It’s football time in Tennessee.

While the 2019 season may not kick off from Rocky Top until the Aug. 31 opener against Georgia State, the team will hit the practice field to open training camp for the first time since spring practice on Friday.

Tennessee’s camp officially opened on Thursday with Jeremy Pruitt meeting with the local media to open camp and it didn’t take long before the Volunteer coach was asked about three players all UT fans are eager to see on the field.

Based on what Pruitt had to say, it appears one will sit out, one will play and the other’s status is up in the air heading into camp.

“(Deangelo Gibbs) will redshirt and sit out this year,” Pruitt said of the Georgia transfer. The Tennessee coach cited the fact that Gibbs is jumping from one SEC program to another, which they always believed would mean the defensive back would have to sit out the 2019 season.

Tennessee’s coach added that no word has yet come down from the NCAA on Aubrey Soloman’s waiver request. The former Michigan lineman has been on UT’s campus since January.

“We’ve not  heard anything yet (on Soloman). It could be tomorrow, it could be two weeks from now,” Pruitt said. “Whenever it happens, it happens.”

The biggest possible addition to Tennessee’s roster could be the return of Trey Smith. Based on what Pruitt offered up on Thursday, it sounds like Smith will take the field — barring a late setback.

“Trey has expressed that he wants to play football,” Pruitt said. “Our doctors have collaborated with everybody across the country, a lot of specialists, to figure out a plan to enable him to give him an opportunity to be able to do that.”