Johnson cleared by UT judicial panel
A University of Tennessee student judicial panel ruled the student-conduct violations charged against defensive tackle Alexis Johnson were “unfounded,” his attorney Gregory P. Isaacs announced Thursday afternoon. The junior college transfer remains suspended from the football team, however, according to program spokesman Ryan Robinson. Johnson was suspended in February after he was charged with aggravated assault and false imprisonment following an incident with his ex-girlfriend. In April the false-imprisonment charge was dropped and the assault charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, which also would be dropped after a six-month probationary period ending in mid-October. Johnson has not been with the team during his suspension and is not listed on the roster on Tennessee’s official website or in the team’s media guide, though he’s listed as an active student in the school’s online directory.
KNOXVILLE – It was important for Drew Richmond to continue improving his strength during summer workouts as he took aim at becoming Tennessee’s starting left tackle.
Yet the biggest strides the redshirt freshman has made since spring practice were in a different aspect of his game.
“I would just say knowledge of the position,” offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said Thursday. “Whether it’s pass protection, run blocking it’s just he has gained knowledge in the position.”
The Volunteers continue to be encouraged by how Richmond is progressing as he battles to replace the reliable Kyler Kerbyson as one of the bookends of Tennessee’s offensive line.
While most of Tennessee’s other linemen practice at multiple positions, the 6-foot-5, 301-pound Richmond is locked in at left tackle, where the former five-star recruit has pushed to start since redshirting last season.
DeBord scoffed at the notion that Richmond is a better pass protector than run blocker and complimented the Memphis product on how he’s approached his development this preseason.
“I don’t know that I would say he has a strength that is not the run blocking, too,” DeBord said. “He does a good job in the run blocking, too, so I don’t know that I would go either way right now. He continues to learn.
“Like his pass sets the other day, he was a little bit wide in his pass sets, so we really talked to him about staying tight on your pass sets. It’s a learning procedure there, and he’s doing that. He’s had a good frame of mind about it.”
Tennessee practiced Wednesday night in Neyland Stadium and will scrimmage there Saturday.
The Vols continue to promote competition for starting spots and for depth on the offensive line, and because they value continuity up front, the coaches plan soon to settle in on picking a starting five and rolling with that group.
“After we get through these next couple of days, we will really as coaches re-evaluate where we are,” DeBord said. “Also, too, after every practice, we talk about each guy. We talk about where they are, what they need to improve upon, who’s the five toughest right now or who’s the five best technicians right now.
“It’s not like all of the sudden after Saturday or next week or whenever we’ll come up and go, ‘These are the five.’ Every day we talk about it, and that’s just part of evaluating your team.”
‘Savage’ Barnett
Last week Bob Shoop called star defensive end Derek Barnett the “muscle” and “enforcer” of his defense, and Thursday the first-year defensive coordinator took exception to some pro scouts’ take on the potential 2017 first-round pick.
“I watch him practice every day, and I hear the scouts come in and say he’s not this height or he’s not that,” Shoop said. “Well, watch the film. Put the film on and watch the guy practice on a daily basis. He practices as hard as anybody I’ve been around in a long, long time. He’s got an intensity to him.
“He’s a savage when he’s out on the field.”
Going under center?
Tennessee played nearly every offensive snap last season out of the shotgun formation, and DeBord was asked Thursday if the Vols would have more under-center plays this season, particularly in short-yardage or goal-line situations.
“We’ll see,” he said. “We’re looking at some things here and there with our entire offense. We’ll see how that develops and we’ll end up making a decision when we get closer to game time.”
DeBord said Tennessee’s go-to zone play produced an 81 percent success rate on third-and-1 situations in 2015, and whether the Vols go under center or stay in the shotgun depends more on the play than the situation.
“If you’re running the zone play, which was our big short-yardage play (shotgun) is OK with that play,” he said. “If you’re running more of a downhill play, then no, it’s not good to be in the gun. It all depends on what kind of plays you’re using.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.