KNOXVILLE — Freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey missed the early part of fall training camp ahead of the upcoming 2020 season.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound freshman quarterback from Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, missed time early on in camp due to social quarantine.
Bailey has since returned to the practice field for the Vols.
“Harrison didn’t practice for the first couple of days, but at our last practice I thought he had a period there, where he really kind of shined, taking care of the football, getting the ball out of his hands,” Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt said of Bailey on Aug. 28. “He’s just like any freshman, he needs tons of reps.
“He needs it, at the speed that the game is in college, and the more reps he gets the better he’ll get, just like any other young player, so he’s just got to continue to get opportunities.”
Ahead of the Vols’ scrimmage Saturday, Tennessee quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke discussed his freshman signal-caller being one who “can make all of the throws.”
“He did miss a little bit of time and that always hurts for a guy that was able to come in early and not be able to go through spring ball, it hurts you a little bit in terms of your growth and development,” Weinke said of Bailey during a Zoom call with reporters. “I think the biggest thing for him is he’s learning a new language.
“We always say that, ‘Hey, when you’re not sure, you’re going to probably play a little bit slower.’ I think the biggest thing for him is to continue to progress, continue to learn the system. He can make all of the throws. There’s no doubt about it.”
Weinke mentioned that he and Tennessee’s staff are trying to create “an understanding of what we’re asking him to do, then be able to process the information, and then do it with a sense of urgency.”
“That’s hard right now for any young quarterback,” Weinke said. “What he was able to do on a couple of concepts the other day in practice, when he got back, he was comfortable. He knew them, he felt comfortable, he knew coverage and the ball came out.
“Now we have to create that consistency with every play in our playbook and I think you’ll see that growth continue as he gets more comfortable and he gets more reps.”
