KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football returned to the practice field with a two-hour shoulder pads practice following its week-long spring break on Tuesday at Haslam Field. Head coach Josh Heupel met with the media following the fifth spring practice.
Wide Receiver Leadership Emerging
The Volunteers must replace wide receivers Bru McCoy, Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Squirrel White. Returning Vols Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley and redshirt junior Chris Brazzell II are emerging as leaders in their second year in the offensive system. Brazell led that trio and ranked third on the team with 29 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns last season.
“I think part of it is a credit to them and the work that they have put into it,” Heupel said. “But in year two, it’s true for every player; in what we do offensively, the understanding of what we’re doing, the decisions that they have to make and being on the same page. Fundamentals and techniques continue to improve, but they have a great understanding having played in it—what it looks like, what it feels like, and how they have to operate within it.”
Two-Way Player Boo Carter
Boo Carter is coming off an SEC All-Freshman Team season in his first year on Rocky Top. Carter proved to be one of the most dynamic players in the SEC, leading the league in punt return average at 16.5 yards per return. He also settled into a secondary starting role at STAR. The fall could see the Chattanooga native take on slot receiver duties, a role he is experimenting with this spring.
“Boo’s done a really good job on the defensive side of the ball,” Heupel said. “You saw him as a punt returner – electric with the ball in his hands. We’ve experimented with him on the offensive side of the football as well, and he’s handled it really well up until this point.”
Carter was a two-way star and the No. 1 player in the state coming out of Bradley Central High School. He finished his 2023 senior season with 1,795 all-purpose yards and 27 total touchdowns.
Ethan Davis Forming Elite Returning Tight End Duo
Tennessee will boast one of the top tight end duos in the SEC with the return of Miles Kitselman and Ethan Davis. The athletic Davis earned SEC All-Freshman laurels last year after hauling in 13 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He has taken advantage of the Vols’ offseason program.
“Ethan has done an elite job just growing through our winter,” Heupel said. “He’s done a great job with his body. He’s just continued to mature as a man, just how he approaches every single day. He has been really consistent. We have great understanding of what we’re getting from him every single day, and that’s a credit to him just continuing to grow as a man.”
Coaches Clinic
Tennessee will host its annual Coaches Clinic this Friday and Saturday with former NFL coach Jon Gruden as the keynote speaker. Gruden got his coaching start as a graduate assistant under Johnny Majors at UT from 1986-87. Full clinic details, including registration are available here. The clinic is open to high school and middle school coaches.
“Coaches from our footprint have an opportunity to come in and be able to talk ball with us,” Heupel said. “Obviously, Coach Gruden coming in and headlining the event, it will be a lot of fun to have a lot of people here on campus.”
Everything School
Heupel opened his Tuesday press conference with a shoutout to men’s and women’s basketball head coaches Rick Barnes and Kim Caldwell. The Vols and Lady Vols have both advanced to this weekend’s NCAA Sweet 16 in Indianapolis and Birmingham, respectively. Heupel’s football program is coming off its first College Football Playoff berth, and Tennessee was the only school this athletic year to reach the CFP and the NCAA men’s and women’s Sweet 16.
“I’ll start by just saying what an awesome weekend for our athletic department, our university,” Heupel said. “Congratulations to Coach Barnes and Coach Caldwell. It was a lot of fun to just watch those teams go compete and have a ton of success. I look forward to watching them here this weekend as well.”
Tennessee will practice two more times this week, doing so Thursday and Saturday.
Tickets for the Orange & White Game presented by Cherokee Resorts & Entertainment are on sale now at AllVols.com. Start time is 2 p.m. ET on April 12 in Neyland Stadium.
