Tennessee’s strength and conditioning program has been a big focus this summer, and fans have been paying attention to any and all news coming out about new strength and conditioning coordinator Craig Fitzgerald’s plan for the team.
The Vols will hit the field for fall camp in a couple weeks, and the media gathered in attendance will get to see the difference between players in the spring and fall firsthand. But Tennessee’s recently updated roster has provided a hint of what’s to come this fall.
Tennessee provided an updated roster for SEC Media Days on the SEC’s official website, and the new roster provides some insight to some of the gains and changes UT’s players have gone through. Some players have put on a decent amount of weight in a short time, while others have slimmed down to a more manageable mass.
Jersey numbers have also been provided for Tennessee’s newcomers, and we’ll have an updated list of their numbers and height/weight in another article.
A couple notes on Tennessee’s updated roster: Linebacker J.J. Peterson is included on the official updated roster and has a jersey number included on the list. In-state defensive tackle Brant Lawless is not included, however. Tyler Byrd is listed as a wide receiver, while Alontae Taylor is listed as both a wide receiver and defensive back. Bryce Thompson is listed exclusively as a defensive back. Greg Emerson is listed exclusively as a defensive lineman, and Jonathan Kongbo is officially listed as a linebacker. Princeton Fant is listed as a running back.
Here’s a list of the biggest gains/changes in weight for Tennessee’s returning players and newcomers:
Returning players’ previous weight is based off end-of-season 2017 roster, incoming 2018 signees’ previous weight is based off 247Sports profile
S Micah Abernathy: Trimmed down 8 pounds from 203 to 195
LB Jordan Allen: Gained 12 pounds, up from 230 to 242
CB Terrell Bailey: Gained 8 pounds, up from 178 to 186
DL Kivon Bennett: Trimmed down 9 pounds from 275 to 266
LB Daniel Bituli: Gained 9 pounds, up from 235 to 244
TE/RB Ja’Quain Blakely: Gained 6 pounds, up from 254 to 260
OL Devante Brooks: Gained 10 pounds, up from 282 to 292
K Paxon Brooks: Gained 10 pounds, up from 170 to 180
TE James Brown: Gained 7 pounds, up from 222 to 229
CB Baylen Buchanan: Gained 8 pounds, up from 185 to 193
OL K’Rojhn Calbert: Gained 11 pounds, up from 316 to 327
OL Jerome Carvin: Trimmed down 27 pounds from 330 to 303
RB Ty Chandler: Gained 6 pounds, up from 195 to 201
DL Eric Crosby: Trimmed down 8 pounds from 336 to 328
CB Brandon Davis: Gained 10 pounds, up from 160 to 170
DL Greg Emerson: Gained 25 pounds, up from 280 to 305
RB Princeton Fant: Gained 6 pounds, up from 216 to 222
DB Maleik Gray: Gained 9 pounds, up from 191 to 200
QB Jarrett Guarantano: Gained 9 pounds, up from 200 to 209
OL Chance Hall: Gained 13 pounds, up from 315 to 328
DL Kingston Harris: Gained 31 pounds, up from 285 to 316
LB Will Ignont: Gained 11 pounds, up from 228 to 239
S Theo Jackson: Gained 15 pounds, up from 178 to 193
DL Alexis Johnson: Gained 14 pounds, up from 300 to 314
LB Deandre Johnson: Trimmed down 14 pounds from 258 to 244
OL Jahmir Johnson: Gained 12 pounds, up from 273 to 285
RB Tim Jordan: Gained 7 pounds, up from 196 to 203
LB Jonathan Kongbo: Trimmed down 10 pounds from 264 to 254
OL Ollie Lane: Gained 23 pounds, up from 285 to 308
QB Will McBride: Gained 14 pounds, up from 195 to 209
WR Jordan Murphy: Gained 7 pounds, up from 170 to 177
DL Kyle Phillips: Gained 10 pounds, up from 263 to 273
TE Austin Pope: Gained 10 pounds, up from 230 to 240
OL Drew Richmond: Gained 7 pounds, up from 309 to 316
QB JT Shrout: Gained 20 pounds, up from 190 to 210
LB Austin Smith: Gained 10 pounds, up from 236 to 246
OL Marcus Tatum: Gained 12 pounds, up from 281 to 293
LB Darrell Taylor: Trimmed down 7 pounds from 254 to 247
WR Cedric Tillman: Gained 7 pounds, up from 205 to 212
DL Shy Tuttle: Trimmed down 8 pounds from 308 to 300
TE Jacob Warren: Gained 13 pounds, up from 211 to 224
S Nigel Warrior: Trimmed down 6 pounds from 194 to 188
TE Eli Wolf: Gained 12 pounds, up from 224 to 236
TE Dominick Wood-Anderson: Gained 12 pounds, up from 245 to 257
