KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With classes underway and the preseason winding down, No. 15 Tennessee will use this week as a mock game week before turning its full attention towards preparation for the 2024 season opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 31 at Neyland Stadium.
“Wrapping up training camp today, guys are off to class,” head coach Josh Heupel said during his Monday press conference. “You can feel the energy with all the students coming back to campus. A couple of weeks, a little bit less than that, until we go kick off in Neyland Stadium.”
While there is still plenty of work to be done prior to gameday, Heupel was confident in the work that has been put in throughout preseason camp.
“Love what we have done throughout the course of training camp,” Heupel said. “You have seen individuals get better throughout the course of it, you have seen units get better.
“I think during the course of training camp, individual growth, fundamentals, technique, alignment, assignment – you have seen steady growth. None of that is going to be monumental in one day. It’s continuing to take the right steps every single day. This group plays extremely hard. They compete extremely hard, they are really consistent in that.”
Despite preseason camp being in the rearview mirror, competition for playing time and roles in a variety of position groups is at an all-time high.
“No depth chart being handed out yet,” Heupel said on Monday. “As we head into this week, there is still a lot of competition. I have said it to our team since January, our coaches included, I think I have mentioned it to you guys too, we need to have multiple guys ready to play (at every position).”
One of the position battles with the most intrigue heading into the season is at STAR, where Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks will look to fill the void of Jourdan Thomas, who will miss the entire season as he recovers from an injury sustained during fall camp.
Junior Christian Harrison and true freshman Boo Carter, who was tabbed a preseason Freshman All-American on Monday by On3, are the two frontrunners for the job heading into the season opener against the in-state Mocs.
“With Jourdan going down, Christian playing there, Boo Carter — you guys have asked about him too — both of those guys have done a great job of growing in the fundamentals of playing the position, the communication that takes place there with the guys beside them, back behind them,…
“Wrapping up training camp today, guys are off to class,” head coach Josh Heupel said during his Monday press conference. “You can feel the energy with all the students coming back to campus. A couple of weeks, a little bit less than that, until we go kick off in Neyland Stadium.”
While there is still plenty of work to be done prior to gameday, Heupel was confident in the work that has been put in throughout preseason camp.
“Love what we have done throughout the course of training camp,” Heupel said. “You have seen individuals get better throughout the course of it, you have seen units get better.
“I think during the course of training camp, individual growth, fundamentals, technique, alignment, assignment – you have seen steady growth. None of that is going to be monumental in one day. It’s continuing to take the right steps every single day. This group plays extremely hard. They compete extremely hard, they are really consistent in that.”
Despite preseason camp being in the rearview mirror, competition for playing time and roles in a variety of position groups is at an all-time high.
“No depth chart being handed out yet,” Heupel said on Monday. “As we head into this week, there is still a lot of competition. I have said it to our team since January, our coaches included, I think I have mentioned it to you guys too, we need to have multiple guys ready to play (at every position).”
One of the position battles with the most intrigue heading into the season is at STAR, where Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks will look to fill the void of Jourdan Thomas, who will miss the entire season as he recovers from an injury sustained during fall camp.
Junior Christian Harrison and true freshman Boo Carter, who was tabbed a preseason Freshman All-American on Monday by On3, are the two frontrunners for the job heading into the season opener against the in-state Mocs.
“With Jourdan going down, Christian playing there, Boo Carter — you guys have asked about him too — both of those guys have done a great job of growing in the fundamentals of playing the position, the communication that takes place there with the guys beside them, back behind them,…
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