Tennessee Vols morning report: Josh Heupel, players recap spring game
Spring practice is in the books for the Tennessee Vols football team under first-year head coach Josh Heupel. There may still be tons of questions surrounding the program, but at least fans know that they are in for a fun ride.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with a recap of the spring event. We have two separate stories of people involved with the program discussing the Orange and White game. An exhibition isn’t our only story, though.
We have series recaps in baseball and softball, a new men’s tennis championship and recaps of a track and field and men’s golf event. It’s a mix of news in the recaps, but some of the news was great for UT. Let’s start with the football stories, though.
Josh Heupel recaps spring game – Jake Nichols, SI.com
As the Orange beat the White 42-37 in the Tennessee Vols football team’s spring game over the weekend, the story was the three scholarship quarterbacks who took part in the spring all playing with both teams. Hendon Hooker, Harrison Bailey and Brian Maurer all had moments. Here’s what Josh Heupel said about the quarterback race.
"“It’s wide open. I’ve been through enough quarterback battles as a player or as a coach to know that there’s so much time as you leave spring ball. We’ve had 15 practices. We’re going to have a lot more than that when we get to training camp. They get a chance to sit back now and kind of re-digest everything that’s gone on this spring. Get a chance to go through some installs this summer. They get a chance to coach it, own it a little bit on their own.”"
Players recap spring game – Austin Price, VolQuest.com
After Tennessee football’s Orange and White game, three players spoke with the media. Jaylen McCollough discussed the secondary’s performance and its growth throughout the spring. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“Our biggest focus was just competing and just making plays, and I feel like we’ve done that throughout spring pretty well. As you can see, we had a pick-six today by Warren Burrell. The secondary – we’ve grown tremendously, and we still have strides to take, but where we’re at right now is pretty good.”"
Velus Jones Jr. talked about how exciting the offensive execution was. Here’s a bit of what he said on that front.
"“My teammates and I are so blessed to have this coaching staff and be able to bring that energy in this high scoring- power offense. It’s a dream come true. It feels unreal, to be honest. We’re just out there having fun and flying around.”"
Jabari Small was one of multiple running backs to play in the game on Saturday. Here’s how he described the competition at the position.
"“I feel like it’s a healthy competition, you know what I mean? We all have fun. We go out there and compete and hold each other to a standard, and that’s just going to make the whole room better.”"
Baseball takes two of three from Texas A&M – Wes Rucker, GoVols247
With a dominant 20-7 win Sunday, the Tennessee Vols baseball team took two of three from the Texas A&M Aggies over the weekend. This was the third road series win in the SEC for UT.
"The Vols improved to 32-9 overall and 12-6 in SEC play, one game behind Vanderbilt for the Eastern Division lead. Texas A&M fell to 23-19 overall and 5-13 in league play."
Softball takes two of three vs. Georgia – Andrew Peters, UT Daily Beacon
Despite losing 11-8 on Sunday, the Tennessee Lady Vols still won two of three against the Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend. In the process, they improved to 35-8 overall and 8-7 in SEC play.
"The Lady Vols will stay on the road to take on Auburn next weekend. The Tigers are coming off a series loss against Ole Miss."
Men’s tennis claims SEC title – SECSports
In a shock, the Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team defeated the top-ranked Florida Gators over the weekend to capture the SEC Championship in school history. UT did it off of two doubles wins and dominant singles performances.
"The win marks Tennessee’s (25-3) first SEC title since 2010-when it knocked off Florida (20-2) and fourth tournament title overall. This title is the first conference crown for head man Chris Woodruff since taking over the program in 2017."
Men’s golf falls in SEC Match Play Quarterfinals – UTSports
On Saturday, the Tennessee Vols men’s golf team fell 4-1 to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC Match Play Quarterfinals. Vandy went onto win the league championship.
"The Vols will now begin preparations for NCAA competition. The NCAA Selection Show is set for May 5 at 2 p.m. ET and will air on Golf Channel. NCAA Regionals are scheduled to take place from May 17 through May 19."
Track and field makes history at Clark Wood Open – Ken Lay, VolsWire
Multiple wins were logged by the Tennessee Vols Track and Field team at the Clark Wood Open Friday and Saturday, hosted by the Louisville Cardinals. However, they also managed to make school history on two fronts as well, which became the bigger story.
"The University of Tennessee men’s and women’s track and field teams had a big day Saturday to close out the Clark Wood Open meet on a cold and rainy day in Louisville, Kentucky. The Volunteers and Lady Vols combined to set a pair of meet records on the second day at Owsley B. Frazier Cardinal Park."