Report: Danny O’Brien and Dontavis Sapp To Have Charges Dismissed by Zach Ragan

Nov 30, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Enrolling a semester early to college may not seem like a big deal, but trust me — it is.

The Vols have 14 newcomers that enrolled for the spring semester and according to Butch Jones they’ve already added 95 pounds of muscle during their short time on Rocky Top.

JONES: Development in strength & conditioning program is key. The 14 mid-year enrollees have added 95 pounds of muscle. — Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) February 21, 2014

That’s absolutely huge for the development of the 14 newcomers, especially considering many of those players will be expected to contribute immediately.

Guys like Jalen Hurd, Von Pearson and Dontavius Blair should see extended playing time very early in the season. The jump that these players will have on the fall enrollees is not something that can be measured easily.

Part of the reason true freshmen don’t contribute immediately is the lack of size and strength. There’s no comparison between the strength and conditioning programs of college and high school. They’re nowhere close.

And it’s not just the newcomers that are bulking up. The players already in the program are continuing to progress. Jones mentioned they still weren’t where they needed to be, but they’re getting stronger.

JONES: Last year we had 0 players in program that could squat 600 lbs., now we have 9. — Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) February 21, 2014

The fact that it’s taking Jones an extended amount of time to get SEC caliber players into the proper shape is a sad indictment of where the strength program was under Derek Dooley and his staff.

For more on the Vols, make sure to follow us on Twitter @AllforTennessee