Question marks surround this Tennessee football team – especially on the defensive side of the football. But that doesn’t mean the unit hasn’t improved over the course of the past five weeks during the spring session.

Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks sees progress and players willing to work to get better each day.

“I think we’ve made considerable strides since the first practice,” Banks told the media Thursday evening. “I feel like the kids are starting to grasp what we are trying to get done. And it’s not all about schematics. It’s about what the expectations are, how we practice, our body language and how we take the field.

“I feel like from the first practice to where we are now, I feel like we have made considerable strides.”

The Vols bring back a bevy of bodies up front and experience in the secondary. Depth is an issue, however, in the back end and at linebacker. With players darting to the transfer portal and being suspended for off-the-field incidents, Banks’s staff has been working with what they have.

“It’s obviously been a challenge, but at the end of the day, you have to be prepared to coach the guys who are there,” Banks said of the thin position groups. “You’ve got to get those guys as prepared as you possibly can and when the other guys return, we’ll start to work with them and develop them.

“It is what it is. When the fall hits, the guys who are here and who are prepared and healthy – we will put the best guys out there who give us the best opportunity to help Tennessee win.”

Jeremy Banks and Roman Harrison are expected to be heavy contributors at linebacker this fall but have been held out this spring with minor injuries. Other freshmen who are getting their first taste of college football this spring could also be welcomed depth at positions of need.

Christian Charles comes to mind – as does sophomores Tamarion McDonald and Doneiko Slaughter. De’Shawn Rucker could also file in once he arrives on campus.

“When you talk about some guys who have made some great strides this spring, he’s one of them,” Banks said of Charles. “He played quarterback in high school, so a lot of the technique coach [Willie] Martinez is teaching him has been new. But he’s come along and really been a pleasant surprise to us.”

Regardless of who is on the field, one thing a unit can control is their physicality. Being able to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage has been stressed by coaches and the ability to help yourself out by creating turnovers will aid in the offensive assault.

“We’ve gotten better. We are more physical than we were day one and as a coach, that’s what you are looking for,” Banks said. “The guys have been very conscious of getting the ball back and attacking on every snap. It’s been a healthy battle throughout camp.”

Saturday concludes spring practice and really the first period where these coaches and players have been on the field together on a consistent basis. Continuing to learn more about one another, expectations and assignments will be an ongoing process.

But Banks wants to finish strong with what time they have left.

“It’s just another opportunity for us to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can play. That’s the first thing we talk about every single practice – our attack and how hard we are playing,” the coordinator said. “Then you obviously want to execute. The calls we have – we want to execute them to the best of out abilities.

“If we continue on the trajectory that we have, I think that’s what we will do. They understand that for us to get where we want to go, we can’t afford to waste one rep. The spring game gives us this opportunity to go out there and get better.”

The Orange & White Game kicks off at 4 o’clock Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.