Watch: Vols’ defensive linemen, linebackers discuss fall camp after third practice

Watch: Tennessee defensive linemen and linebackers discuss fall camp after third practice

Tennessee practiced for the third time during fall training camp on Friday at Haslam Field in preparation for the upcoming season.

Friday’s practice was the first in shells for Tennessee during fall training camp.

The Vols will kick off its season in 29 days on Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff between Tennessee and the Cavaliers is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC.

Tennessee’s 2023 football schedule

Following Friday’s practice at Haslam Field, Tennessee student-athletes Dominic Bailey, Arion Carter, Elijah Herring, Joshua Josephs and Kalib Perry met with media. Their media availability can be watched below.

2020 UT football player card: Dominic Bailey

2020 UT football player card: Dominic Bailey

Dominic Bailey, defensive lineman (No. 59)

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-3

Weight: 303

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

High School: St. Frances Academy

Dominic Bailey was a 4-star prospect in Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class. He was also the only Tennessee commit in the 2020 Under Armour All America game. An early enrollee for the Vols, Bailey did not get a chance to impress his new coaching staff due to the abrupt cancellation of spring practice.

A talented high school prospect, Bailey’s potential involvement with Tennessee’s defensive line could be increased in 2020 due to the dismissal of Emmit Gooden.

2020 Tennessee football schedule

  • Sept. 5 vs. Charlotte (Knoxville)
  • Sept. 12 at Oklahoma (Norman)
  • Sept. 19 vs. Furman (Knoxville)
  • Sept. 26 vs. Florida (Knoxville)
  • Oct. 3 vs. Missouri (Knoxville)
  • Oct. 10 at South Carolina (Columbia)
  • Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
  • Oct. 24 vs. Alabama (Knoxville)
  • Oct. 31 at Arkansas (Fayetteville)
  • Nov. 7 vs. Kentucky (Knoxville)
  • Nov. 14 at Georgia (Athens)
  • Nov. 21 vs. Troy (Knoxville)
  • Nov. 28 at Vanderbilt (Nashville)

Jersey numbers announced for Tennessee early enrollees

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE – Tennessee kicked off spring practices Tuesday.

Jersey numbers have been announced for four freshman early enrollees.

Quarterbacks Harrison Bailey and Jimmy Holiday have joined defensive lineman Dominic Bailey and offensive lineman Cooper Mays in enrolling early at Tennessee.

Below are jersey numbers for Tennessee’s 2020 early enrollees.

Numbers for Tennessee’s 2020 early enrollees

  • 10 Jimmy Holiday
  • 15 Harrison Bailey
  • 59 Dominic Bailey
  • 63 Cooper Mays

Spring football will conclude with the annual Chevrolet Orange & White Game at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18 in Neyland Stadium.

The Chevrolet Orange & White Game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN App.

Admission and parking is free for the Chevrolet Orange & White Game and gates will open at 2:30 p.m. ET. Vol Village in Lot 9 will open at noon.

A way-too-early preview of Tennessee’s defensive line in 2020

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE — When Jeremy Pruitt took over as the head coach at Tennessee in Dec. 2017, there was a litany of flaws on a football team that was coming off a 4-8 campaign that saw Butch Jones fired.

Possibly the toughest challenge to overcome was Tennessee’s weakness in the trenches.

Both the offensive and defensive lines were devoid of talent and size needed to compete in the SEC. Heading into 2020, those two units are the only ones that return every starter from a 2019 season that ended with a six-game win streak and finishing 8-5.

One of the best pro prospects up front defensively for Tennessee is rising senior defensive end Aubrey Solomon. The former 5-star and Michigan transfer learned of his eligibility only days before the season-opener against Georgia State and finished the season with 28 tackles and three sacks. Another year in Pruitt’s system should benefit Solomon, especially as he is surrounded by more experienced talent.

NEXT (Continued): A way-too-early preview of Tennessee’s defensive line in 2020

UT welcomes four early enrollees

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee has officially welcomed four freshman early enrollees for the Spring 2020 semester.

The Vols’ new additions will have the ability to take part in spring practices.

UT press release:

The Tennessee football team and head coach Jeremy Pruitt welcomed four true freshmen early enrollees to campus this month as the first members of the 2020 recruiting class to arrive on Rocky Top.

All four scholarship student-athletes are enrolled in classes, officially on campus and are eligible to participate in workouts and spring practice.

The quartet includes: defensive lineman Dominic Bailey (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy), quarterback Harrison Bailey (Marietta, Ga./Marietta), quarterback Jimmy Holiday (Madison, Miss./Madison Central) and offensive lineman Cooper Mays (Knoxville, Tenn./Knoxville Catholic).

“I’m thrilled to have these four young men join our program and be enrolled in classes for this semester,” Pruitt said. “They will be eligible to participate in workouts and spring practice, and they will be able to get a head start on adjusting to college life in the classroom and on the field. These men all have tremendous character and the leadership qualities we are looking for when we recruit Volunteers. They all have bright futures at the University of Tennessee and they are ready to get to work along with the rest of our team.”

Dominic Bailey showcased his skills in the 2020 Under Armour All-American Game earlier this month, totaling five tackles and a sack for Team Savage. He starred at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md., as a senior in 2019, anchoring a defense that allowed only 4.8 points per game for a team that finished with a No. 4 national ranking according to MaxPreps.

Harrison Bailey wrapped up an outstanding career for Marietta (Ga.) High School, leading the team to its first state championship in over 50 years. A four year-starter, he finished his career with 11,700 passing yards to rank fourth in Georgia history. He participated in the All-American Bowl.

Holiday participated in the 2019 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game after leading Madison Central (Miss.) to a 9-3 record.  He passed for 3,507 yards and 37 TD and rushed for 3,568 yards and 51 TDs in three seasons.

Mays is the son of former Tennessee All-SEC offensive lineman Kevin Mays, and paved the way for Knoxville Catholic to amass for 2,360 rushing yards in 2019 and a Division I Class 5A Final Four appearance. He participated in Nike’s “The Opening” and comes in as the sixth-ranked center in the nation according to 247Sports composite.

The Tennessee football team wrapped up the 2019 season with an 8-5 record after defeating Indiana, 23-22 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The Vols will take the second-longest winning streak (six games) in the nation into the 2020 season.

Tennessee welcomes early enrollees on campus

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE — Just over two weeks after the early signing period, four new Tennessee Volunteers are on campus to officially begin their UT careers as early enrollees.

The team’s official Twitter account posted a video on Sunday welcoming three of the four early enrollees in the 2020 class.

Former Knoxville Catholic offensive line standout and Tennessee legacy Cooper Mays highlights the video, as the four-star prospect was a longtime commitment and instrumental in bringing in several other signees in this class.

Along with Mays, four-star defensive tackle Dominic Bailey moved to Knoxville after an impressive outing at the Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday.

Former TCU commit Jimmy Holiday was the third early enrollee to step on campus on Sunday, and the Madison, Miss. speedster comes to Tennessee as a quarterback, despite being listed as a three-star athlete on the 247 Sports Composite.

One player not included with the three that moved in on Sunday is Marietta High School quarterback Harrison Bailey, who many believe can be the signal-caller of the future for the Vols.

The No. 4 rated pro-style passer in the 2020 class, Bailey put up gaudy numbers in his high school football career, and is delayed in getting to campus after being in San Antonio for the All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Bailey did not participate in the game with an injury, but will get a jumpstart on his Tennessee career in spring practice along with his three other fellow freshmen.

Tennessee finished 2019 with six straight wins and an 8-5 record. The Vols will carry plenty of momentum into 2020, along with a new crop of Vols in the 2020 class.

Tennessee signee Dominic Bailey impresses at Under Armour All America Bowl

2020 Under Armour All America Bowl.

ORLANDO — Tennessee only had one signee playing in Thursday’s Under Armour All America Bowl, but he put together an impressive performance against some of the nation’s best high school football players.

Four-star defensive tackle Dominic Bailey gathered five total tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss on Thursday. The Baltimore native brought down quarterback Hudson Card, a Texas signee, for his lone sack in the third quarter for Team Savage.

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound prospect is listed by the 247 Sports Composite as the No. 20 overall defensive tackle prospect in the country, out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md.

“The guys he’s (Bailey) practiced against every single day are all guys that are probably going to college, so he’s going to be used to the wear and tear when he gets here,” said Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt on Dec. 19, after Bailey officially signed for the Vols. “Again, a guy that’s used to winning and was sold on UT from the first day that he got here.”

Bailey will get a jump-start on his college career as an early enrollee at the University of Tennessee.

Recruiting Player Profile: Dominic Bailey

Recruiting Player Profile: Dominic Bailey

KNOXVILLE – As Tennessee football brings in new talent during the Early Signing Period, Vols Wire is releasing player profiles on each individual that signs with UT.

Find out recruiting ratings, key skills, stats and which other programs had offers on the table for each Tennessee signee.

One of three defensive tackle signees in the Early Signing Period, Dominic Bailey is an out of state prospect from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md. At 6-foot-2, 290-pounds, Bailey is rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 20 defensive tackle in the 2020 class per the 247 Sports Composite.

Committed to Tennessee since February, Bailey is another defensive line signee that played basketball in high school in a talent-rich area.

“I went and watched these guys practice and I thought it was the Pittsburgh Steelers out there at practice, their high school team was so big,” said Jeremy Pruitt about Bailey’s high school football program.

“The guys he’s practiced against every single day are all guys that are probably going to college, so he’s going to be used to the wear and tear when he gets here,” Pruitt continued. “Again, a guy that’s used to winning and was sold on UT from the first day that he got here.”

Stay tuned to Vols Wire for more player profiles on each Tennessee signee during the Early Signing Period.

Dominic Bailey signs with Tennessee

Dominic Bailey signs with Tennessee.

2020 University of Tennessee football recruiting
2019 Early Signing Period — Dec. 18-20
National Signing Day — Feb. 5

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KNOXVILLE — The 2019 Early Signing Period for football is underway. Tennessee is in the process of completing its 2020 football recruiting class.

Below is the Vols’ latest signee for the 2020 recruiting class.

Dominic Bailey

St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD)

Defensive tackle — 6-foot-2, 290-pounds

Committed on February 16, 2019

Signed on December 18, 2019

2020 recruiting class signing dates

The 2019 Early Signing Period will take place Dec. 18-20 and National Signing Day will be held on Feb. 5.

The Vols’ 2020 commitment tracker can be followed below.

The University of Tennessee Volunteer’s 2020 football recruiting class tracker