we brought in as true freshmen are probably the smartest freshmen I've ever been around," Gillespie said.
All three, along with sophomore Carlin fils-Aime, are candidates for playing time behind Kelly when the Volunteers begin the season against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 4.
Chandler comes with the most hype and has not disappointed during training camp. The 5-foot-11 player from Nashville's Montgomery Bell Academy ran for more than 2,000 yards his junior and senior seasons of high school and earned a consensus four-star rating he has backed up during his first college practices.
"I like the way he plays," senior defensive tackle Kendal Vickers said after recalling a long Chandler run in a recent practice. "He plays with an aggressiveness, and he has explosiveness as well. He's going to be a good back."
Gillespie has detected a "quiet toughness" in Chandler and seen him earn the respect of his teammates.
"He's a kid that just came in and has some natural things that kind of surprises us as staff," Gillespie said. "Now it's just finding a smaller package for him to be able to get involved early in the game without putting too much on him. Very tough from a mental standpoint, physical runner. I think he's got a lot of good football ahead of him."
Tennessee's coaches have praised Kelly for his work to develop the young running backs, with Gillespie saying Kelly "would be the happiest guy on Earth if all three of those guys could play."
Kelly said he feels "pretty confident" with the freshmen and their ability to manage the ball in a game situation.
"That's really what we've been focusing on a lot, is ball security and stuff like that," Kelly said. "As far as the knowledge standpoint, they've got a lot more to learn. But they're just like sponges, all of them. They're taking on as much knowledge as they possibly can. Everything that me and Coach G are telling them, they're doing a good job of retaining the knowledge in that room."
Gillespie said the staff will get a plan in place during the next two weeks about who will play behind Kelly against Georgia Tech and how much.
"As we tighten up the game plan we'll start to figure out who can do what, and we'll just put the best guy out there," he said.
Gillespie talked about the pressure he was under to develop the running backs quickly. He said he wanted them to enjoy their last weeks of high school, but he said they wanted to spend time learning Tennessee's offense from afar before they arrived on campus.
Once they arrived, Kelly picked up the mentoring role leading into preseason practice.
"The biggest I think that's helped is John Kelly," Gillespie said. "John really took those guys under his wing this summer when we couldn't meet with them as coaches. It kind of surprised me when I came off vacation and saw where those guys were.
"They do a good job watching film and (dealing with) the pressure they're under to come in and play. All three of those guys have surprised me as a position coach with how much I can put on their plate."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.