Jeremy Pruitt details development of linebacker trio

Tennessee will play Florida Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee continues its preparation for Saturday’s game against No. 6 Florida.

Ahead of the SEC East matchup, Jeremy Pruitt discussed the development of three Tennessee linebackers in Roman Harrison, Tyler Baron and Morven Joesph.

KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 03, 2020 – Linebacker Roman Harrison #30 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Harrison, a sophomore, has played in seven games, recording four tackles and three for a loss this season.

“Roman played really well early,” Pruitt said. “Last year he was a really, really good special teams player for us. Played some minutes there, especially on third down.

“He got a little bit banged up early in the season and his role probably decreased a little bit, but he’s getting healthier and it’s good to get him back.”

KNOXVILLE, TN – AUGUST 26, 2020 – Linebacker Tyler Baron #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics

Baron, a freshman, has appeared in seven games for the Vols in 2020, totaling 16 tackles and two for a loss.

“It seems like he plays more and more snaps every game,” the third-year Tennessee head coach said. “Not unusual for a young guy. He just continues to earn the opportunity.”

KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 – Linebacker Morven Joseph #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

Joseph, another freshman, has appeared in all seven contests for Tennessee this season. He has recorded two tackles and 0.5 for a loss.

“Morven’s a guy that really can play a lot of different positions because of his versatility,” Pruitt said. “We’ve moved him around a little bit, but really in the last several weeks, you start seeing the game kind of slowing down for him, which is good to see because he’s a guy that plays really, really fast.”

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