KNOXVILLE—The Vols returned to the practice field after spring break and continued to show growth and improvement in several areas. There wasn’t a noticeable drop-off from before the break and if anything the team looked energized. “I felt we were refreshed,” defensive back Brian Randolph said. “We had an uptempo (practice)…for the most part I think we had a good practice.”

Randolph was limited before the break with a strained hamstring, but participated fully in today’s practice. “For the first couple weeks I was held out of all the team periods, now that I had a week off for spring break they’re letting me go now. Before we even started hitting I threw out my hamstring…they wanted me to get time to heal. I feel about 80%, I know I’m not 100% yet…I’m getting there.”

Peterman looks down field.
Photo by Randy Sartin

The defensive backfield is starting to show more physicality as a unit, and Randolph’s presence this year will be a huge boost to a defense that certainly has a ton of room to improve.

Upfront, the defensive line continues to grow and develop. Butch Jones singled out Jacques Smith and Daniel McCullers as players who excelled in practice, “I saw Daniel McCullers for the first time this spring turn and sprint to the football. That’s a short victory. We have to continue to point those things out…not only the negative but the positive,” Jones said. “Jacques Smith has been an individual who’s bringing it in terms of his demeanor everyday.”

On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Jason Croom caught the eye of Jones.

“The one individual who’s really, really starting to impress me right now is Jason Croom. I thought he came back from spring break (and) I could tell he got into his playbook. He ran over break. I really liked the way he approached practice today. He’s a big 6-4, 225 pound individual and he needs to play like that. I really saw some glimpses today.”

Other than Croom, Devrin Young continues to make plays and looks like he’ll have an impact in the slot this fall. The receivers as a whole have a long (long, long, long) way to go before they’re ready for the field.

“Our receivers have to step up. They have to have a big day on Thursday. They gotta keep grinding,” Jones said. “We ask a lot of them but that’s the standard and expectation by which we’re going to play, and we’re not changing. I see progress, but not as much as we would like. That’s pretty common when you’re installing the package we’re installing right now.”

The quarterback race continues to be a toss-up, and neither Worley nor Peterman has any discernible lead. “I felt really good about Justin (Worley) and Nate (Peterman) going into break. I thought they showed a little bit of rust today,” Jones said. They simply must do a better job of taking care of the ball and making good decisions before the coaches will be comfortable with either of them leading the team this season.

Notes: Paul Harris was back in a No.1 jersey after having that removed before the break. He had a good practice and his route-running showed clear improvement from earlier in the spring.

Marlin Lane did not practice. He spent the day at home taking care of some family health issues. He will return to Knoxville Tuesday night.

A.J. Johnson said “The Beast” wildcat package likely won’t return this season. He rushed for six touchdowns on 12 attempts last year.

Quotes: On choosing Tennessee over Cincinnati, “It’s hard to turn down Tennessee. It’s a great place here. Great fans, great stadium. You really can’t turn down Tennessee when you get an offer like that.”–Nathan Peterman

“These coaches ain’t going to let you slip. That’s a reason we appreciate them. They’re going to get in you and you have to have thick skin. That’s what it’s going to take to play defense here.”–Marlon Walls

“Our receiving corps has to step up. We’re not anywhere near where we need to be. We some individuals there. Our overall physicality as a football team has to improve greatly. That’s going to be the emphasis each and every day.”–Butch Jones

“Everybody came in with a renewed sense of optimism and focus and did a really good job coming back today. Offensively we didn’t have a great day. We need to correct a lot of our mistakes we made today–ball security and being physical. We gotta do a better job but the focus was good overall.”–Nathan Peterman

“The thing I like about our players is that they’re eager, they’re willing. But we still have a long way to go.”–Butch Jones