Tennessee football: 5 most encouraging signs from Vols 2019 spring practice

3. Very few injuries

Tennessee football entered spring practice Jeremy Pruitt’s first year completely decimated. The Butch Jones fiasco that saw injury after injury over a two-year period gave the Vols little to work with, and it was even harder considering the fact that they were trying to install new systems on both sides of the ball.

You saw the results of that pretty clearly last fall, as the offensive line was the most decimated spot. It became historically bad during the season, a huge reason for UT suffering so many blowout losses throughout the year.

Well, things were completely different this past spring practice. Sure, Trey Smith’s health was an issue, but he was able to practice some. Brandon Kennedy was getting back to form as well. The only real issues when it came to injury were Carlin Fils-Aime and Darrin Kirkland Jr.

But just two guys is a much bigger improvement than last year, and as a result, the Vols were likely able to develop more. That’s key considering the fact that they have new coordinators on both sides of the ball, even if the systems are similar.

Heading into the spring, this was already a positive, but you never know if things will shape out that way in the end. Luckily for Rocky Top, they did, and they enter the summer much healthier and much more developed than last year as a result. Going forward, the Vols should be in great shape to be able to add the new guys in. They can take larger steps in the fall due to better health.