Tag Archives: Brendan Downs

In new roster release, Vols added 284 pounds: See the gainers and losers

Jordan Williams is up to 272 pounds in the latest roster release (photo by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee unveiled an updated roster over the weekend, which means we can now see “officially” what players have been saying informally for months.

The team, collectively, is considerably bigger than it was this time last year.

Individually As a whole, the Vols gained 419 pounds and lost 135 since the last roster update to net a 284-pound gain. (Although UT may have edited some players, I don’t believe the roster has gone through wholesale weight updates since August of 2013).

What stood out?

* Most of the defensive ends are bigger, including young players like Kendal Vickers and Jaylen Miller who you would expect to put on pounds.

* Coleman Thomas, a freshman who is working at first-team tackle, is up to 311 pounds. If he’s not SEC-ready, it won’t be a size issue.

* Brendan Downs is down 20 pounds to 228. Initially, I thought that might be a typo, but fellow tight end A.J. Branisel also dropped 11 pounds to 224. A strategy to make the tight ends more nimble? A coincidence? A typo? I’ll try to find out. (Update: I’m told the lower weights are, in fact, accurate as listed.)

* Receiver Von Pearson dropped four pounds but gained two inches. So there’s that. I doubt he went on a growth spurt at age 23, so we’ll try to get clarification on that too. (Update: I’m told 6-foot-3 is the official height.)

Other roster notes…

* There are a handful of new numbers. Most notably, freshman cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is now No. 12.

* Two walk-ons — linebacker Taylor Spivey and offensive lineman Jay Heins — are no longer on the roster.

[gdoc link=”https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgBQnqCTaaxzdGNNZFRyeWNST3BaMGtvQk9NU3Nwd2c&output=html&widget=true” width=”100%” height=”600″]

Butch Jones upbeat but realistic about young crew on eve of ‘Team 118’s’ first spring (with video)

A word cloud of Butch Jones' comments on March 6, 2014.

A word cloud of Butch Jones’ comments on March 6, 2014.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — The second year of the Butch Jones era — and the public debut for the group dubbed “Team 118” — comes on Friday afternoon at Haslam Field.

Jones met with the media on Thursday to preview the spring season. There was no earth-shattering news, and Jones was upbeat about the new faces who will provide some of the main storylines this spring.

“They’re eager. They’re willing. They have no bad habits right now. They hang on everything you say,” Jones said.

The faces of Butch Jones on March 6, 2014. (photos by Evan Woodbery)

We have plenty of content on GoVolsXtra (warning: some of it is subscriber-only), but the word cloud above should give you the gist of what Jones said today.

While Jones was upbeat, he also warned that many of the players in camp would be going through their first spring practices. And while the overall depth of the team is stronger than it was a year ago, there are positions — on offensive line, for example — where that’s not the case.

Here’s a gallery of photos from today’s press conference.

Also, our spring rosters have been updated to reflect injuries to Brendan Downs and Drae Bowles. Now they’re ready to print out and use as a reference.

Tennessee football position preview: Vols will have more options at tight end in 2014

[gdoc link=”https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgBQnqCTaaxzdEZ5dnJGNW5ad0JWU29jSmttanRZV2c&single=true&gid=0&output=html&widget=true” width=”100%” height=”355″]

The fifth in a series of position-by-position reviews of the Tennessee football team with an eye toward the start of spring practice in March.

Tight end Brendan Downs (KNS photo by Adam Brimer)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — By the end of the season, Tennessee’s second-string tight end was a recently converted quarterback.

That former quarterback, walk-on Joe Stocstill, was one of the pleasant surprises of 2013. Even so, coaches have no desire to repeat the scenario in 2014.

Two highly regarded freshman tight ends will enroll next week, which should give offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian some more flexibility this spring.

Everyone on the current roster except for Joseph Ayres will be back in 2014. Ayres suffered a career-ending ACL injury early in the year. He could have been a valuable reserve if he had stayed healthy.

Continue reading →

Tennessee-Vanderbilt pre-game updates (with photos)

The field-level view from Neyland Stadium before the Vanderbilt game (photo by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — As promised, it’s chilly and windy as Tennessee prepares to kick off against Vanderbilt.

Here are a few quick pre-game notes and photos…

* Freshman tight end A.J. Branisel and defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry were both on crutches in the pre-game walk-through. It looks like receiver Cody Blanc will also be out.

Branisel’s absence could leave Joe Stocstill as the next option behind starter Brendan Downs.

* Take one name off the list of seniors to be honored today. Fourth-year junior Gregory Grieco will be back next year, we’re told. That means 27 players will be recognized.

Butch Jones walks with his players before the game (photo by Evan Woodbery)

Pre-game view of Neyland

Graduate assistant Larry Knight (left) and quality control assistant Terry Fair before the game (by Evan Woodbery)

Condredge Holloway visits with a staff member before the game

UT senior associate athletic director Mike Vollmar

Tennessee football: Tight end a big part of the Vols offense


KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — When Butch Jones arrived at Tennessee last December, he started recruiting tight ends almost immediately. In the Class of 2014, he hasn’t stopped.

Tennessee was very plain on offense in the opener against Austin Peay, almost never venturing from their basic set. Even so, it’s clear that the tight end will be a big part of the Vols’ offensive game plan in 2013.

The Vols had 73 snaps on Saturday, and there was little variation:

3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB: 69 (48 run, 20 pass, 1 sack)

4 WR, 1 RB: 1 (1 pass)

2 WR, 2 TE, 1 RB: 1 (1 run)

3 WR, 2 RB: 2 (2 run)

Continue reading →

Tennessee football practice: Quick review of Monday’s session

Don Mahoney, Tennessee

Tennessee offensive line coach Don Mahoney instructs players during practice at Haslam Field on Aug. 5, 2013, in Knoxville. (Photos by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee did some team work in the early session of Monday afternoon’s practice. The brief window offered few concrete details, but did reinforce how difficult it is for freshmen quarterbacks to win a starting job in August.

We’ll have more after we talk to coach Butch Jones and players later this evening.

* Among the notable plays from our view of the team work was a bad snap by third-string center Dylan Wiesman, a freshman, that sent quarterback Riley Ferguson scrambling after the ball.

Ferguson later threw an interception right in the numbers of safety Tino Thomas.

Co-third-team quarterback Josh Dobbs didn’t fare better, as he dropped a snap that hit off his hands in the last play we saw of the team drills before we had to leave for the evening.

Continue reading →

Tennessee football 2013 spring preview: Tight ends


KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee’s first spring football season under new coach Butch Jones begins Saturday.

In the days leading up to the start of practice, we’ll take a position-by-position look at the Vols as they embark on a new season.

The tight ends will get two new faces this summer, but for now a healthy Brendan Downs leads the way.

Follow me on  Twitter, drop me an e-mail or check me out on Youtube,  Facebook, Google Plus  or Tumblr .

Continue reading →