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Tennessee football: Five takeaways from 2021 spring practice roster

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Finally, after a crazy offseason, Tennessee football began its first step towards the 2021 season Thursday. The Vols kicked off spring practice, which was supposed to begin on Tuesday but was pushed back two days due to a COVID outbreak within the program.

Since they played their last game in 2020, they have hired a new head coach and new staff, completely changed their scheme on both sides of the ball and dealt with a wave of players transferring in and out. Add in the seniors who had to announce if they’d take advantage of the NCAA COVID eligibility exception from last year, and there are tons of questions.

Well, with the reveal of the roster on UTSports Thursday, at least some things were answered. Let’s take a look at what we learned. These are the five things that stood out in Tennessee football’s 2021 spring practice roster. Before we dive in, you can also see Heupel’s press conference addressing the first day of practice by clicking on the video above.

5. Christian Charles at defensive back

There are two athletes who committed to the Vols’ 2021 class, Christian Charles and Kaemen Marley. However, Charles was the only early enrollee. A three-star across all services out of Georgia, Charles was listed as a cornerback on 247Sports.

However played quarterback and was an elite runner at Chestatee High School in Gainesville, Ga., so he could have played a lot of positions. Charles’ solid speed, timing in a 4.51 40-yard dash, and his size at 6’1″ 186 pounds, could have had him play multiple positions.

Given the attrition at defensive back, it makes sense that Heupel would move him there. It was a question, though, and it’s not the only positional question involving a freshman. The next one is on a broader scale given the schematic changes.

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