KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Anderson Training Center was abuzz Tuesday morning as the Tennessee football program went through its second of 15 spring practices. With more than 20 newcomers on the spring roster, this current portion of the offseason presents an opportunity for early enrollees and mid-year transfers to become acclimated, hone their craft and sharpen their skills on the gridiron.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media after Tuesday’s workout and led off his press conference discussing the early enrollees and the benefits of being on campus this spring. A vast majority of the newcomers were able to participate in bowl practice in December, enroll at the university in January and go through an offseason strength and conditioning program before suiting up for spring practice on Monday.
“It feels like we’ve had these guys for a little over a year at this point,” Banks said. “I think it’s been great. You can see the guys, their recall is a lot better than obviously when they first got here. They’ve gotten acclimated with their teammates. I think they’re a lot more comfortable. So far, so good. Obviously (now) we get a chance to play football again, but the offseason was really good for those guys and I think it was because of the bowl prep.”
One rookie defensive back that joined the Vols for Citrus Bowl prep was Chattanooga native Boo Carter, a dynamic athlete who won the Class 6A Mr. Football award for the state of Tennessee in 2023. With two spring practices under his belt, Banks spoke to Carter’s versatility and athleticism in comments to media on Tuesday.
“We knew (Boo) was very versatile, and there’s a lot of different things that he can do,” Banks said. “Right now, he’s concentrating on defense and trying to win some playing time or win a job. He’s been good so far. It’s a lot as a freshman as you know, but I think again getting him early, getting a chance to get acclimated has really helped him. As we continue to put more on his plate, we’ll see how he progresses. Right now, I’m super excited about him. We love his skill set, his athleticism, his toughness, but we feel the same way about a lot of the young guys.”
The Vols welcomed a pair of freshman defensive standouts who enrolled at the university in March and were cleared last week before the start of spring practice — defensive back Kaleb Beasley and linebacker Edwin Spillman out of Nashville’s Lipscomb Academy. The duo spoke to media…
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media after Tuesday’s workout and led off his press conference discussing the early enrollees and the benefits of being on campus this spring. A vast majority of the newcomers were able to participate in bowl practice in December, enroll at the university in January and go through an offseason strength and conditioning program before suiting up for spring practice on Monday.
“It feels like we’ve had these guys for a little over a year at this point,” Banks said. “I think it’s been great. You can see the guys, their recall is a lot better than obviously when they first got here. They’ve gotten acclimated with their teammates. I think they’re a lot more comfortable. So far, so good. Obviously (now) we get a chance to play football again, but the offseason was really good for those guys and I think it was because of the bowl prep.”
One rookie defensive back that joined the Vols for Citrus Bowl prep was Chattanooga native Boo Carter, a dynamic athlete who won the Class 6A Mr. Football award for the state of Tennessee in 2023. With two spring practices under his belt, Banks spoke to Carter’s versatility and athleticism in comments to media on Tuesday.
“We knew (Boo) was very versatile, and there’s a lot of different things that he can do,” Banks said. “Right now, he’s concentrating on defense and trying to win some playing time or win a job. He’s been good so far. It’s a lot as a freshman as you know, but I think again getting him early, getting a chance to get acclimated has really helped him. As we continue to put more on his plate, we’ll see how he progresses. Right now, I’m super excited about him. We love his skill set, his athleticism, his toughness, but we feel the same way about a lot of the young guys.”
The Vols welcomed a pair of freshman defensive standouts who enrolled at the university in March and were cleared last week before the start of spring practice — defensive back Kaleb Beasley and linebacker Edwin Spillman out of Nashville’s Lipscomb Academy. The duo spoke to media…
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