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Freshman Boo Carter is in the mix for Tennessee’s starting nickelback position, and former Karns standout DeSean Bishop appears to be the early frontrunner for the No. 2 running back spot.
Those were among the takeaways from the Vols’ first scrimmage of preseason practice on Friday night.
It was a closed scrimmage under the lights at Neyland Stadium. But coach Josh Heupel recapped the high points to the media afterward.
Here are five key takeaways.
DeSean Bishop remains scrimmage star
Starting running back Dylan Sampson did not play in the scrimmage, which made extra reps available for his possible backups.
When Heupel was asked who impressed him on offense, Bishop was the first player he mentioned.
That’s nothing new. The former two-time Mr. Football was among the standouts in scrimmages each of the past two springs. But he sat out last season after suffering an injury in preseason practice.
Bishop is battling freshman Peyton Lewis and sophomore Khalifa Keith for the backup running back spot, or at least until sophomore Cam Seldon returns from offseason shoulder surgery.
“DeSean Bishop had a really nice night,” Heupel said. “(He was) efficient, effective, ran hard.”
Boo Carter makes case to start as freshman
Jourdan Thomas was lost to a season-ending knee injury a week ago. He was projected to start at Star position, what UT calls its nickelback.
Sophomore Christian Harrison and junior Christian Charles are among the contenders for the job. And UT could reshuffle its secondary to move a safety or cornerback to Star. But Carter has a chance to claim the starting spot despite being a freshman.
“Boo has played really well. I thought the last couple of days, even leading into the scrimmage, had been his best days,” Heupel said. “(He has) just been in the scope of what we do defensively, playing in the framework…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/boo-carter-desean-bishop-surging-025928817.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-08-10 02:59:28
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