Knoxville, Tennessee – Due to poor weather, Tennessee football held its final full pads practice of the spring on Thursday inside Anderson Training Center for two hours.
Following the final full practice before Saturday’s Orange & White Game, new running backs coach De’Rail Sims, outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, running backs Dylan Sampson, Khalifa Keith, and punter Jackson Ross spoke with the media.
Sims took over a room led by Sampson, who enters his third season after rushing for 604 yards on 106 runs and a team-best seven touchdowns. He averaged 5.7 yards per rush last season, ranking ninth in the SEC. Sampson has been an invaluable locker-room leader for the Vols.
“He’s taken a really good step in terms of bringing them along, being a leader in the room,” he added. “I think holistically in his game and am detail-oriented. He’s a lot further forward in terms of detail now than he was at the beginning of spring, even after starting with winter exercises. He’s made significant progress in that area.”
Since Ekeler’s arrival in 2021, special teams have proven to be a strength for Tennessee. He welcomes back Ross as punter, who led a team that allowed only four total punt return yards in 2023, ranking seventh nationally.
“You look at it, and it was his first year of football,” Ekeler said of Ross’s progress. “He has never played.
ther than Aussie rules football. So, Jackson, right now, we’ve developed a system around his skillset. He’s probably the only guy in the country who can kick it equally well with his right and left foot.”
The Vols will perform a “Fast Friday” practice before focusing on the Orange and White Game. The start time is 1 p.m. in Neyland Stadium, which has a small capacity.
The second annual Vol Village Music Festival, held outside of Neyland Stadium in Lot 9, begins at 11:15 a.m. Vol Village opens at 10:30 a.m. and offers free entrance.
Be the first to comment