Tennessee practiced for the third time during fall training camp Wednesday.
Following Wednesday’s practice, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary met with media. Jean-Mary discussed redshirt senior linebacker Juwan Mitchell.
“The first three days have been really good,” Jean-Mary said of Mitchell. “Juwan has been a model of consistency these first three days. It’s really the first time probably in almost a year and a half to two years that he’s felt healthy. He’s gotten all of the surgeries behind him and he’s probably as healthy as he’s been in a long time. You’re starting to see the best parts of him. He’s been really good these first three days.”
Jean-Mary was asked what having Mitchell healthy will do for Tennessee this season.
“Like every team in the country, everybody is trying to build depth,” he said. “If he’s able to come in and be able to contribute at a high level, we’ll feel like that just adds to our numbers. With the way we play and score, we have to have several linebackers ready to play. Especially with the wear and tear that you get in this conference, the more quality linebackers that you have, the better chance you have of being better on defense.”
Mitchell appeared in three games for the Vols last season, totaling eight tackles and one pass deflection.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in 2021.
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