The start to his Tennessee football playing career has not gone as expected for freshman receiver Walker Merrill.
He's not complaining.
Hoping to simply learn the offensive system of Josh Heupel and develop under position coach Kodi Burns and play whenever they deemed him ready, Merrill heads into this week's Southeastern Conference opener at Florida having done much more than compete to this point. In last Saturday's 56-0 rout of Tennessee Tech, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder out of Brentwood High School near Nashville collected a team-high four receptions for 40 yards.
"The first game against Bowling Green, I was nervous for sure," Merrill said this week in a news conference, "because I had never been in an environment like that. You've got fans screaming your name and cheering for you. It's crazy. I got a few reps there and in the next game (against Pittsburgh), and in this last game, I really got some playing time.
"Getting my first catch really boosted my confidence even more, and you start to really feel it."
Adding to the surprise of Merrill's positive early experience in Knoxville was cracking the starting lineup against the Golden Eagles.
"I didn't know I was starting until they kicked off," he said. "Coach Burns was yelling my name, and I was like, 'OK.' I didn't expect it at all."
Merrill was a four-star member of Tennessee's signing class and the Volunteer State's No. 8 prospect, according to 247Sports.com. Due to the turbulence the Vols faced after last year's 3-7 collapse, the firing of former coach Jeremy Pruitt and the exodus of multiple key players through the NCAA transfer portal, Merrill was the state's only top-10 recruit who stayed home.
Having a new coach who wiped the slate clean served to Merrill's advantage, but he spent much of preseason camp wearing a knee brace.
"Walker had a great spring as a true freshman but got injured at the back end of it," Heupel said Wednesday. "He continued to grow and evolve as a player and had some opportunities last week to get some balls in his hands. I thought he did a nice job when he did have the ball in his hands.
"He found ways to make plays and gain yards out of it, and he did a good job of reading zones and getting to the right spot. He's just a young guy we feel like will continue to grow in what we're doing."
Burns smiled last month when discussing Merrill, claiming "he does not lack confidence," and it's that mindset that has the newcomer eager for his first Swamp encounter.
"I'm really excited for it," Merrill said. "I'm blessed enough to be able to go in there as a freshman. We haven't been away yet, so I haven't had people in my ear screaming at me.
"I want to experience it. I think it will be really cool."
Richardson update
Florida could not showcase backup quarterback Anthony Richardson during last Saturday's 31-29 home loss to Alabama due to a hamstring injury, but Tennessee may not be as fortunate. The 6-4, 232-pound redshirt freshman rushed 11 times for 275 yards (25.0 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in the opening routs of Florida Atlantic and South Florida.
"We haven't really opened him up a whole lot," Gators coach Dan Mullen said Wednesday. "It's a little bit similar to last week in that we're going to do an MRI and see where he's at and do a full test on Friday to give him the maximum time to get to 100%.
"We've done more at practice with him this week than we did last week of opening him up some, but we still haven't gotten him just on a full sprint yet. I would think he'll be ready to go on Saturday."
New ticket plan
Tennessee on Wednesday announced a new ticket plan for Neyland Stadium that will go into effect next season and could result in a cost reduction for up to 50% of the current season-ticket holders.
The university revealed that season tickets "will be expanded to more of the Tennessee fan base, as some areas within Neyland Stadium will not require an annual donation. These no-donation areas create a pathway for a new generation of Tennessee fans to experience the unmatched pageantry of game day on Rocky Top."
Vols at AT&T Field
Tennessee's baseball team has announced its fall exhibition schedule, which includes an Oct. 23 matchup against Georgia State at AT&T Field, the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts.
The Vols then will play Louisiana Tech on Oct. 30 at USA Stadium in the Memphis suburb of Millington before concluding with their Fall World Series, a five-game set at Lindsey Nelson Stadium that will begin Nov. 2.
Tennessee's game in Chattanooga will start at 1 p.m., with all general admission seats set for $10.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.