Tennessee head coach Butch JonesRead moreUT Vols’ freshmen need ‘right mindset’ to play early
KNOXVILLE – Tennessee is just a couple of days away from starting its second season under coach Butch Jones. As the Volunteers get set to open preseason practice on Friday night, here are five questions they must answer ahead of the 2014 season opener against Utah State in 31 days.
1. How many newcomers will the Vols need to play significant roles, and how many of them can work themselves into that position?
When Tennessee finished spring practice, nearly all 14 of the January enrollees from the touted 2014 recruiting class were in positions to either start or contribute, and that was before the rest of the bunch arrived on campus. The Vols could have first-year players at both offensive tackles spots and multiple freshmen popping up in the skill spots on offense. Newcomers will add to the competition on the defensive line and start in the secondary.
“Everybody knows what they have to do,” freshman linebacker Dillon Bates said. “Everybody knows that they have to go every day and go as hard as we can, stick late in meetings, stick late in the weight room. A bunch of us guys in the freshman class, we all kind of stick together and we all kind of push each other.”