VOLS CAMP REPORT: New Era of Tennessee Football Gets Underway

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols officially kicked off a new era with their first practice of the season on Friday afternoon at Haslam Field.

Pruitt was impressed with what he saw on Day 1 and noted the addition of a third full length outdoor practice field at Anderson Training Center. With the addition of the third field, the Vols have the ability to practice side-by-side, giving coaches a better opportunity to evaluate.

"It was good to get out there on the grass today," Pruitt said. "One of the big things I was excited about was the extra practice field that we had.

"That made it a lot easier to do our drills the way we wanted to. It will help our football team over the course of the season. Being able to practice the way we wanted to practice was a really good positive."

On top of the addition of practice space, the Vols also welcomed nearly 30 players to the field who did not participate in spring practice.

Pruitt touched specifically on the boost provided by the return of linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. Prior to missing the 2017 season and most of spring practice due to injury, Kirkland Jr. recorded 111 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss during the 2015 and 2016 seasons combined, capturing Freshman All-SEC honors in 2015.

"[Kirkland Jr.] didn't participate very much in the spring, but he picks things up really fast," Pruitt said. "Today's really the first day that I saw him out there and practice.

"I think the guy's got instincts, and I've watched him play back in old film. You don't play in this league as a true freshman unless you've got something about you, and he did so I think he's got a chance to really help us."

Jeremy Pruitt Quotes

(Opening statement)
"It was good to get out there on the grass today. One of the big things I was excited about was the extra practice field that we had. That made it a lot easier to do our drills the way we wanted to. It will help our football team over the course of the season. Being able to practice the way we wanted to practice was a really good positive.

"Just like the first day of any practice, there are some things that really excite you. You see some guys flash for the first time. We had a lot of guys that it was their first time together. For me, the positives on offense was our huddle organization, getting in and out of the huddle and getting the plays run. We didn't have any problems with the verbiage, which is good because we have two new quarterbacks out there. It felt like the communication on the defensive side carried over from the spring.

"You can see a lot of our young guys have worked this summer. I think our older guys have done a good job of trying to prepare them. The one thing you can't do during the summer is matching the intensity once practice starts, the coaches are out there and the tempo. The players can't get that done on their own during the summer. Obviously, it was a shock to guys who were out there for the first time. Some of these guys probably thought we were halfway through practice, and we hadn't even finished flex yet. That's always the case with these young guys because they have lots of nerves and anxiety, but I thought it was a good day. Anybody can look good with head gear and shorts on. To me, right now is about learning what to do and how to do it. When we get closer to putting on the pads, that tells about who you really are."

University of Tennessee Athletics

VOLS CAMP REPORT: New Era of Tennessee Football Gets Underway

Jeremy Pruitt Quotes

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