Ell Ash has been allowed to return to Tennessee's football team.

Ash was dismissed in November following an altercation with a teammate during practice.

Head coach Phillip Fulmer said several players and academic counsel members convinced him to hear Ash's plea.

"He's convinced me that he's serious about it," Fulmer said Thursday. "He made apologies to the team and the appropriate coaches. He seems to have a very good attitude about it. There are no promises."

Fulmer said UT's final six practices would determine Ash's future. The lineman from Willingboro, N.J., returned to practice Thursday. Fulmer said Ash will not be on scholarship this fall even if he is allowed to return.

"If he stays, he'll pay his own way if this works out," Fulmer said. "He certainly has taken the punishment quite well. He had certain things he had to do, and he's done those. His academics are in good order."

Ash was not allowed to speak to the media after practice.

Fulmer cited frustration as a cause of Ash's outburst last fall but quickly said that's no excuse.

Ash's playing time was limited last year as a redshirt freshman as UT struggled to a 5-6 record.

Ash remained a member of UT's track and field team as a shot put and discus thrower.

Fulmer was clear that Ash is down to his last attempt in football.

"There's no wiggle room whatsoever," Fulmer said. "He seems to be anxious to be a part of what we're trying to do. If he doesn't have a good attitude, he's not going to be here."

Fulmer said Ash, who came to UT as an offensive lineman, will now play on UT's defensive line. Ash has three years of eligibility remaining.

Up Front: Fulmer said four positions are still up for grabs on UT's offensive line. The only guaranteed starter is senior Arron Sears at left tackle. In order to find four starters and build depth, UT's coaches are trying several players at more than one position.

Sophomore Ramon Foster, who played guard last year, practiced primarily at tackle Thursday. Junior Eric Young, a tackle last year, moved to guard. Starting senior center David Ligon played center and guard Thursday.

"Really the other four positions are up for grabs," Fulmer said. "There's really nothing set in stone."

The one underclassman exempt from UT's "musical" offensive line is Chris Scott, who is playing tackle.

"Wherever it is, he's got to play a lot faster than he's playing right now," Fulmer said, "and more physical than he's playing right now.

"We need a couple of those youngsters to come on and help us a bit."

UT was without one of those youngsters for some of Thursday's practice after junior Steven Jones was knocked unconscious.

"He'll be all right Saturday, I think," Fulmer said alluding to UT's weekend scrimmage. "He just got his bell rung."

Shouldering The Load: Fulmer said freshman center Josh McNeil still has plenty of ground to make up after returning to practice from shoulder surgery last fall.

"Josh has physically done OK," Fulmer said. "He's way behind mentally, fundamentally and technique-wise. Still trying to play high school Harry with some of his techniques. But he's a competitor and he works hard. He's going to be a good player."

Chutes And Linemen: Fulmer implemented a chute, which resembles a short, open cage, during UT's one-on-one linemen drill in order to improve pad leverage.

"We're all playing too high so I made the offensive line and the defensive line do their board drill under the chute," Fulmer said. "It made a lot of difference for us. We'll keep doing that."

Scrimmage Report: UT ended its Thursday afternoon practice with an "overtime scrimmage" to simulate college football's tiebreaker system. Fulmer said both sides played so well that it took 10 overtime periods to determine the winner of first-versus-second team.

Schedule: UT will hold a light practice Friday before a full-scale scrimmage on Saturday. UT's high school coaches' clinic is also held this weekend. The featured speaker is Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

UT's final week of spring practice begins Tuesday and concludes with the Orange and White game on April 8.

Mark Burgess contributed to this report.