Observations From Current Week Vol Practices
Tuesday
Tennessee’s fall camp rolled into its second week with back-to-back practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. They had an off-day on Thursday, and resumed practice on Friday. We are able to take what the media observed during their limited viewing and provide the breakdown.
Tuesday was the fifth practice of camp, with the Vols once again in shells for the third straight practice. The big news was sophomore Boo Carter joining his teammates in full participation for the first time after missing the opening week. Instead of just stretching and working off to the side, Carter jumped into individual drills and special teams work, rotating at both STAR and corner. With Rickey Gibson not spotted during the viewing period, the corner rotation opened with Colton Hood and Jalen McMurray, followed by Tyler Redmond and William Wright. McMurray also slid inside to STAR when Carter was at corner, with Edrees Farooq and Andre Turrentine at safety and Kaleb Beasley rotating in. Beasley has earned praise from the coaches, so it appears that the safety position will be a rotation-heavy group this fall.
The defensive line again is the deepest group on the roster.
Over on offense, the viewing period was sharper than what the media had seen over the weekend. All three quarterbacks threw the ball well during red-zone routes-on-air from the 10-yard line. Merklinger was especially crisp, delivering accurate throws with good pace. The wide receivers and tight ends didn’t have a drop, with only a couple of contested balls going incomplete. Amari Jefferson, who had been quiet early in camp, flashed with two standout catches from the slot, including a one-handed snag after coming in motion. Freshman tight ends Jack Van Dorselaer and DaSaahn Brame continued to be red-zone threats, with Brame climbing the ladder to haul in an elevated pass from walk-on QB Mason Phillips.
The offensive line picture remained fluid. Sam Pendleton and William Satterwhite split reps at center, with Lance Heard and David Sanders manning the tackle spots. Wendell Moe held down one guard position, with Sham Umarov and Jesse Perry vying for the other.
Wednesday
Wednesday’s practice marked the first day in full pads, and there was an added intensity which is to be expected. Josh Heupel could be heard saying, “This is the only day we got — take advantage of it.” The Vols opened with special-teams work, focusing on kickoff and punt coverage lane discipline, before position groups split up. Quarterbacks worked mesh points with running backs while the defensive line attacked the bags. LEOs drilled on the one-man sled with an emphasis on keeping their outside arm free, safeties and corners combined sled hits with tackling a pad, and linebackers repped run fits.
The offensive line’s first-team grouping looked slightly different, with Lance Heard, Wendell Moe, William Satterwhite, Jesse Perry, and David Sanders across the front. Pendleton was limited. In routes-on-air, the quarterback order flipped, with Aguilar taking the first reps, followed by Merklinger and MacIntyre. Mike Matthews had a good showing, making a pair of high-point grabs and catching the ball away from his body. Amari Jefferson dropped one over the middle but otherwise, drops remained rare. Aguilar’s deep ball lived up to its reputation. Of his four attempts beyond 20 yards, three were completions. Merklinger’s lone deep attempt was a strike to tight end Miles Kitselman down the seam, and his intermediate accuracy remained a camp strength.
A new wrinkle appeared in the passing game: a tight end screen that sent the TE in motion, planted at the C-gap, then reversed back to the quarterback behind the line. It’s not a staple in Josh Heupel’s playbook, but with four tight ends looking the part, it may be an added weapon. Walk-on wideout Trey Weary again impressed with smart play and a deep catch that drew notice from the media on hand.
On defense, position coach Rodney Garner singled out veteran Dominic Bailey as the “MVP” of the defensive line so far, praising his leadership, consistency, and production. The depth behind him including Tyre West, Daevin Hobbs, Caleb Herring, and Jordan Ross continues to give Tennessee options across the front.
Friday
Friday marked the seventh practice of fall camp (last practice before Saturday’s scrimmage) with the Vols back in shells for the second time this week. Scouts from both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings were in attendance.
The injury list saw some movement. Corner Jermod McCoy, still working back from a torn ACL, took the next step in his recovery by participating in stretches and individual drills in a helmet but no shoulder pads.
In the defensive backfield, Jalen McMurray worked with the STARs during individual periods, showcasing his positional versatility. Boo Carter continued his run of full practices. With Gibson, Wright, and Van Dorselaer out, younger corners like Tyler Redmond, Trey Poteat, Marcus Goree, and Colin Brazzell saw increased work.
On offense, Bennett Warren split time at both right and left tackle during indy periods. Routes-on-air from the 10-yard line were clean and efficient, with Joey Aguilar and Jake Merklinger alternating first reps and George MacIntyre going third. Both Aguilar and Merklinger showed good velocity and accuracy. Kitselman pulled down a high ball over the middle, while Radarious Jackson stretched out for a tough catch from Merklinger after some one-on-one coaching from a GA. The quarterbacks and running backs also repped mesh drills out of the pistol formation and throws on the run. Aguilar looked especially comfortable in this drill and MacIntyre flashed as well. Merklinger wore the GoPro during the session, while defensive back Ben Bolton carried the camera for the defense.
Titans Joint Practice in Tampa
The Titans got their first taste of live competition against another team on Thursday, squaring off with the Buccaneers in steamy Tampa. It was the kind of weather where even the Gatorade needs Gatorade, but the work got done.
All eyes were on rookie quarterback Cam Ward in his first joint practice, and for the most part, he delivered. Ward came out sharp in early 7-on-7, completing five of his first six passes, including deep connections to rookies Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. In the first full team period, he found tight end Gunnar Helm wide open over the middle for what one nearby observer called his “best throw of the day.” Ward also went 6-of-11 in a two-minute drill before halftime, highlighted by a great sideline grab from Calvin Ridley, and he capped his work with touchdown passes to Bryce Oliver and Dike in the low red zone.
It wasn’t flawless, however. Ward threw an interception to Buccaneers linebacker Haason Riddick to start that two-minute period and had a couple of other passes that could’ve been picked. But he consistently bounced back, finishing 15-of-24 in team work and 20-of-30 overall on the day.
The day wasn’t without some extracurriculars. Midway through practice, tempers flared in a skirmish that started between Titans linebacker Cody Barton and Bucs center Graham Barton. Jeffery Simmons and Dre’Mont Jones joined the fray, along with several others. It was more shoving and jawing than actual punches.
On defense, the Titans had their moments against Baker Mayfield’s offense. Darrell Baker recovered a fumble, Kendall Brooks nearly had an interception, and safeties Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods both broke up end-zone throws in the two-minute drill. Woods later snagged a tipped-ball interception off a James Williams deflection. Simmons was his usual physical self, and Arden Key brought energy throughout the day.
In one-on-one drills, the Titans’ receivers had some wins but also suffered from timing issues and a few overthrows. Ridley’s route in one rep went viral online after he crossed up a Bucs defensive back. He finished with four catches on the day. Ayomanor also impressed with three receptions and a bit of trash talk to go with them. Helm had arguably his best day yet, catching four passes and consistently finding space over the middle. Rookie Xavier Restrepo looked right at home back in Florida, hauling in four catches and a touchdown while mixing in some verbal exchanges with defenders. Dike continued to flash, adding multiple receptions.
The crowd in Tampa didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for the Titans, with multiple chants of “Titans suck” echoing through practice. One fan loudly claimed Tennessee only won one game last year, conveniently forgetting about the other two. Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee, for one, wasn’t thrilled with the commentary.
Behind Ward, Brandon Allen quietly had one of the best statistical days, going 16-of-20 overall, including a touchdown to James Proche and another to Restrepo in the red zone. Tim Boyle had a smaller workload, completing all three of his passes across 7-on-7 and team sessions.
Special teams saw Joey Slye connect on six of seven field goals, making him 42-of-48 in camp. Proche, Jha’Quan Jackson, Dike, TJ Sheffield, and Tyjae Spears rotated as returners, though Spears did mishandle one attempt.
Several players sat out, including safety Kevin Winston Jr., defensive linemen Carlos Watkins and T’Vondre Sweat, and offensive lineman Blake Hance (calf). Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and center Lloyd Cushenberry remain on the PUP list.