Coach Shelton Felton Press, Outside Linebackers
On what he told himself when he was a high school coach and if he saw being an SEC coach in his future …
“During that time coaching high school ball, I’ve always been that person that keeps your feet, your mind, your heart where you’re located at. I just want to do a good job everywhere I’ve been. I just worked hard and I was blessed with great players that just need guidance and coaching and all of that. Through recruiting, you meet a lot of guys that always gave complements of the way my guys played at the next level and when it came to my practice just how well I’ve done. I was just blessed. I didn’t see this but I am grateful for it. I’m going to make the best of the opportunity and do the best I can here at Tennessee to make my landmark as the outside linebackers coach under Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt.”
On what makes him an effective recruiter and developing relationships with his guys under COVID circumstances…
“One, I think recruiting is just about relationships. Touching the guys, touching who touches them. Showing the guys that being consistent, always talking to them and reaching out to them. Building a relationship with them so that they can trust you and open up to you. Like I tell anybody, as a high school coach you recruit your own players every day in the hallway or the cafeteria. I was kind of gifted with recruiting a little bit. Building a relationship is no different. These guys see you in a different picture but the guys knew that when I was a quality control guy that they can come to me, I got things done, I didn’t do nothing out of the realm that Coach (Chris) Rumph wanted or Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt. I was direct and straight forward. When I became the lead guy, I built a relationship with them one at a time and let them know. Guys want to know what you know and how you can make them better. Once you can be detailed and show them how you can make them better, that you care about them, they all buy into it. I’m lucky the guys are buying into it and buying into me and taking my coaching right now.”
On the outside linebackers…
“We lost a great player in Darrell Taylor. We are playing a lot of guys, we haven’t really dialed in on a No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 guy, we are just playing rotational. Deandre Johnson is doing a great job, Kivon Bennett is also doing a great job. Roman Harris is a force to be reckoned with. We are getting a lot of work out of John Mincey. Moving J.J. Peterson over there to get some reps over there at times. The young guys: Tyler Baron and Morven Joseph are some guys. Right now, we are doing everything by committee and focusing on the details and doing everything right. As Coach Pruitt said, we are going to play the best man and the best person. As of right now, we are a committee. We don’t have a Darrell Taylor; we are trying to hunt a Darrell Taylor.”
On junior John Mincey…
“I think Coach Pruitt and Coach Ansley also thought about numbers going into the spring because we are low in numbers and didn’t have a lot of guys. But John Mincey is a very athletic big guy who can play the JACK into the boundary and do a lot of things for us. He flashes the ability to play on the edge as a pass rusher. The key for him is that he can set the point of attack against the run. I think coach Ansley and coach Pruitt saw something in him before I got here and he’s flashing those signs now during camp.”
On redshirt junior LB Kivon Bennett…
“The biggest thing that I’ve noticed since I’ve been here is his maturity and his attention to details. He’s more locked in and focused. He’s a natural pass rusher; he can be one of the best pass rushers in the conference once he locks himself in and focuses on the consistent day in and day out. He’s starting to develop into a leader now, grown leader on this team. I think the sky is the limit with him and we need him with this 10-game SEC schedule, we need him to perform every day, day in and day out.”
On freshmen Morven Joseph and Tyler Baron…
“Any freshman is going to be tough in this defense Coach Pruitt and Coach (Derrick) Ansley are running. There’s a lot of things going through their young mind and they are kind of split everywhere. Once they hone in on their skills, you can see the flashes of the things of why we recruited them and why they were so highly recruited out of high school. Morven Joseph, his first step is electrifying; he gets off the ball. Tyler Baron is a powerful guy, very smart, but is playing the system and learning the system. Right now, it is a little difficult at times but you can see the flashes of the guys getting it and with more reps, the better they are going to get. They are two bright young men who are going to be bright for our future here.”
On sophomore Roman Harrison…
“Roman has all the tools; he’s athletic, he’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s learning to play the position. By trait, Roman is a d-lineman but he’s learning to play on the edge and I think he’s going to be rushing the passer for us on third down and also playing on first and second down. He’s one of the most powerful and strongest guys on the team. Biggest thing with Roman is processing and learning the game, which I think he’s doing a good job for us. He’s getting better and better with repetition and he’s getting better and better. He’s one of the guys we are going to lean on and again, we are going to play by committee until that one guy stands out.”
