Whether he was feeling the comfort, chemistry or continuity that comes with players experiencing the second year in a system, Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh was upbeat across the board Tuesday.
Perhaps it was finally having sophomore running back Jaylen Wright working without any limitations.
"Jaylen Wright just went through practice with us," Golesh said in a news conference. "He looks like he's got fresh legs, fresher than almost everyone else, and he's been so eager to go. We've been really, really smart with him knowing the beating a back in this conference is going to take, but he was full-go today and looked good.
"He had a cool energy about him. He does not like sitting out."
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder from Durham, North Carolina, rushed 85 times for 409 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and four touchdowns last season, including 259 in November to lead all Southeastern Conference freshmen. In consecutive routs of South Alabama and Vanderbilt, Wright racked up 28 carries for 195 yards, scoring from 17 yards out against USA and from 10 yards out against Vandy.
Tennessee is expected to face Ball State next Thursday night with junior Jabari Small as the starter at running back, Wright as the backup and with freshmen Dylan Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas likely to see time as well. The Volunteers lost redshirt sophomore Len'Neth Whitehead to a season-ending injury before the start of camp, and they no longer have former Clemson and West Virginia transfer Lyn-J Dixon, who was added following Whitehead's setback, in the program.
"We've got who we've got, and we're excited about who we've got," Golesh said. "I feel like we've hit on both of these freshmen, and we didn't know that until Dylan got here in June. We've got those four guys, and then we've got Patrick Wilk, a walk-on from Nashville, who got a bunch of work when Jaylen was out.
"We're going in with those guys, and if we get banged up like we did a year ago at that position, we've got a plan. It's not necessarily the way you want to go, but we're in the same spot we were when we started camp, which is not deep."
Golesh described Sampson as "a unique clone of Jabari in terms of being able to get the ball out into space." He added that the growth of Williams-Thomas, who went through spring drills, has been a little slower and that pass protection is his biggest concern for both newcomers.
At receiver, Golesh believes that Tennessee is the deepest "in terms of guys we feel good about playing" in the 18-plus months the staff has been together. He said that Jimmy Calloway, Chas Nimrod and Squirrel White have been limited in recent days but were much fresher Tuesday.
"I don't have a number, but I feel like we're two deep and maybe two-and-a-half deep there," Golesh said. "A year ago, I felt like we started that way and then did not feel that way after we started conference play. The hope is that we can be at eight guys who can roll through and can keep us fresh so we can play as fast as we possibly can.
"That would be the goal, and I feel like we have that at this point."
The Vols treated Tuesday and will treat Wednesday like a normal game week, according to Golesh, who said that will be repeated on Sunday and Monday.
"We've been super, super efficient," he said. "Today was the first day we actually split up scout teams. A year ago, on the first day of scout teams, we spent half the period doing up-downs because the tempo of how the scout team should have looked was not what we wanted or what the standard is. We're not teaching the standard any more of how to practice.
"It's been drastically different, and our conversations now are more so about scheme and how to beat a defender in certain looks and not technique within a team period."
Left tackle update
Tennessee's starting left tackle next Thursday either will be JJ Crawford or Gerald Mincey, and it appears to be a race too close to call.
"The best thing for those guys is that there has been real competition in there, and they both knew that they couldn't have a bad day," Golesh said. "They've rotated and have gotten to play next to (left guard) Jerome (Carvin), and I feel good with both of those guys. They're different players, and they're both inexperienced.
"They both have weaknesses and they both have strengths, and I don't know that you call the game any differently when one of them is in there. They'll both play, and we'll see who we have more sync with. If it's both of them, then awesome. We'll feel deeper than we were there a year ago."
Planning for McCoy
Bru McCoy, the transfer receiver from Southern California, was still ineligible as of Tuesday, so time is of the essence in terms of the game plan for the opener.
"We're approaching it like we're going to have him, and we've approached it that way since he got here," Golesh said. "We'll adjust if we need to if we don't have him. He's a really good football player who has fit right into our culture and has added to our culture.
"He's hard-working and tough and smart and really dynamic, and in a lot of ways he is super, super grateful to be here and have another chance to do this."
Mohan suspended
Tennessee redshirt sophomore linebacker William Mohan has been suspended following a Sunday arrest on a domestic aggravated assault charge.
According to the police report obtained by WVLT television in Knoxville, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder from Brooklyn was invited over by the victim, who realized he was drunk when he arrived at the South Knoxville location. Mohan is alleged to have begun initiating sex with the victim, who refused.
Then Mohan became angry, according to the report, and grabbed her face with one hand while choking her with the other.
Mohan began his career at Michigan before transferring last year, and he made most of his appearances last season on special teams, finishing with nine tackles in 12 games.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.