 Tennessee senior Demetrice Morley, who started nine games at free safety last season, has been dismissed from the team, Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin told reporters in Knoxville after Tuesday's spring practice.
It is the second time Morley, a Miami native, has been dismissed from the team. He missed all of the 2007 season while working to improve his academics at a community college. Former Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer reinstated him to the team before the 2008 season, and Morley and All-American Eric Berry formed one of the best safety tandems in the country.
"Demetrice won't be part of our team anymore," Kiffin told reporters. "Like we have said from the beginning, this isn't easy. It's very demanding for guys to stay here and go through everything we do, to hold to our standards on and off the field, to be part of our culture. Demetrice could not do that and we wish him the best of luck."
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 Walker blows up: If you're looking for a strong breakout player of the year candidate in the SEC, junior defensive end Chris Walker ought to be near the top of the list. He had a dominant spring and was referred to as "unblockable" more than once by Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin. Walker has great burst off the edge to get to the passer, but also plays the run well. New energy: There's a new energy both in and around the Tennessee program right now. The players are talking about it, and the fans are eager to see where Kiffin and the new staff can take this program. The Vols had fallen from the SEC's elite in the past few years. Kiffin's challenge is to get them back there. Law according to Kiffin: There's always going to be attrition when a new coach takes over, but the Vols are nearing double figures in terms of players who've left the program since Kiffin was hired. Some of the notables are running back Lennon Creer, safety Demetrice Morley and quarterback B.J. Coleman. Kiffin's response has been simple: His version of Tennessee football isn't for everybody.
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Defending BCS champion Florida opens spring practice Wednesday, but the Gators clearly are thinking of this fall's showdown with Tennessee.
Peeved by the verbal jabs from new Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin, several Florida players say photos of Kiffin are posted throughout their locker room, a reminder of what will fuel them come Sept. 19 in the Swamp.
Kiffin's response?
"First, I think it's a neat thing that Tennessee's logo is all over Florida's locker room," Kiffin said, smiling, during an interview with "ESPN First Take."
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 Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said he's intentionally tried to lay low in recent months as his replacement, Lane Kiffin, took over the Volunteers.Fulmer was given the Gen. Robert Neyland Trophy by the Knoxville Quarterback Club on Saturday morning in a reception before Tennessee's annual Orange and White spring scrimmage game. He was honored on the field at Neyland Stadium before the game, drawing cheers from the crowd of 51,488. "I actually did discuss with them whether the timing was the right thing or not, and they assured me that they felt it was the right thing," Fulmer said before the game Saturday. "It takes a while to validate yourself. I've been way under the radar. You don't want to be interfering or anything." Kiffin spoke at the reception about the progress of the team but did not speak with his predecessor, instead leaving just after his presentation. Fulmer said he's been working to get past the university's decision to fire him last fall after a 5-7 2008 season.
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Tennessee
