Calloway’s play was best part of Vols scrimmage
Jimmy Calloway pulled off one of the best plays that most Tennessee football fans will never see.
It came during the Vols’ intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday — which was open to media, recruits and players’ parents but closed to fans.
A live broadcast could be seen by fans attending a tailgating event on campus, but the scrimmage wasn’t streamed online. And by the time Calloway made his big play, video was no longer permitted by media in attendance because UT was working on new tweaks in its playbook.
So use your imagination.
Calloway caught a swing pass from quarterback Joe Milton behind the line of scrimmage and near his own goal line. He broke a tackle, skipped toward the left sideline, reversed his field, shed more tacklers, sprinted to the opposite sideline and then ran to paydirt.
The sideline-to-sideline, end-to-end play went for a 93-yard touchdown. But Calloway covered about 200 yards to get to the end zone.
“Today was probably his best day on the grass,” coach Josh Heupel said. “You want that in those competitive situations, for them to rise to their best performance. Jimmy is so talented.
“He’s a guy that inside our program we have high expectations for. He’s going to continue that growth, and it was great to see him perform today.”
Calloway’s playmaking potential is a welcomed sight. He’s among the wide receivers trying to replace Velus Jones
Jr. and Javonta Payton, who finished their eligibility last season.
The Vols have seen his big-play ability before. Despite making only five catches in three games last season, Calloway broke a short pass for a 44-yard TD against Pittsburgh. He’s mostly playing behind Jalin Hyatt at slot receiver.
Hendon Hooker did most work on first drive
Quarterback Hendon Hooker had a short and sweet day. To start the scrimmage, he led the offense on a 12-play, 95yard drive which ended with a short TD pass to tight end Jacob Warren.
Hooker was 7-of-7 passing on that drive. He only made a few brief appearances after that, giving most of the remaining reps to Milton, freshman Tayven Jackson, walk-on Gaston Moore and Appalachian State transfer Navy Shuler.
Heupel said other quarterbacks needed multiple drives to catch up in reps after the lengthy opening march.
“It was unique in how it unfolded (because) the first drive had a huge play count,” Heupel said. “We wanted to get a lot of competitive work, and (Hooker) was fortunate to get a lot of it on the first drive.”
Milton was mostly on target on deep passes
Milton connected on multiple deep passes, reversing the narrative of his short stint as the starter a year ago.
His best passes were a 50-yard TD pass to Jack Jancek, a former Knoxville
Catholic standout, and a 40-yard toss to Ramel Keyton for an over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline.
Jackson, the four-star freshman, had an up-and-down performance. He scrambled and connected on short passes. But he also was hesitant and indecisive in the pocket.
Heupel put Jackson in a variety of situations, from third-team work to taking snaps with the starting offense.
The freshman quarterback spent much of the scrimmage talking with wide receivers and offensive linemen about adjustments and discussing plays with Heupel on the field. It was a learning experience.
“I love that (Jackson) is resilient and competes on the next play, no matter what went on in the previous play,” Heupel said. “He’s got a bright future.”
Defense went on scoring spree
The offense started most drives inside its own 10-yard line, so big plays were potential scoring opportunities for the defense. Freshman defensive lineman Tyre West, junior linebacker Kwauze Garland and defensive lineman Dominic Bailey each recorded a safety by penetrating into the backfield.
Late in the scrimmage, the defense scored three straight TDS on takeaways. Starting defensive lineman Omari Thomas scooped a fumble and returned it 20 yards for a TD. Walk-on defensive back Will Brooks and freshman linebacker Elijah Herring, a former Riverdale standout, each returned an interception for a score.
Touted freshman going through growing pains
Four-star offensive lineman Addison Nichols, the highest rated prospect of UT’S 2022 class, had a tough day at center.
He snapped the ball too high and too low, which caused multiple fumbles. He also was slow to snap it a couple of times, which resulted in false start penalties on the rest of the offensive line.
But it’s a new position for Nichols, who only played guard and tackle before coming to UT this spring. Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee put Nichols at center to give him a better perspective of every responsibility on the line, so he can potentially play all five positions.
Heupel didn’t mind the errant snaps, considering it was only Nichols’ 11th practice at the new position and UT’S tempo is the fastest in college football.
“Addison is going to be a great player — not just a good one, but a great one here,” Heupel said. “He’s going through growth and progress.”
Several key players did not play
Center Cooper Mays, running back Jabari Small, wide receiver Cedric Tillman and defensive back Christian Charles sat out the scrimmage for “precautionary” reasons, Heupel said. They watched from the sideline in street clothes.
Tight end Princeton Fant, offensive lineman Dayne Davis, linebacker Juwan Mitchell and defensive backs Warren Burrell, Kamal Hadden, Brandon Turnage and De’shawn Rucker were also out. They’ve been sidelined or limited throughout spring practice.