KNOXVILLE – Tennessee did not emerge from Saturday’s football scrimmage unscathed on the injury front.
Reserve quarterback Sheriron Jones will miss the rest of spring practice after suffering an unspecified leg injury during that practice in Neyland Stadium.
Coach Butch Jones called the injury “unusual” and said the redshirt freshman is expected to be back “sometime” in June.
“It’ll be how the body heals,” Coach Jones said after Tuesday’s practice, “but we fully anticipate him being ready to go for training camp.”
Sheriron Jones was Tennessee’s No. 3 quarterback last season behind Josh Dobbs and Quinten Dormady, and he briefly transferred to Colorado in January before changing his mind and returning to the Volunteers. Teammates praised him for his performances during bowl practices in December, and Coach Jones said the quarterback was making “tremendous strides” this spring.
“He embodies what this football program stands for,” the coach continued. “Here’s a young man that made a decision, then decided to come back to his family. He understands what it means to play here. He understands what’s expected in our football program, and all he does is work.
“He’s a young man who after every practice comes up and says, ‘Thank you, Coach, love you.’ To me that’s what this football program is all about, and he embodies that.”
Dobbs missed Tuesday’s practice because he was in Atlanta receiving the “Peach of an Athlete” award, which honors amateur and professional athletes who blend exemplary character and athletic achievements, at the 32nd annual Peach of an Athlete Role Model Banquet at the College Football Hall of Fame.
That left Dormady and walk-on Zac Jancek, the son of former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek, as the only available quarterbacks for Tuesday’s practice.
“He did good,” Coach Jones said of Dormady. “We’ll see the video, but you learn through repetitions. We had a lot of different team pass situations today, so those will prove to be invaluable for him.”
Unhappy coach
Tuesday was the first time this month Coach Jones left the field disappointed in how his team practiced.
He made it clear the effort was not up to what’s expected.
“I’ve really liked their approach all spring – the mental effort, the mental intensity – but I didn’t like it today,” Jones said. “I thought we took a step back as a football team. I didn’t think we showed much leadership. We weren’t very physical in practice today.
“Even though it’s practice number seven, we have to understand these 15 opportunities are very precious, and you only get so many of them. Sometimes you become too casual in spring football, and when you walk in those doors of the Anderson Training Center, it’s all about mental effort and mental intensity and being at your best each and every day.
“There’s a standard and there’s an expectation. These players have done a good job. They’ll bounce back, they’ll be ready for meetings and they’ll be ready to go on Thursday.”
‘Driven’ Drew
This spring is a vital one for redshirt freshman Drew Richmond, who’s handling first-team reps at left tackle as the Vols look to replace Kyler Kerbyson at that spot.
Jones likes how the 6-foot-5, 301-pound Richmond has approached his biggest opportunity to get better this offseason.
“Drew continues to progress,” the coach said. “I’ve been very pleased with him. I think it’s the maturity of him understanding ‘snap and clear.’ If you make a mistake, make a mistake going a million miles an hour and play the next play and don’t let that one snap beat you. Drew has done much better job with that.
“He’s worked very hard in the weight room. He’s added strength. He still needs to get stronger, but he has the athleticism. He definitely has the ability, and I’ve been really, really happy with his progress.”
Three return
After sitting out a couple of practices last week, center Coleman Thomas and wide receiver Jauan Jennings were participants in Tuesday’s practice.
Jennings and running back John Kelly were in noncontact green jerseys.
Safety Micah Abernathy returned to practice after missing last week following the death and funeral of his father, Ralph David Abernathy III, who was a former senator in Georgia and the son of a prominent civil rights activist.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.