Yesterday’s Tennessee football’s spring practice produced multiple position changes. Vols Tyler Byrd moves back to wide receiver.
Related Story: Position change back to receiver for Tyler Byrd
Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee football are still making position changes this spring, and there are probably more to come. There is no position safe and quite frankly no player safe. Tyler Byrd happens to be one of those players.
The once four-star recruit from Naples, FL has not done anything special his time on Rocky Top. The talent is there, and the eye test proves that but the production has basically been zero.
In his freshman season, Byrd saw action in eleven games hauling in 18 receptions for 209 yards. This past season for whatever reason Byrd saw the field in only three games which produced just three receptions and one touchdown.
Yet another wrong decision by former coach Butch Jones, right? Well, most fans think so, but maybe Byrd just is not that good, and that is okay. Some players never pan it just happens that way. Sometimes it is on the coaches, but sometimes the players have to take accountability and stop blaming other people for not succeeding.
Last year wide receivers such as Marquez Callaway and Brandon Johnson stepped up and cut into Byrd’s playing time so immediately the attention went to Butch Jones not know what he was doing. Which was not unfair considering Alvin Kamara did not see the field as much as he should have in his final season with the Vols.
Fans were furious and wanted Byrd to get a chance at defense if the offensive opportunities weren’t going to be there. Well, this spring Butch is gone, and Tennessee football brings in a defensive-minded head coach in Jeremy Pruitt.
Pruitt must have been listening to all the chatter from the fans since every head coach does and gave Tyler Byrd a chance to show his ability in the secondary. Two weeks later Byrd is having his position switched back to wide receiver.
So, Butch didn’t want him on the defensive side of the ball, and now a defensive-minded coach doesn’t want him there either. What does that say about Byrd?
This is not a Tyler Byrd bashing, but unfortunately, when you sign up to play big boy college football, you have to take criticism.
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I am willing to give Byrd one more chance before coaches and fans should give up on him. Maybe he can make noise at wide receiver this spring and fall. However, if not, fans should blame Byrd for his lack of production instead of coaching.