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Tennessee football’s five biggest fall camp storylines for 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Players warm up during the first day of Tennessee football practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.Kns Tennessee Football Practice
Players warm up during the first day of Tennessee football practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.Kns Tennessee Football Practice /
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Tennessee linebacker Juwan Mitchell (10) walks off the field during a game against Pittsburgh at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Kns Tennessee Pittsburgh Football
Tennessee linebacker Juwan Mitchell (10) walks off the field during a game against Pittsburgh at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Kns Tennessee Pittsburgh Football /

3. How healthy is everybody else who was hurt last year and this past spring?

While Len’Neth Whitehead got hurt, Tennessee football returns a ton of players who have been banged up within the past year. Most notable among them is linebacker Juwan Mitchell. The linebacker unit was the worst for the Vols last year, and Mitchell, who was expected to anchor it, suffered a season-ending injury early.

In addition to Mitchell being back, Paxton Brooks is coming off playing all of last year with a tweaked hamstring, which is why he didn’t handle kickoff duties. There are expectations of him to carry on the Punter U tradition this year, so how ready is he for that?

What about Cooper Mays at center? Some of the Vols’ issues on the line last year were due to them never being able to find an adequate backup there when Mays was banged up. Have they solved that problem, and is Mays healthy? Both things will be critical for them.

Meanwhile, the secondary had a barrage of injuries in the spring. Warren Burrell, Brandon Turnage, De’Shawn Rucker and Kamal Hadden all missed spring practice due to injury, and all of them are potential starters, particularly Burrell, Turnage and Hadden. When you factor in two summer transfers at this position, it’s truly a totally new look and leads to our next question.

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