Vols' young secondary 'more comfortable' two days into spring practice

The newcomers were with the team as they prepared for the Citrus Bowl back in December and took the fast-track to graduate early so they could join the team in time for spring practices.

Two days in, Banks has already seen those decisions pay off.

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"It feels like we've had these guys for a little over a year at this point," Banks, who is entering his fourth season as the Vols' defensive coordinator said. "I think it's been great. You can see the guys, their recall is a lot better than when they first got here. They've got acclimated with their teammates. I think they're a lot more comfortable. So far, so good. The offseason was really good for those guys and I think it was because of the bowl prep."

If there was ever a year where incoming freshmen needed to take advantage of early enrollment, 2024 is it.

The secondary is undoubtedly the biggest question mark on this Tennessee team after losing a number of experienced pieces to the transfer portal or eligibility exhaustion from last season.

The Vols had a couple of transfer additions of their own in Jakobe Thomas (MTSU) and Jermod McCoy (Oregon State) to help make up for some of the experience lost, but with Boo Carter and Edrees Farooq already having three months worth of bowl practices and winter workouts adds some much-needed depth to the room.

Carter, a highly-touted four-star athlete in Tennessee's 2024 signing class that could virtually play anywhere on the field, wanted to give himself a head start. So did Farooq, another four-star signee that is taking reps at safety.

"(The adjustment) has been pretty good," Carter said. "I came in in December and it was like a head start for me and the other guys. It's been a great start."

"Workouts have been amazing," Farooq said. "It's been kind of an adjustment from high school to college. It's kind of more up tempo, so it's kind of changed me. But I'm adjusting really well to it."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Our thoughts on Day 2 of Tennessee football spring practice

There was some speculation that Carter, who is coming off of a Tennessee Class 6A Mr. Football campaign at nearby Bradley Central (Cleveland) could potentially play both sides of the ball in college, but he knew he was headed for the Vols' secondary before he signed.

Early in spring practices, Carter is splitting his time between STAR and safety.

"(The defense) likes to score touchdowns, too. So, hopefully we can get the ball in (Carter's) hands as well," Banks said. "We know he's very versatile. There's a lot of different things that he can do. Right now, he's concentrating on defense and trying to win some playing time and win a job. He's been good so far...I think getting a chance to get acclimated has really helped him.

"Obviously as we continue to put more on his plate, we'll see how he progresses. Right now, I'm super excited about him. We love his skill sets, athleticism, his toughness."

Like Carter and Farooq, Kaleb Beasley and linebacker Edwin Spillman wanted to get a leg up in their development but the Lipscomb Academy (Nashville) teammates had to clear some academic hurdles first.

Because of a private school rule, Beasley and Spillman were not permitted to graduate, but they were able to complete their course work through online classes, though in a short amount of time.

They enrolled at Tennessee on Monday and were on the field for the first spring practice that morning.

"It was definitely a grind. We were in the library everyday trying to get our schoolwork done," Beasley said. "It was definitely a grind. We put in a lot of work to get here."

Now Beasley will put in a lot of work on the field, looking for early playing time in a secondary where it is seemingly available. That alone was worth the complicated and unconventional path to spring camp.

"That advantage we get, getting here early, getting the calls down," Beasley said. "Instead of getting here in the summer, we get a two month head start...It was definitely big."

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