Tennessee Vols early enrollee explains what it was like to practice with team during bowl prep
The Tennessee Vols had 15 2023 recruits enroll early last month which meant those players were able to participate in UT's Orange Bowl prep. 2023 four-star offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov, one of the players who participated in Tennessee's bowl game prep, spoke to 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong this week at the All-American Bowl about what it […]
The Tennessee Vols had 15 2023 recruits enroll early last month which meant those players were able to participate in UT's Orange Bowl prep.
2023 four-star offensive lineman Shamurad Umarov, one of the players who participated in Tennessee's bowl game prep, spoke to 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong this week at the All-American Bowl about what it was like to participate in those practices.
Umarov, the No. 26 rated offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class, told Wiltfong that those practices showed him just how fast things move in Josh Heupel's offense.
“Coming back from bowl practices I see how much growth I’ll need,” said Umarov to Wiltfong. “Just looking at the tempo and the way the players practice, I see the amount of work I have to put in and that excites me."
“It was pretty cool," added Umarov. "When hitting players, it’s a totally different experience than hitting high school players. Some of them didn’t move. The tempo was the biggest thing. How fast everything goes, the amount of work in little time.”
Umarov also noted that he's looking forward to picking up where the Vols left off this season.
“I’m excited to continue a story that started this past year,” said Umarov. “I think this team is going to keep going up and up. I’m excited to be part of the class we have going on and we already feel like brothers and it’s awesome.”
The bowl game practice reps will be invaluable for Tennessee's early enrollees. Getting to see what it's like to practice in college in December will allow those players to essentially hit the ground running when spring practice starts in a couple of months.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
