Notes from Tennessee football coach Butch Jones’s Georgia Tech press conference
Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones gave his press conference Wednesday for the Volunteers’ opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
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Tennessee football is in full-on preparation mode for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. That means the season is underway, and all Vols fans should be excited about that.
Butch Jones gave his weekly in-season press conference Wednesday, as opposed to Monday when he usually would, this week to prepare for Georgia Tech in Atlanta. This is obviously a huge game with both teams coming off a 9-4 record.
As expected, Jones did not reveal the starting quarterback. Joshua Dobbs’s replacement could still be either Jarrett Guarantano or Quinten Dormady. But he did reveal a few other things.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Jones’s week one press conference.
To see the full video from it, click here.
1. Injuries
There are three key injuries to touch on for Tennessee football heading into the season.
A. Darrin Kirkland Jr.
Jones said Kirkland’s injury is a meniscus injury, but he has had surgery. The timetable for his return is up in the air. However, more information should come soon.
B. Josh Smith
The senior slot wide receiver now may be ready to go sooner than expected. He practiced with the team on Tuesday and may see action in the game against Georgia Tech.
C. Shy Tuttle
Tennessee football junior defensive tackle Shy Tuttle suffered a season-ending injury last year and has worked all offseason to get back. His recovery is incredibly remarkable, and he might be able to get on the field Monday. But Jones said it’s a game-time decision.
2. Drew Richmond suspended
Jones said Drew Richmond was suspended for a violation of team rules. This is a terrible suspension, as he’s the only guy with real, proven experience at left tackle. And with Chance Hall out, it only makes things worse.
Now, the starters are likely to be Brett Kendrick and Marcus Tatum. We know what Kendrick can do. But it’s time to find out if Tatum can step in and improve over how he played last year.
3. Freshmen who could see the field
A. Trey Smith
This is really no surprise. The superstar freshman offensive lineman has generated a ton of offseason hype. As a result, we expected him to see the field, and it looks like he will. Smith is going to be part of the Tennessee football rotation at guard.
B. Josh Palmer
We’ve been wondering all year who the No. 2 wideout would be. Although it sounds like Marquez Callaway for now, Josh Palmer, a freshman, has worked his way into the rotation. Jones could not stop praising him in the press conference, and it looks like he’ll get some action opposite Jauan Jennings as well now.
4. Marquez Callaway at punt returner
Speaking of Marquez Callaway, Butch Jones praised his abilities as a punt returner. It looks like the Vols will use him a lot there, and he could be a major factor. If Tennessee football can offset the losses of Cameron Sutton and Alvin Kamara through him, that will be huge.
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5. Rotation at center
We’ve been hearing about Jashon Robertson working his way in at center this year. The senior leader is the anchor of the offensive line, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. But where does that leave Coleman Thomas?
According to Jones, still a huge factor. As he’s always stressed, he doesn’t look for a starting five up front. He wants a starting eight. So Thomas will still be in the rotation and likely see lots of snaps at center as well.