wU-Tang Vol
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Fall Practice Updates:
- Thread starter Scotty's Flat Top
- Start date
wU-Tang Vol
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Free Read
Learning all-new assignments can be difficult for a freshman football player. For*Tennessee’sJalen Hurd, it has been downright Maddening.
A heralded four-star running back from Hendersonville, Hurd arrived in Knoxville last January with no clue as to the Vols’ pass-protection schemes. After hundreds of practice repetitions and countless hours of playbook study, he found help from an unlikely source – the Madden NFL video game distributed by EA Sports.
“To learn my downs and stuff my friends and I would play Madden,” Hurd recalled following Saturday’s practice. “I’d see the (defensive) front and I’d try to say what the front was and who I’d have on this protection. I try to have a little fun with it.”
For all of his talent as a runner, Hurd realizes that his playing time in SEC action this fall will hinge on how well he learns to protect Vol quarterbacks.
“You can run the ball in this league but if you can’t pass (protect) you can’t get on the field,” he said. “In high school pass blocking really wasn’t a big thing but pass blocking is the most important thing now. You pass-block first, run the ball second.”
Whereas running is largely instinctive, pass protecting is a learned behavior. Every freshman running back encounters this hurdle, including Jalen Hurd.
“Running the ball is a natural thing,” he said. “I’ve been running the ball since I was six years old. Pass-blocking is a little different. It takes a little time to get it.”
Not surprisingly, the complexity of the schemes is the biggest difference he has found between his days at Beech High School and his early days on The Hill.
“The mental game coming in is something you’ve got to get used to, plus the tempo of the game,” Hurd said. “When you know your plays – you’re (only) worrying about what the defense is doing, instead of worrying about where you’re aligned and what you’re doing – it definitely helps.”
After arriving in Knoxville with a surgically repaired shoulder last winter, Hurd participated in spring practice but did no weight training until June. That slowed his development a bit but he believes he’s full-go now.
“In January I was still rehabbing my shoulder,” he said, “so I finally got in the weight room over the summer, and I’m feeling great.”
As perhaps the most heralded member of a recruiting class ranked No. 4 nationally by Scout, Hurd is a celebrity in Knoxville, just as he was back in Hendersonville. He wasn’t expecting that.
“It surprises me every day,” he said. “I’m just a normal guy, just walking down the street chilling, then people come up to me asking for autographs. I love it. I love my fans, and I can’t wait to show them what I can do.”
If anything, Hurd’s celebrity status grew during the spring. He showed a real knack for breaking big runs in scrimmages, further enhancing his reputation. Some folks believe he could be a 1,000-yard rusher, a milestone several SEC freshmen have achieved in recent years.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of guys do that but that’s not my main goal,” he said. “I definitely want to run for a bunch of yards but I want to help my team win. That’s the most important thing.”
At 6-feet-3 and 225 pounds, Hurd routinely ran over defenders in high school. He tried to do the same in the early days of spring practice.
“I was still in the high-school mode, thinking I could just run like I did in high school,” he recalled. “You change things up (in college). You still run but you know when to run and juke, when to get vertical and not get vertical.”
Hurd still enjoys bowling over defenders but admits modifying his running style a bit to protect his body.
“I’ve changed my pad level a lot,” he said. “I’ve always gotten low through the line but I’m getting lower…. Some things in my game have changed, and I’m happy to show that this season.
Surprisingly, one of those changes is his speed.
“I definitely think I’ve gotten faster,” he said. “I definitely think my burst is a lot better.”
Most successful running backs are in the 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11 range but Hurd has a few taller role models he’s looking to emulate.
“My main guy is (6-foot-3 former*Tennessee Titans*star)*Eddie George,” Hurd said. “I love him to death. That’s one of my biggest idols. And (6-foot-1*Minnesota*Vikings standout)Adrian Peterson*is a great guy to idolize in The League right now.”
Running backs the size of George and Peterson are rare exceptions to the norm, however. As a result, some observers suggest Jalen Hurd is too tall to be a productive rusher at the major-college level. He has a ready answer for those skeptics:
“Just come watch me play.”
Learning all-new assignments can be difficult for a freshman football player. For*Tennessee’sJalen Hurd, it has been downright Maddening.
A heralded four-star running back from Hendersonville, Hurd arrived in Knoxville last January with no clue as to the Vols’ pass-protection schemes. After hundreds of practice repetitions and countless hours of playbook study, he found help from an unlikely source – the Madden NFL video game distributed by EA Sports.
“To learn my downs and stuff my friends and I would play Madden,” Hurd recalled following Saturday’s practice. “I’d see the (defensive) front and I’d try to say what the front was and who I’d have on this protection. I try to have a little fun with it.”
For all of his talent as a runner, Hurd realizes that his playing time in SEC action this fall will hinge on how well he learns to protect Vol quarterbacks.
“You can run the ball in this league but if you can’t pass (protect) you can’t get on the field,” he said. “In high school pass blocking really wasn’t a big thing but pass blocking is the most important thing now. You pass-block first, run the ball second.”
Whereas running is largely instinctive, pass protecting is a learned behavior. Every freshman running back encounters this hurdle, including Jalen Hurd.
“Running the ball is a natural thing,” he said. “I’ve been running the ball since I was six years old. Pass-blocking is a little different. It takes a little time to get it.”
Not surprisingly, the complexity of the schemes is the biggest difference he has found between his days at Beech High School and his early days on The Hill.
“The mental game coming in is something you’ve got to get used to, plus the tempo of the game,” Hurd said. “When you know your plays – you’re (only) worrying about what the defense is doing, instead of worrying about where you’re aligned and what you’re doing – it definitely helps.”
After arriving in Knoxville with a surgically repaired shoulder last winter, Hurd participated in spring practice but did no weight training until June. That slowed his development a bit but he believes he’s full-go now.
“In January I was still rehabbing my shoulder,” he said, “so I finally got in the weight room over the summer, and I’m feeling great.”
As perhaps the most heralded member of a recruiting class ranked No. 4 nationally by Scout, Hurd is a celebrity in Knoxville, just as he was back in Hendersonville. He wasn’t expecting that.
“It surprises me every day,” he said. “I’m just a normal guy, just walking down the street chilling, then people come up to me asking for autographs. I love it. I love my fans, and I can’t wait to show them what I can do.”
If anything, Hurd’s celebrity status grew during the spring. He showed a real knack for breaking big runs in scrimmages, further enhancing his reputation. Some folks believe he could be a 1,000-yard rusher, a milestone several SEC freshmen have achieved in recent years.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of guys do that but that’s not my main goal,” he said. “I definitely want to run for a bunch of yards but I want to help my team win. That’s the most important thing.”
At 6-feet-3 and 225 pounds, Hurd routinely ran over defenders in high school. He tried to do the same in the early days of spring practice.
“I was still in the high-school mode, thinking I could just run like I did in high school,” he recalled. “You change things up (in college). You still run but you know when to run and juke, when to get vertical and not get vertical.”
Hurd still enjoys bowling over defenders but admits modifying his running style a bit to protect his body.
“I’ve changed my pad level a lot,” he said. “I’ve always gotten low through the line but I’m getting lower…. Some things in my game have changed, and I’m happy to show that this season.
Surprisingly, one of those changes is his speed.
“I definitely think I’ve gotten faster,” he said. “I definitely think my burst is a lot better.”
Most successful running backs are in the 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-11 range but Hurd has a few taller role models he’s looking to emulate.
“My main guy is (6-foot-3 former*Tennessee Titans*star)*Eddie George,” Hurd said. “I love him to death. That’s one of my biggest idols. And (6-foot-1*Minnesota*Vikings standout)Adrian Peterson*is a great guy to idolize in The League right now.”
Running backs the size of George and Peterson are rare exceptions to the norm, however. As a result, some observers suggest Jalen Hurd is too tall to be a productive rusher at the major-college level. He has a ready answer for those skeptics:
“Just come watch me play.”
wU-Tang Vol
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:golfclap:
005
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I'm one that's of the opinion that he wasn't all that terrible last year.
wU-Tang Vol
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Free Read Boss
Tennessee*assistant Tommy Thigpen must have thought he opened the wrong door the first time he entered the linebacker meeting room this preseason: The familiar faces were missing.
Brent Brewer*and*Dontavis Sapp, last fall’s starting outside linebackers, have exhausted their eligibility. So have 2013 backups*John Propst,*Raiques Crump*and*Greg King.Christian Harris*transferred to another school, then*Curt Maggitt*and*Jakob Johnsontransferred to a new position (defensive end).
Bottom line: When Thigpen scans the linebacker room just about the only familiar faces he sees are senior*A.J. Johnson*and sophomore*Jalen Reeves-Maybin*… and Reeves-Maybin is barely recognizable after adding 19 pounds since last fall.
“He’s up to 230 pounds,” Thigpen said. “He’s a lot stronger than he was last year, so he has a lot of confidence. He’s playing better with his hands, getting off blocks.”
Despite the added heft, Maybin has experienced no loss in agility. He’s as mobile as ever.
“The hardest thing for a linebacker to do is play in space,” Thigpen said, “and he’s a natural at playing in space because he’s an ex-DB and running back, so he does a lot of things really naturally.”
In addition to more bulk, Maybin has more familiarity with the defense and his role in it. That helps a guy play with more aggression and explosion.
“He knows all the calls and all the checks,” Thigpen said, adding that Maybin is a role model for the newcomers in the linebacker room. And — make no mistake — there are a bunch of newcomers in that room these days.
“With so many young guys — (Dillon) Bates, (Chris) Weatherd and (Gavin) Bryant — we’ve got a lot of inexperience in the room,” Thigpen conceded. “They’re talented kids; we’ve just got to grow ‘em up really fast, catch ‘em up with the lingo and the techniques. Right now they’re swimming quite a bit but they’re coming in every day with a boatload of questions, so I know it’s important to ‘em.”
Bates (6-feet-3, 232 pounds) and Bryant (6-feet, 236) are four-star high school recruits. Weatherd (6-feet-4, 225) is a four-star transfer from the JUCO ranks. All three are getting on-the-job training.
“They get a chance to see how it’s done right with A.J. and Maybin,” Thigpen said. “They get a visual of how it’s supposed to look with those two guys in there, and that’s probably the quickest way they can learn.”
Bates has a good shot to win the third starting spot because he’s a natural outside linebacker.
“He has so much pride,” Thigpen said. “He goes out and tries to do everything right. He comes into the meeting room with a list of questions. If he doesn’t know something he’s going to ask. You can tell he’s got a great football background with his father (Bill) being in The League for so long. He’s got a great idea of what concepts are and how teams are going to try and attack you. We’re pleased with where he’s at but he’s still got a long way to go.”
Weatherd, conversely, played a lot of defensive end in junior college and is still new to linebacker.
“Weatherd is really athletic but he’s a kid that’s been playing with his hand on the ground for a long time,” Thigpen said. “Now he’s standing up, which is an adjustment for him.”
Because he was late getting approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse, Weatherd missed spring practice and the summer workout program. Once he catches up in terminology and conditioning, however, he should be a major contributor.
“He’s got some intangibles that we don’t have,” Thigpen said. “He’s a natural pass rusher. He’s sleek, he’s fast, he’s athletic. We’ve just got to catch him up to speed.”
Another intriguing newcomer is*Neiko Creamer, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder who has much to learn after moving from wide receiver to linebacker during the spring.
“Spring practice helped him a lot,” Thigpen said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he can run and he’s physical. I think we’re going to get something out of him. He’s going to play a lot on special teams for us, and the more comfortable he gets at the (linebacker) position the more he’ll play.”
Redshirt sophomores Kenny Bynum (6-feet-1, 238) and*Justin King*(6-feet-2, 245) return from last fall but they recorded just two stops each in 2013. Besides, they appear stuck at middle linebacker behind Johnson (6-feet-2, 242), who is more instinctive these days.
“It’s a simple game to him now; he plays a lot faster,” Thigpen said. “He’s playing like a whole different player to me. He’s a lot more aggressive, a lot more assertive in his calls, and he’s beginning to hold everybody accountable. He gets in kids’ face if they don’t know their jobs.”
Johnson’s leadership could prove invaluable in helping the young linebackers mature quickly.
“They look up to A.J.,” Thigpen said. “He’s the Alpha male in the room, and he holds them all accountable. He doesn’t give any sympathy to the fact they’re 18 years old. I’m pleased with his leadership and I’m really pleased with how the young guys are gravitating toward him.
“I think he’s really enjoying that role.”
Tennessee*assistant Tommy Thigpen must have thought he opened the wrong door the first time he entered the linebacker meeting room this preseason: The familiar faces were missing.
Brent Brewer*and*Dontavis Sapp, last fall’s starting outside linebackers, have exhausted their eligibility. So have 2013 backups*John Propst,*Raiques Crump*and*Greg King.Christian Harris*transferred to another school, then*Curt Maggitt*and*Jakob Johnsontransferred to a new position (defensive end).
Bottom line: When Thigpen scans the linebacker room just about the only familiar faces he sees are senior*A.J. Johnson*and sophomore*Jalen Reeves-Maybin*… and Reeves-Maybin is barely recognizable after adding 19 pounds since last fall.
“He’s up to 230 pounds,” Thigpen said. “He’s a lot stronger than he was last year, so he has a lot of confidence. He’s playing better with his hands, getting off blocks.”
Despite the added heft, Maybin has experienced no loss in agility. He’s as mobile as ever.
“The hardest thing for a linebacker to do is play in space,” Thigpen said, “and he’s a natural at playing in space because he’s an ex-DB and running back, so he does a lot of things really naturally.”
In addition to more bulk, Maybin has more familiarity with the defense and his role in it. That helps a guy play with more aggression and explosion.
“He knows all the calls and all the checks,” Thigpen said, adding that Maybin is a role model for the newcomers in the linebacker room. And — make no mistake — there are a bunch of newcomers in that room these days.
“With so many young guys — (Dillon) Bates, (Chris) Weatherd and (Gavin) Bryant — we’ve got a lot of inexperience in the room,” Thigpen conceded. “They’re talented kids; we’ve just got to grow ‘em up really fast, catch ‘em up with the lingo and the techniques. Right now they’re swimming quite a bit but they’re coming in every day with a boatload of questions, so I know it’s important to ‘em.”
Bates (6-feet-3, 232 pounds) and Bryant (6-feet, 236) are four-star high school recruits. Weatherd (6-feet-4, 225) is a four-star transfer from the JUCO ranks. All three are getting on-the-job training.
“They get a chance to see how it’s done right with A.J. and Maybin,” Thigpen said. “They get a visual of how it’s supposed to look with those two guys in there, and that’s probably the quickest way they can learn.”
Bates has a good shot to win the third starting spot because he’s a natural outside linebacker.
“He has so much pride,” Thigpen said. “He goes out and tries to do everything right. He comes into the meeting room with a list of questions. If he doesn’t know something he’s going to ask. You can tell he’s got a great football background with his father (Bill) being in The League for so long. He’s got a great idea of what concepts are and how teams are going to try and attack you. We’re pleased with where he’s at but he’s still got a long way to go.”
Weatherd, conversely, played a lot of defensive end in junior college and is still new to linebacker.
“Weatherd is really athletic but he’s a kid that’s been playing with his hand on the ground for a long time,” Thigpen said. “Now he’s standing up, which is an adjustment for him.”
Because he was late getting approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse, Weatherd missed spring practice and the summer workout program. Once he catches up in terminology and conditioning, however, he should be a major contributor.
“He’s got some intangibles that we don’t have,” Thigpen said. “He’s a natural pass rusher. He’s sleek, he’s fast, he’s athletic. We’ve just got to catch him up to speed.”
Another intriguing newcomer is*Neiko Creamer, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder who has much to learn after moving from wide receiver to linebacker during the spring.
“Spring practice helped him a lot,” Thigpen said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he can run and he’s physical. I think we’re going to get something out of him. He’s going to play a lot on special teams for us, and the more comfortable he gets at the (linebacker) position the more he’ll play.”
Redshirt sophomores Kenny Bynum (6-feet-1, 238) and*Justin King*(6-feet-2, 245) return from last fall but they recorded just two stops each in 2013. Besides, they appear stuck at middle linebacker behind Johnson (6-feet-2, 242), who is more instinctive these days.
“It’s a simple game to him now; he plays a lot faster,” Thigpen said. “He’s playing like a whole different player to me. He’s a lot more aggressive, a lot more assertive in his calls, and he’s beginning to hold everybody accountable. He gets in kids’ face if they don’t know their jobs.”
Johnson’s leadership could prove invaluable in helping the young linebackers mature quickly.
“They look up to A.J.,” Thigpen said. “He’s the Alpha male in the room, and he holds them all accountable. He doesn’t give any sympathy to the fact they’re 18 years old. I’m pleased with his leadership and I’m really pleased with how the young guys are gravitating toward him.
“I think he’s really enjoying that role.”
GreatWhiteNorth
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So...can someone tell me what the deal is with all the Dobbs hate lately? Seems like not so long ago, everyone was so high on him. Looked like he had a pretty good spring game, too. Is he having a bad summer or what? Guys ready to give up on him already and just wondering what's behind it...
005
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All I've really seen is "sailing passes." I guess the larger problem of inaccuracy is a worry, but who knows.
I (want to) think that Butch is just staying ALL OVER the quarterbacks. Partially because they are not good enough, and partially because he feels they need the pressure at all times. He's simply being harder on the team this camp... even if the team is practicing better.
Right?
I (want to) think that Butch is just staying ALL OVER the quarterbacks. Partially because they are not good enough, and partially because he feels they need the pressure at all times. He's simply being harder on the team this camp... even if the team is practicing better.
Right?
LotteryPick
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I don't know. You don't see many good passes from our QB's in these drills. That has to be frustrating for our WR's.
LotteryPick
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Neither does Hurd.
Sounds like Barnett, Hendrix, and Moseley are gonna be gooood.
Sounds like Barnett, Hendrix, and Moseley are gonna be gooood.
Vercingetorix
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