KNOXVILLE — Tennessee tight end Jeff Cottam is trying to get back to full speed after suffering a leg injury during spring practice, coach Phillip Fulmer said Saturday at the Volunteers’ media day at Neyland Stadium.

“Jeff Cottam hasn’t responded as well as we would like,” Fulmer said. “That’s definitely a concern for us. We expect him in two or three weeks to be back and full speed, certainly before we get to (UCLA) game week.”

Cottam sustained a fibula fracture in his right leg in March.

Fellow tight end Aaron Douglas is having better luck with his recovery after having successful shoulder surgery in March.

“We’re hopeful to get him in the mix as fast as we can,” Fulmer said. “Obviously, early, we’ll be a little bit cautious, because he doesn’t need to fall on that thing and get set back. But he is well ahead of schedule.”

Douglas, a freshman from Maryville whose dad was a former Rhea County and Vols standout, was similarly optimistic.

“The past couple of months, it’s gotten a lot better,” Douglas said. “It’s gotten a lot stronger. I should be ready to go by the time the season starts.”

Likely to be joining him will be wide receiver Lucas Taylor, defensive end Chris Walker, running back Montario Hardesty, offensive linemen Anthony Parker and Josh McNeil and defensive backs Marsalous Johnson, Brent Vinson and Antonio Gaines, all of whom Fulmer deemed “100 percent.”

The same can’t be said of David Holbert. For the second straight year, Holbert won’t be joining his team for the fall season.

The fullback has had two successful knee surgeries since injuring his left knee during a spring scrimmage.

“I think David naturally is frustrated,” Fulmer said. “This will be the second year he hasn’t been able to play. Certainly, we’re very sorry for that, but it’s not anybody’s fault. It’s part of football. It happens.

“David, certainly with his class of guys, there’s a lot of really good friends, and that’s nice for them to want to rally in his name. We’ve got a lot of reasons to want to do well, and that would certainly be one of them.”

Holbert missed last season after injuring the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during preseason camp.

“David wants to continue to play, but there’s a decision to make that’s beyond me and him,” Fulmer said. “It’s a medical decision. ... We’ll have to wait and see.”

Also out for the season is offensive lineman Darris Sawtelle, who had two shoulder surgeries in the offseason.

Offensive tackle William Brimfield will be limited in practice after ankle surgery in May.

“We’re expecting him to be out there and working some, but he’s probably at least two weeks, maybe three weeks away from being full speed,” Fulmer said.

Colquitt is abstaining

Tennessee punter Britton Colquitt said Saturday he hasn’t consumed alcohol since Feb. 18, the day after he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of the accident in Knoxville.

“I kind of think about that all the time,” said Colquitt, who was suspended for the first five games of this season and also stripped of his scholarship. “I’m very confident about that, and I’m confident about staying like that.”

Colquitt, who pleaded no contest to a charge of underage alcohol consumption as a freshman in 2004, said his priorities have changed.

“It’s not something that’s even a temptation in my life right now,” he said. “I don’t think that it will be. The list of my importances is totally flip-flopped.

“The most important thing is for somebody to look at you and say, ‘He’s a godly man.’”

G-Gun not holstered

The return of “G-Gun” may not be far away.

Wide receiver Gerald Jones said he recently talked with offensive coordinator Dave Clawson about formations that would include Jones at quarterback.

“We’re expecting to see that, but right now we’re just trying to go over the whole offense and we’ll throw that in a little later on,” Jones said.

No press boasts

Offensive lineman Jacques McClendon surprised himself when he set the Volunteers’ bench-press record this summer at 645 pounds.

But McClendon, a former Baylor School star from Cleveland, said he doesn’t put much stock in feats of strength in the weight room.

“The weight room and field strength are two different things,” he said. “It’s great to go in the weight room and be in shape and all that, but there are plenty of guys who don’t bench near that that are great football players. So it really doesn’t mean anything. It’s just an individual statistic, I think.”