Big Orange Report April 10, 2025

An Orange and White Saturday

The Tennessee football team's spring game is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. EDT. The scrimmage will not be televised. Because of ongoing construction at Neyland Stadium, there will be only 45,000 seats available. Tickets went on sale Monday at @All Vols.com. Activities get underway on Saturday morning at the Vol Village. There will be live bands, food trucks and the UT spirit squad will make an appearance before the gates open at 1 p.m.

Several players are expected to be held out of action as they are at some stage of rehabilitation from injuries or medical procedures. Veteran tight end Miles Kitselman has just had surgery to repair a torn pectoral and he will be not be available for contact work until shortly before the season gets underway. Young tight end Cole Harrison and transfer wide receiver Amari Jefferson will also most likely miss the scrimmage.

Here is a list of other players who will probably be held out of action as a precautionary decision. Starting corner back Jermod McCoy (rehabbing from ACL surgery), Christian Gass, Jourdan Thomas, Christian Wallace, Arion Carter, Emmanuel Okoye, Daevin Hobbs, Mariyon Dye and veteran defensive back Christian Charles.

Freshman linebackers Jaedon Harmon and Jadon Perlotte might not participate in contact because this is a position that is shy on depth and Coach William Ingle wants to make sure he has all hands-on deck when August practice gets underway. Cornerback Marcus Goree, expected to be in the rotation in the secondary, is probably not going to see any action either. Pass rusher Caleb Herring will also miss the scrimmage.

Young Tight Ends

With Kitselman sidelined until last August, the next man up in the tight end room is Ethan Davis. He has stepped up to the challenge after a significant winter in the weight and training rooms. Davis is a terrific athlete who has refined his physical structures to the point that he appears ready to contribute this season. Two freshmen are also getting plenty of work. Desaan Brame was ranked the No. 50 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 3 tight end. Jack Van Dorselaer will see action on Saturday and has made steady progress this spring.

Under the Radar

While wideouts like Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley and freshman Travis Smith have been getting the attention from the media, freshman Radarious Jackson has put his name in the mix to become a member of the rotation at one of the receiver positions. Remember too that Boo Carter, a starter on defense, has been working at wideout and could be a two-way player this year. Carter also will handle punt returns when the season gets underway.

 Freshman running back Duane Morris is doing some positive work and he also is a candidate to become the kickoff return specialist for the Vols. Defensive back Kaleb Beasley has moved to safety and appears to have found a home with superior production in practice.  

One player that will be watched closely is second year pass rusher Jordan Ross (6-5, 245), a recruit that ranked as a top 10 overall prospect and No. 1 at his position by both On3 and 247 Sports. There have been rumors that Ross has been difficult to coach and has not always given a great effort on the practice field.

Mike Keith Takes Over

The new Tennessee broadcast crew will call the spring game on the Vol radio network on Saturday. Mike Keith, the 12 time Sportscaster of the Year in Tennessee returns to his beloved Knoxville after 26 years as the play by play man for the Titans.

Vols For Life Ramon Foster and Jayson Swain will join Keith for the broadcasts. Foster will be in the booth and Swain will be involved in pre-game, post-game and sideline reporting.

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