Heupel believes Vols have potential to accelerate in months ahead

Tennessee Athletics photo / Tennessee second-year football coach Josh Heupel, shown during last Saturday's second scrimmage on Haslam Field, put the Vols through a third scrimmage Thursday, which served as their 14th spring practice.
Tennessee Athletics photo / Tennessee second-year football coach Josh Heupel, shown during last Saturday's second scrimmage on Haslam Field, put the Vols through a third scrimmage Thursday, which served as their 14th spring practice.

With Neyland Stadium unavailable to house this year's Orange & White football game due to ongoing renovations, Tennessee quietly staged a third and final spring scrimmage Thursday morning at Haslam Field.

The closed scrimmage served as the 14th spring practice for the Volunteers, and it apparently kept Josh Heupel on schedule with his program checklist.

"There is a long list for me as a head coach in all three phases of the game, and we revisit that every third of spring ball and make sure that we're working towards that," Heupel said afterward in a news conference. "That could be roster development as far as where your young guys are to making sure there is competition and that those guys are getting enough reps to schemes to installing some things that you want to look at.

"The hardest thing for us this spring was the secondary and the number of guys who were out, but those guys who were out did a great job of staying really engaged in the process."

Tennessee's 15th and final spring practice will take place Monday, which allows for many players to go home for Easter weekend.

The Vols have been without cornerbacks Warren Burrell, Kamal Hadden and De'Shawn Rucker this spring but received assistance from sophomore Christian Charles, a safety last season who moved up to corner.

"Guys have been doing a really good job," secondary coach Willie Martinez said Wednesday. "It's not the numbers that we wanted, but they've been able to manage it, and we're doing a good job of monitoring it."

Heupel singled out junior receiver Jalin Hyatt after Saturday's second scrimmage and did so again Thursday, calling him a competitive playmaker who is gaining in confidence. When asked to single out a defensive player this spring, Heupel picked Trevon Flowers, saying the fifth-year senior safety is "playing his best football by a long ways."

The 14 practices to this point, according to Heupel, have not yielded a winner in the trenches.

"I think there has been some give and take and back and forth between the lines during the course of the practices and again throughout a scrimmage like today," he said. "Our defense created a safety today and did a good job of pushing the pocket and making it uncomfortable for the quarterback at times, but we were also efficient in the run game and created some seams.

"I thought the running backs, without looking at the video, probably had their best day as far as pressing the line of scrimmage and hitting holes with really good pad level."

One of the notable position battles to watch in preseason camp will be the offensive tackle spot opposite senior Darnell Wright, where Jeremiah Crawford, former walk-on Dayne Davis and Florida transfer Gerald Mincey have been vying. Heupel said Davis was playing the best of his career earlier this spring before being limited by injuries, which resulted in Crawford and Mincey rotating based on who graded out best the previous practice.

Thursday morning provided more weather elements that Heupel has appreciated this spring, and he didn't find much to complain about overall in his final news conference for the next several weeks.

"I do like where we've grown from even the end of the season," Heupel said. "You've got a chance to create momentum and speed and the acceleration of the growth as you get everybody pulling the rope in the same direction and mindset. Their work habits have grown so much, and I really think we have a chance to accelerate.

"It's true in our accountability and leadership in our program, and it's true in the fundamentals and techniques. In year two, they have a clear understanding of who we are, what we want to do and what we want to accomplish."

On the lookout

Heupel wouldn't offer specifics when discussing scholarship numbers coming out of spring but will be looking for additions who could fit specific needs.

"You take a look at your roster and where you are and what needs you have to patch," he said. "You want depth. You want competition at positions. You want all those things, and it's so different in today's landscape than it used to be. You've got a 365-day cycle essentially to evaluate your roster and try to help it out.

"It depends on where we are as far as picking guys up in the portal who we feel like can help us as we grow as a program this fall and years beyond that, too."

Coming on strong

Quarterback Tayven Jackson drew Heupel's praise after the third scrimmage for the midyear enrollee.

"Today was probably his best day," Heupel said. "He operated and functioned really well, and he was clean with his decision making. In this back third of spring ball, he has handled himself really well and has been really composed."

Thursday start

Tennessee's season opener with Ball State has been moved up to Thursday, Sept. 1. The game will have a 7 p.m. kickoff, and it will be televised by the SEC Network.

The Vols opened the Heupel era last year with a 38-6 thumping of Bowling Green in a game that was also televised by the SEC Network on a Thursday.

Moving the Tennessee-Ball State game up two days gives the Vols a little longer to prepare for their Sept. 10 trip to reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion Pittsburgh.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.

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