Tennessee has developed into one of the more improved teams in the country. One of the players in the middle of that is LB J.J. Peterson.

Coach Jeremy Pruitt discussed Peterson’s time in the program and how he’s progressed as a player.

“J.J. is a typical guy that’s highly recruited, people have unrealistic expectations for,” Pruitt said on the SEC media teleconference “Got here in September, and we wanted him here so he could get into school and work. Unfortunately, he had a shoulder injury, he missed all of spring and most of the summer. He has had one fall camp and he’s done a really nice job. he had some guys in front of him, not because of ability, but they have been in the program longer… he will continue to improve as long as he does what he needs to do.”

Against Missouri this week, Pruitt said the coaching staff has decided on who will start at quarterback, but declined to make the announcement.

The 5-5 Vols can clinch a bowl berth this week with a win after their widely discussed slow start.

“I think our staff has done a fantastic job doing that,” Pruitt said. “We struggled early but our players understood why. It wasn’t due to preparation… we made a lot of critical mistakes early, turning the ball over, attention to detail… we lost guys on the defensive side of the ball but we have continued to get better, which we knew they would.”

Pruitt also shared what he thinks about his weekly radio show.

“I really enjoy it,” he said. “It is one of my favorite parts of the week. There is lots of really good questions that come in. There is a guy that calls in every week from Tallahassee, he gets me fired up. I really enjoy it.”

He discussed the different between fan and media questions.

“At times they are similar, but at times not so much,” he said. “The guys that follow the team have relationships with people in the program and have the opportunity to cover the program. there are some similarities also.”