KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 20, 2017 - New Offensive Coordinator Coach Larry Scott speaks to the media during the press conference at Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Tennessee AthleticsKNOXVILLE - Tennessee offensive coordinator Larry Scott will be one of eight first-time play-callers in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2017.
The promoted coach won't call his first play for the Volunteers for another five months, though, so there are more pressing needs for Scott as he settles into his new role.
Obviously the quarterback competition remains ongoing, the offensive line is adjusting to some key absences and a new position coach and the Vols are looking for younger players to supplement proven playmakers such as running back John Kelly, wide receiver Jauan Jennings and tight end Ethan Wolf.
Scott's spring goal is rather simple: He wants to set the stage for the rest of the offseason.
"You start with ground zero with anything," he said after Thursday's practice. "That's the fun part about it, is building a foundation. That's what you really want to do with everybody's hard work and ideas and thoughts and different things like that, cutting-edge ideas and how we want to do it and build it.
"... When we come out of spring, all we want to know is that we've built a strong foundation on which to continue to build on in the summer and getting into fall camp."
Scott won't know if the Vols accomplish that objective until the end of spring in a few weeks, and what tweaks and wrinkles - the Vols aren't overhauling head coach Butch Jones's preferred system - might come to Tennessee's offense with Scott running the show won't be revealed until the season arrives.
Multiple players have spoken about new elements or new items they've seen as the Vols have installed parts of the offense during the first five practices of the spring, and Scott said the players have responded well to those installations.
"It's kind of a balance," he said, "because at the same time while you want to grasp things and get good (at them), you want to challenge them mentally sometimes as well to be students of the game and to understand the time you spend in the meeting rooms and out on the field, sometimes it's not enough.
"Your preparation is critical and it's key. You have to mark out another 25 to 30 minutes a night in your dorm or in your apartment. Come over after study hall and those types of things when you're done with your studies and watch 15 or 20 more minutes of film.
"It's a balance of challenging them mentally and also having them come out and really grasp some things so their natural skill set can come through."
Scott does know how he'll approach his new position and the basic principles for Tennessee's offense.
"I think what they're going to get is the same guy every day," Scott said. "They're not going to get a guy that's going to come in and let distractions and all those types of things rattle him. We're going to be consistent. We're going to be steadfast. We're going to do things the right way. We're going to be detailed, and I'm going to be accountable to them. We're going to be tough.
"We're going to be tough, but we're going to do it every day with a high level of consistency."
Quick hitters
- Jennings made a welcomed return to practice Thursday after missing a couple of workouts one to handle a classroom obligation and the other a maintenance day, -the first two weeks of spring.
"Jauan brings a lot of energy to the practice and to the room," Scott said, "and it's just because of his natural competitive nature. He wants to win at everything he does. To have him back out there, it's good for him, it's good for the team and it's good for that whole unit."
Jennings was lively and vocal during drills, stepping in to demonstrate how to run a quick slant against press coverage at Jones' urging.
- Jones defaulted to the early days of his coaching career and took a very hands-on approach with one group of wide receivers while new position coach Kevin Beard was on the other end of the field.
- Tennessee's quarterbacks spent one period working on five- and seven-step dropbacks from under center.
- Offensive line coach Walt Wells emphasized leverage and pad level during one drill in which two linemen would block and drive each other back and forth underneath a lineman training chute.
- Former Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem attended part of Thursday's practice. The 2007 first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints spent three days in jail earlier this year for owing almost $400,000 in alimony and child support to his ex-wife after their 2015 divorce. The 32-year-old Meachem last played in the NFL in 2014.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.