Read more Wiedmer: UT secondary could be primary reason for Vols success

KNOXVILLE — Jauan Jennings may have had the worst day of practice as a wide receiver in Tennessee's scrimmage Thursday night at Neyland Stadium.

It made the freshman's future even brighter in the eyes of his position coach.

The converted quarterback made an impressive start at his new position and has been a pleasant surprise this preseason for the Volunteers, and the transition hitting a hiccup may only benefit his development.

"He struggled a little bit yesterday in a full scrimmage situation," receivers coach Zach Azzanni said during Tennessee's media day Friday. "It went a little fast for him, but that's good, that's why you do it — that's why we do those scrimmage situations. We sat down and critiqued it.

"The whole position (unit) was here till 11:45 last night because they didn't like the way they played. They came off, they helped each other, they graded the film.

"He did not like the way he played, and I'm like, 'Listen, you've been playing the position for seven days.' He was so torn up about it. I know, with that attitude, I'll enjoy coaching him. I can take that. That's going to be fun to coach."

It's been fun already for both Jennings and Azzanni.

The 6-foot-4 four-star recruit possesses the kind of speed and athletic ability that caused some recruiting services to classify him as an "athlete" and had many people expecting his quarterback days to be numbered.

He showed that physical talent at quarterback in the spring, most notably on a 45-yard sprint to the end zone in the spring game, but it was clear, despite his massive improvement over the course of his senior year at Murfreesboro's Blackman High School, that he had a long road ahead to become an SEC-caliber quarterback.

Jennings admitted as much after the spring game.

"Obviously there's still a lot of things I've got to work on being a quarterback at this level." he said in April, "but I know I can get there."

Where sticking at quarterback wouldn't get him as a freshman was on the field, and that's where Jennings most wanted to be. His competitive drive to play outweighed his desire to prove he could play quarterback. That made the position switch an easy sell for the Tennessee coaches, who had some depth concerns at receiver heading into training camp.

Azzanni certainly welcomed the switch.

"I'm no dummy," he said. "I watched that kid play in the spring. He's pretty good with the ball in his hand. He's 6-foot-4. That could be a pretty good receiver. I always think that, though, but I would never say a word. He was a quarterback. That's what he was, but in the back of mind I always knew, man, he could be a good one out there if he ever wanted to be.

"Coach (Butch) Jones and Coach (Mike) DeBord approached him in the summer, and he was welcome to it. He just wants to play, and I think he figured out, 'Hey, I could play quarterback, it just might be a while' with Josh (Dobbs) here. That's OK.

"Our sell was, 'Hey, you want to come out and go score some touchdowns in front of 103,000?' You can't do that sitting on the bench. You can do it helping the receivers, and we needed some help. He's been great, and I think he's really, really surprised at how much he's really enjoying it."

Jennings is far from a polished receiver, but he's going to be a factor in Tennessee's offense this season. He likely won't be the first-, second- or third-leading receiver for the Vols, but his natural talent is enough that he'll play.

"He has a lot of potential," sophomore receiver Josh Malone said. "He's still got a lot to work on. He's really been progressing really well.

"He's really making a pretty good transition and been really trying to do his best and give it his all and just trying to soak in as much information as possible."

Mentally, Jennings has a better grasp of Tennessee's offense from playing quarterback in the spring, and teaching him the formations "was a piece of cake," Azzanni said. There's an edge, he adds, that Jennings has about him when he plays. His ultra-competitive drive and toughness have the coaches excited about his present and future.

"He has some things you can't teach," Azzanni said. "He's real special with the ball in his hands, and those are things you can't teach. It was really neat to have him come out there and want to play the position.

"We didn't twist his arm. He jumped at the chance. He's a physical kid. He likes to be physical and likes to go block and hit and all that stuff. I like that about him. The guys have done a great job of helping him and welcoming him to the group.

"He's a welcome addition for sure."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com