KNOXVILLE — Tabbing a true freshman to do anything can be a risky move.
Considering how poor the University of Tennessee’s punt-return game was a year ago when the Volunteers went through five different players at the position, there’s not much to risk with putting a first-year player in that difficult spot.
“It’s always nerve-wracking to think you might go into that opener and his first snap might be catching a punt, especially with what’s gone on around here,” special-teams coordinator Eric Russell said Sunday.
“We’re trying to avoid bringing all that stuff up. I don’t know what kind of risk [a freshman] is simply in the fact that anybody that we have that would be returning has had their issues as well. I just think the situation we’re in, we’ve got to evaluate throughout camp and go with the guy that’s one, fielding the ball the cleanest, and two, been more consistent.”
The Vols are down to three finalists at the spot: freshman tailbacks Marlin Lane and Tom Smith and senior cornerback Anthony Anderson. However, some poor punts in Saturday’s scrimmage limited the amount of live work the Vols could give to their finalists.