"It flew by," Dooley said during a press conference on Sunday afternoon. "Obviously recruiting always goes fast, a sprint to signing day, and all that time in December where you would have spent some energy on bowl (preparations), we put a lot of time into sort of redefining our offseason and taking a hard look at some of the things we needed to do differently going into next season -- and of course, hiring some new coaches.
"That ate up the bulk of the time, and then after recruiting because we essentially had a whole new staff, we had to kind of start over. So I'm glad we had the time."
The Vols apparently maximized it in the weight room with Dooley stressing improvements made by every player on the team on several occasions. The coaching staff has already used that time to tinker with the roster before even leading a practice, particularly on defense where a new scheme has created new positions and led to a handful of moves on the "organizational" chart released by Dooley.
Among the notable changes:
-- The Jack linebacker position will feature a battle between Jacques Smith and Willie Bohannon, two players who formerly played on the defensive line.
-- The change to a 3-4 defense and the search for additional linebackers to run it meant a move there for Brent Brewer from safety and a switch from offense to defense for Channing Fugate.
-- Rajion Neal, who finished last season working mainly at wide receiver, has resumed playing running back on a full-time basis.
-- Of recent injury concern, right guard Zach Fulton suffered a stress fracture in his foot and won't be ready to participate as camp opens.
-- Defensive lineman Corey Miller is dealing with academic issues and is not currently working out with the team.
by A. Ward
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