When Tennessee begins preseason football practice the first week of August, coach Jeremy Pruitt is expecting to have a dramatically different roster than the one that was on display in last month’s spring game.
Before Thursday’s Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga, Pruitt suggested that 27 to 30 players who did not participate in last month’s spring game will be available in the fall as some return from injury and others arrive on campus for the first time.
The overhaul, Pruitt said, will “completely change our football team.”
Pruitt was unhappy with the team after the Orange beat the White 34-7 in front of an announced crowd of 65,098 at Neyland Stadium on April 21. But he seemed more optimistic Thursday as he noted that about 30 players are remaining on campus for the May mini-term and some of them have been spotted working out.
“You know what?” Pruitt said. “I felt a lot better after the spring was over with and we had a chance to sit down. You get a chance to explain to guys where they’re at, what they need to work on moving forward. I think it’s good for the players to understand exactly where they’re at. I think a lot of the guys left out of there in a really positive mood knowing what they needed to work on this summer.”