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- š The dramatic difference in Tennessee Football
š The dramatic difference in Tennessee Football
Why Josh Heupel is so pumped about his team
Hello. This is the Josh and Swain Newsletter, a quick roundup of the weekās top stories and topics involving Tennessee and the sports world.
Hereās what we have for you today:
The difference in Tennessee Football compared to Josh Heupelās arrival
Takeaways from the first few days of the Volsā camp
A Jayson Swain story UT fans will enjoy
The next big-time prospect on the Volsā recruiting board
THE FIRST LOOK AT TENNESSEEāS TEAM
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/1c763eca-6d64-423d-ba8c-da5a61404292/smokey_look.gif)
There was something different about Tennessee's football team when the Vols opened fall camp on Wednesday.
Was it the vibe of the facility after Tennessee won 11 games last season?
Maybe that was part of it.
But the big difference was the look.
Tennessee looks like a different team on the practice field.
Thatās because the Vols have more depth ā which really means more talent ā across the roster.
How different is Tennesseeās depth of talent now compared to the team Josh Heupel coached in 2021?
āItās dramatically different than we were Year One,ā Heupel said on Wednesday.
He put some emphasis on the dramatic part. And explained what he meant.
āYou just look through the depth of our roster ā the length, size, ability to bend up front in particular, the athleticism, the ability to move out in space with our skill guys and big skill. Itās dramatically different.ā
Heupel is excited to have a roster he believes will give the coaching staff more flexibility.
Tennesseeās group of linebackers might offer the greatest difference from the last two years.
Transfer Keenan Pili is a grown man. (Seriously, heās 25 and married. And heās played a lot of football.)
Pili and Aaron Beasley have created confidence for Tennesseeās linebackers.
Sophomores Elijah Herring and Kalib Perry and freshmen Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander, and Jalen Smith all have big-time upside at the position.
The secondary has legit competition thanks to the combination of returning players and newcomers (transfer senior Gabe Jeudy-Lally + several freshmen).
What does this mean for the season?
Itās way too early to tell.
But itās easy to see why Heupel is excited to coach this team.
The Vols have a lot of potential to combine with a new winning attitude.
Tennessee has several questions to answer, too.
1ļøā£ How does this offensive line replace Darnell Wright and Jerome Carvin?
2ļøā£ Will the defense have enough playmakers on the edge and in the secondary?
3ļøā£ Is Joe Milton III ready to lead the offense in a tight late-game situation?
Early August is funny.
The start of camp offers a bunch of reasons to be excited while also reminding us to pump the breaks.
But this Tennessee camp feels different than most from the last 10-15 years.
Dramatically different.
CHATTER FROM THE CAMP STOVE
No. 6 Aaron Beasley: Another player looking the part
Because thereās so much happening at the start of fall camp, this section will offer some quick takeaways from the first week few days of action.
Here are a few items that stood out, some from the practice field and some from the podium during media availabilities.
ā”ļø Dontāe Thornton looks the part
Remember the off-season hype around the 6-5 wide receiver with high-level speed in Heupelās offense?
It makes sense after seeing Thornton in person.
Heās another example of the Volsā roster being different.
CFB writer Phil Steele and ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic both said to watch out for Thornton during the summer.
And then came offensive coordinator Joey Halzleās comments on Tuesday.
āHe has freaky talent. A guy that size that can run like that is rare. Thereās good players and then thereās guys that have rare traits. That guy is extremely rare in what he can do on a football field.ā
Hang tight. Thatās not even the most glowing endorsement of a playerās athleticism from this week.
ā”ļø Keyton looks ready for a big year
Senior receiver Ramel Keyton was on last weekās list of players who deserve more attention entering camp.
The first two days of practice backed up that opinion.
Keyton (now wearing No. 9) will play an important role in Tennesseeās offense.
Jayson Swain mentioned on the show this summer that heās watched Keyton put in extra work at UTās facility.
Halzle said the same on Tuesday.
Keyton already put up big numbers last season.
He could do more this year.
ā”ļø Is Crawford the guy at RT?
The summer expectation focused on Gerald Mincey as Darnell Wrightās replacement at right tackle.
But during the media viewing of the first two days of camp, Jeremiah Crawford worked at right tackle while Mincey appeared to be on the second unit at left tackle.
This is early August and things could change. The media also sees only a portion of practice.
But perhaps Crawford will hold onto the right tackle job and Mincey, the guy NFL teams are interested in, will serve as the backup.
ā”ļø The secondary is fascinating
The depth at the position is legit, at least in terms of available athletes.
There are 7-8 guys fighting for playing time at cornerback.
At safety, senior Jaylen McCollough is back trying to hold onto a starting position.
Wesley Walker, who looks like he had a good off-season, is trying to take that position.
Christian Charles and Andre Turrentine are players who received little off-season talk but will compete for time at safety, too.
Expect to hear about A LOT of defensive backs over the next few weeks.
ā”ļø Watch out for Emmanuel Okoyeā¦ some day
Check out this comment from tight ends coach Alec Abeln on the potential of Okoye, a freshman from Nigeria.
āHeās got a chance to be the most athletic guy to ever play the position. I truly believe that. Heās as physically gifted as anybody Iāve ever been around. Heās got to continue to make steps every day. But just from a raw athletic standpoint, the ceiling is unlimited.ā
GOODNESS.
Okoye has a lot to learn, and weāll see if he ends up playing tight end or defensive end in the long run.
But his physical talent was obvious seeing him on Day No. 1.
SPORTS NUGGETS
š Arizona appears headed to the Big 12 while Big Ten presidents and chancellors have given the conference commish the go-ahead to explore adding Oregon and Washington in the next round of expansion.
š Tennessee will compete for a national title this season if these things happen for the Vols, according to ESPNās Bill Connelly.
š Alabama has a three-man race for the starting quarterback job. And Nick Saban made it clear heāll give no hints as to which way heās leaning.
š What would be the best result of fall camp for Tennessee? Hereās a wish list for the Vols during the month of August.
š Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and CB Trevon Diggs exchange some unfriendly words at practice. That was ājust competitiveness,ā according to the teammates.
š As Tennessee is preparing to play exhibition games in Italy, see where the Vols rank in ESPNās updated way-too-early top 25 for the upcoming season.
ā½ Can we expect better play from the USWNT ahead of their upcoming game against Sweden?
ā¾ Look out: the Chicago Cubs have vaulted themselves back into playoff contention.
STORYTIME WITH SWAIN
Do you remember Tennesseeās 2006 season opener against California?
The Vols were coming off a disappointing 5-6 season in 2005.
There were questions about the future of Tennesseeās program.
And there was some trash talk coming from the West Coast.
The result of the game: Tennessee 35, Cal 18.
Swain told the story recently about bulletin board material provided by Marshawn Lynch, who played running back for Cal at the time.
An already angry Tennessee team received all the extra motivation it needed.
Hear the rest from Swain below. ā¬ļøā¬ļø
ONE LAST BYTE OUT THE DOOR
Tennesseeās heavy lifting on the recruiting trail took place in July.
The Vols landed six commitments from late June through July 31.
The latest commitment came from offensive lineman Bennett Warren.
The four-star prospect from Sugar Land, Texas, chose Tennessee over Michigan.
Warrenās commitment helps solidify the Volsā offensive line class for 2024.
Next on the agenda: find more defensive linemen.
Five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri is close to a decision, and Tennessee is in the mix.
šØBREAKINGšØFive-Star Plus+ DL Williams Nwaneri will make his college decision on Aug. 14ā¼ļø
Nwaneri will choose between Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennesseeš
More from @ChadSimmons_: on3.com/news/5-star-dlā¦
ā On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits)
10:30 PM ā¢ Aug 3, 2023
The On3 Industry Ranking has Nwaneri as the No. 3 overall player in the nation ā and the top defensive lineman.
Tennessee will need players like Nwaneri to catch up with schools like Georgia in the big-picture race of college football.
Catch up on the latest with Nwaneri and Tennesseeās recruiting efforts in this weekās chat with Austin Price of Volquest. ā¬ļøā¬ļø
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