Here’s a good goal for Tennessee’s football program during preseason camp. Actually, here are two.
First, the Vols should develop some depth on the offensive line where even the most optimistic analyst feels good about five Tennessee players at that position and four is probably more realistic. Depth? Don’t even go there yet.
“As a program, we want that and need that,” Heupel said after the Vols’ first scrimmage of preseason camp on Friday night. “Everybody here, our fan base, understands how we took this program over and how we have had to have a really detailed plan in managing the space we had to navigate. We are creating more depth but this is a long season.
“Inside of this league, you get into league play, you got to have multiple guys ready to go. So it’s been important to us this offseason. I have stated that this offseason and we have also talked about that in previous years too. It’s just being able to build that depth.”
Depth isn’t a problem at receiver for the Vols. There is a fantastic blend of young and older players at that position. Heupel cited sophomore transfer Chris Brazzell II, junior Squirrel White and sophomores Chas Nimrod and Kalen Webb as players that stood out on Friday.
“I thought our wideouts did a nice job of operation.” Heupel said “… I thought the quarterbacks operated really well for almost the entire night. It was good work.”
The Vols are also looking to fill out their depth chart at tight end during preseason camp. Transfers Miles Kitselman, a senior from Alabama, and Holden Staes, a junior from Notre Dame, are both competing for playing time along with redshirt freshman Ethan Davis.
“Ethan did a really nice job,” Heupel said. “The tight ends in general handled themselves really well. From where we finished spring ball, how we started training camp to tonight, just continued growth from that entire group. Ethan Davis made some really nice plays over the middle of the football field. Excited about what he has done, but also what that entire group has done.”
That’s good news for a very young offense.
