KNOXVILLE – With a full season of learning how to play cornerback on the fly under his belt, Marsalis Teague probably won’t be new to much of anything in the future.
Given how late Tennessee moved Teague from receiver and a lingering injury that slowed him during the latter half of last season, though, he’s still discovering his need for a better understanding of the position.
“You can never learn too much,” the 5-foot-10, 177-pound rising junior said on Saturday afternoon after the Volunteers’ second spring scrimmage. “I just try to take everything in, embrace it slowly and try to let my game come to me.”
Teague spent last spring trying to build on a successful freshman season as a receiver, catching a pair of passes in last year’s Orange and White game. But the Vols had a pair of productive seniors, a duo of talented freshmen at receiver and a need at corner, prompting the switch at the onset of preseason camp last August.
He proceeded to start eight of the 11 games in which he played, putting together a solid season, albeit quietly. Teague didn’t have any interceptions and averaged four tackles per game, but he wasn’t necessarily making noticeable mistakes on a consistent basis, either.