New Vols Offensive Skill Players Hope to Shine in Spring Practice
(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A strong emphasis on Tennessee football’s signing class was bringing in young, talented offensive skill players and that group is making its mark through three spring practices. The Volunteers donned shoulder pads for the first time this week in a 22-period practice on Thursday at Haslam Field.Highly-touted true freshmen wide receivers Braylon Staley (Aiken, South Carolina) and Mike Matthews (Lilburn, Georgia) have flashed with Staley playing in the slot and learning from veteran Squirrel White, who led the squad with 67 catches for 803 yards last fall.“We have a lot of talented young players,” said second-year offensive coordinator Joey Halzle. “You have to cut it loose. You can’t make mistakes half speed, or we can’t gain anything from it. So, that’s been our huge coaching point at every position, but we have a lot of young, talented wideouts. The competition is awesome. It’s one of the best I’ve seen in spring ball. There’s not a lot of solidified guys going. It’s everybody going out there fighting for a spot.”True freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger, who participated in Citrus Bowl practices, has illustrated his athleticism and is backing up Nico Iamaleava and Gaston Moore.“Really athletic guy,” Halzle said of the four-star prospect Merklinger. “High, high intelligence. Guys love him already. He’s one of the guys that just kind of fits right in and gets into the mold. Picked it up really, really quickly, which was great to see from us.”Merklinger and the quarterbacks took in a surprise on Wednesday night. Pro Football Hall of Famer and VFL legend Peyton Manning addressed the team and then spent the evening in the quarterback film room. Manning was on campus for his UT College of Communication and Information class.“It’s Peyton Manning, there’s not much more to say on that one,” Halzle said. “When he talks, everybody really listens. He was just giving guys a bunch of great nuggets as far as the way he prepared, the way he went about his business, what his daily routine or weekly routine was. Guys were taking pages of notes on it, so I think it’s going to be something that’s crazy beneficial for those guys.”Tennessee is hosting its annual Coaches Clinic for high school and middle school staffers on Friday with former NFL head coach Rex Ryan serving as the keynote speaker.The Vols will hold their first full pads practice on Saturday to wrap up week one of spring ball.
