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Tennessee Football: Butch Jones Press Conference to Kick off Vols Preseason

By Caleb Calhoun

Jul 12, 2016; Hoover, AL, USA; Tennessee head coach Butch Jones speaks to the media during SEC media day at Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 12, 2016; Hoover, AL, USA; Tennessee head coach Butch Jones speaks to the media during SEC media day at Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones kicked off the Volunteers 2016 preseason with a press conference on Monday, Aug. 1.

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It’s the first official day of the 2016 Tennessee Vols season. With Fall Camp practices set to begin, Butch Jones kicked off the day with a press conference to the media. Here is a look at that press conference.

Believe it or not, there weren’t as many cliches in this press conference as there typically are in a Butch Jones press conference, particularly one to kick off the season, and he also surprisingly went into detail in a few situations.

Jones is clearly more optimistic about this season than he has been in the previous three due to the depth and experience that Tennessee football finally has, but he did note that the Vols still only have 11 seniors on the full-time roster.

Still, he talked up the strength and conditioning, the productive offseason, the goal of improving on everything they did last season, including the things they were great at such as limiting turnovers and dominating special teams, and the excitement of the freshman class.

Here are some other highlights from the press conference:

  • No change in the status for junior college transfer defensive tackle Alexis Johnson, who has been suspended indefinitely due to now-reduced charges related to an incident with his ex-girlfriend.
  • Shy Tuttle is touch and go, and Jauan Jennings is a little dinged up, but Jennings should be at full strength soon.
  • Depth at linebacker beyond Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Darrin Kirkland Jr. will be a big focus this preseason.
  • Nigel Warrior has been confirmed to remain at safety and will have a chance to compete for a starting spot there.
  • Todd Kelly Jr. will wear No. 24 to honor slain Knoxville teen Zaevion Dobson.
  • While depth is a question at many defensive spots, offensive depth, particularly on the line, is in much better shape.
  • Health at wide receiver is going to be a big focus to make sure Joshua Dobbs can do what he does.

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As you can see, Tennessee football is finally back. And it’s time to get excited for the 2016 season. The Vols have begun their fight to meet the highest expectations they’ve faced in over a decade.

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