KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media following Wednesday’s practice at Haslam Field to talk about the strides his defense has made this fall heading into this year’s season opener against Ball State on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Neyland Stadium.

The talk throughout the offseason centered around adding some more pieces to a defensive unit that was really good at times a year ago but lacked the overall depth that the coaching staff would have liked.

That added depth and a full year in the system has Banks feeling good about where his defense is at just eight days out from the season opener.

“They have made a ton of progress through this point,” Banks said. “Going through another spring and summer, the guys understand a lot of the base principles that we have in place. We have some new guys in the program who are working their way through it, but based on where we were a year ago, we are definitely ahead and feel like we are headed in the right direction.”

Due to the Vols’ quick-strike, up-tempo offense, having more depth should provide a major boost of the defensive side of the ball this season as Banks and his staff will look to get more players in the mix and rotate in to keep everyone fresh throughout the game.

“The style in which we play, we are going to play a lot of snaps, and the offense is going to score a ton of touchdowns, and we will have a lot of opportunities to go out there and have success,” Banks said. “The more players you are able to play, the better it is for our long-term future as well as immediate success.

“We have worked hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what we are doing. We split the groups up and tried to even out the reps in order to figure out who are best guys are and to have enough depth, and that will pay dividends moving forward.” 

One area in particular where the increased depth could be the most notable is along the defensive line, and Banks mentioned his excitement to see how that group performs this season.

“That’s obviously one of the key positions, not just defensive tackle, but the defensive line in general,” Banks said. “You talk about being able to play more guys and I think that’s a spot in particular where you want to make sure that you’re able to rotate those guys and not have any drop off.

“I don’t think there will be much of a drop off between who’s in and who’s out. I think all of those guys collectively have had a really good camp thus far and we’re looking forward to watching those guys perform Thursday. The reality of it is, we’ll go as far as our front goes. Those guys know that. Everybody has a job to do on every single play. But those guys are the tip of the spear and they’ve really worked hard.”

More “Relaxed” Hendon Hooker Ready to Take Offense to New Heights

While the defense looks to be much improved, behind the leadership of redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker, Tennessee’s high-flying offense will look to be even better than last year when it ranked among the national leaders in scoring and total offense.

When meeting with the media on Wednesday, Hooker talked about being more relaxed and having more fun heading into this season compared to where he was a year ago.

“Just being relaxed. Not being to antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there,” Hooker said when asked what changed most about his game this offseason.

“My teammates, they encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to. So, really just doing my day-to-day emphasis, which is just getting better and focusing on leading, in the classroom, getting on film, communicating at a high level, has been something I have been trying to work on.”

Next Thursday’s season opener will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for the contest can be purchased HERE.

Transcript & Quotes (Aug. 24)

Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks

On the progress the defense has made in his system… 
“They’ve made a ton of progress through this point. Obviously, going through another spring and summer, a lot of the base principles that we had in place, I think those guys really truly understand it. We obviously have some new guys in the program kind of working their way through it. But if you wanted to say where we are now based on where we were a year ago, we’re definitely ahead and feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”

On what has surprised him the most this preseason… 
“I don’t know that I’m surprised, to be honest with you. Having done this for many years, I feel like we are exactly where we need to be. The guys are really working extremely hard; the freshmen that we have recruited, we knew they had talent, but we also knew that there would be a learning curve, and both of those things have held true. I don’t know that there have been many surprises right now. I feel like year two of the program, everyone understands exactly what to expect and how we go about our business. Everybody is really working hard that way, and there really haven’t been any surprises to this point.” 

On comparing the defense to when he began coaching… 
“We did not have a ton of depth when we got here, and we really did not know our players, so we are trying to figure out exactly what their strengths and obviously what their liabilities were. Going through spring and a season, we know exactly what our veterans bring to the table and what their liabilities are, and we have obviously worked very, very hard to make them strengths. As far as the guys that jump out or guys that maybe the common fan doesn’t know, I think it is really the usual suspects. I think Tyler Baron has had a really good camp for us. I feel like on the backend, T-Mac [Tamarion McDonald] has come along and is doing a tremendous job for us, along with Tank [Jaylen McCollough] and [Trevon] Flowers. Then obviously B.Y. [Byron Young]. He jumps out. He is a guy that has worked really hard on his craft, and he obviously made a ton of plays for us last year, but he would be the first one to tell you he wanted to reaffirm his skillset in terms of timing, his hand placement and things of that nature. I think he has really taken another step, and we are really excited to see all of those guys perform next Thursday.” 

On the starting secondary come week one… 
“We have some veterans that have played a lot of football, from Flowers who I mentioned earlier to Tank [Jaylen McCollough], who’s played obviously, [Warren] Burrell, who’s played. Those guys have played a lot of football for us. They would be the first ones to tell you that they have all been interchangeable all spring and even the fall. Exactly what position those guys will play on Thursday, I think we are still working through that, but those three names jump to mind. We feel pretty good that those guys will be out there in some form or fashion, but we will see what position.” 

On how the depth has helped prepare for the season…  
“The style in which we play, we are going to play a lot of snaps, and the offense is going to score a ton of touchdowns, and we will have a lot of opportunities to go out there and have success. The more players you are able to play, the better it is for our long-term future as well as immediate success. We have worked hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what we are doing. We split the groups up and tried to even out the reps in order to figure out who our best guys are and to have enough depth, and that will pay dividends moving forward.” 

On Tamarion McDonald’s improvement…
“He has always been a talented kid. He has limited experience at defensive back going back to his high school days. Every snap he took last year was an investment, and he really worked hard to be able to redeem it this year. The big thing is the consistency that he has performed with last spring and this fall. We are excited about him. He is a big-body kid who can run, is physical, and we think he has a chance to be a really good player for us and contribute at a high level this season.” 

On how he feels third-down defense has improved… 
“You look for evidence in clues during practice, and there have been some clues that we will play at a high level. At the end of the day, you have to do it next Thursday and Saturdays moving forward. The third down was something we talked about last year, but I told the guys this is a new year. We got some returning players, but the chemistry is different and there are different players in some spots. We are just going to go out there and execute, whether it’s first down, second down, third down, red zone, you name it, we just want to execute at a high level, and when the season is over, we will see how we fare.” 

On what he’s liked about Kamal Hadden and Christian Charles…
“[Kamal] Hadden is very athletic, and he’s a tough kid. He has a tremendous amount of confidence, energy and juice. Obviously being able to get him back has been very important to us, being able to get more reps and clean up some things that he wanted to work on and things that we’ve identified coming out of last fall. He’s worked very hard, and we’re excited to see him play next week. As far as [Christian] Charles goes, he’s been a warrior. He’s a kid that’s extremely physical. He’s a guy that has the ability to play on the hash. He got some reps at corner. I think his overall grasp as a package has improved greatly. I think he understands a lot more in detail in terms of what we’re trying to get accomplished based on every different coverage that we have. I think that will bode well for him moving forward. Both of those guys are going to contribute. We’re excited to have them and can’t wait to see these guys play.”

On what the cornerback position will look like…
“It’s still kind of evolving. We’ll have a number in mind in terms of how many guys we want to play. The lions share the reps so to speak. But to be able to say definitively what that looks like, I don’t know that right now, and I’m not prepared to share that right now. We’re going to play guys. Like I told the guys in the first meeting, ‘you get what you deserve.’ If you work really hard and you’re consistent in the things, we’ve asked you to be consistent with then you’ll have an opportunity to go out there and play. We feel like we’ve made some strides in that area and developed some depth. Obviously, we’ll see come Thursday night who’s exactly ready to go, and we’ll have a plan for it.”

On the current depth of defensive tackle…
“That’s obviously one of the key positions, not just defensive tackle, but the defensive line in general. You talk about being able to play more guys, and I think that’s a spot in particular where you want to make sure that you’re able to rotate those guys and not have any drop off. The usual suspects, between Bump [LaTrell Bumphus], between Elijah [Simmons], D.J. [Da’Jon Terry], those guys will be able to come in, Prime [Kurott Garland] (as well). I think all of those guys will play a significant role with us. I don’t think there will be much of a drop off between who’s in and who’s out. I think all of those guys collectively have had a really good camp thus far, and we’re looking forward to watching those guys perform Thursday. The reality of it is, we’ll go as far as our front goes. Those guys know that. Everybody has a job to do on every single play. But those guys are the tip of the spear and they’ve really worked hard. We’re anxious to see them show it on Thursday night.”

On the anticipated contribution from freshmen Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. …
“We’re excited. Those guys have been as good as advertised in terms of athleticism that they bring to the table during lift. They’re polished in terms that they’ve come from good football programs. We feel like they were prepared, as much as you can be, coming to the collegiate level. We anticipate them playing. I think those guys will obviously contribute. How much? We’ll see, but we’re counting on those guys, and we need those guys to play well for us to continue to grow this defense and bring some added speed and athleticism to.”

On Juwan Mitchell and how confidence in the linebacker role has changed since the spring…
“I feel a ton better about it to be quite honest with you. Ju [Juwan Mitchell] has really picked up where he left off before he got dinged up last fall. He has a better grasp of the defense, I should say. He’s been better in terms of his leadership, trying to be more vocal, taking command of the defense so to speak. He’s been good. I think he’s in a good place where he’s ready to go and he’s tuned up. But I think with Jeremy [Banks] and obviously [Aaron] Beasley, you put Pakk [Kwauze Garland] in there, we feel like we’ve got some guys that will be able to contribute. [Solon] Page III is another guy who comes to mind, so we feel like we’ve got enough guys there that we will be able to keep guys fresh and put guys in the game, and it won’t be much of a drop off that way.”

On the impact new players like Andre Turrentine and Wesley Walker can make this season…
“We like Wes [Walker] a ton. Dre [Andre Turrentine] is a little bit younger, so he’s still working his way through it, just like most freshmen. Obviously at the other spot (Ohio State), he was there a year, but in our mind, he’s really just a freshman. Wes has obviously played some snaps, even though it was somewhere else. He has a little bit more of a veteran mentality. Obviously, he’s been in some battles, so we expect him to contribute, and have an opportunity to really help this defense moving forward. I think Dre is still working through it. At some point, I think he’ll be ready to be able to contribute. Whether it be on defense, (special) teams, or what have you. But we’re uber glad and excited that those guys are here, and we feel like they’re going to help us in terms of being able to play better defense.”

Senior DB Trevon Flowers

On the guys competing at the corner spots…
“There is definitely still a lot of competition going on. Right now, we are just rotating guys trying to see who understands the defense the most, who can relay a cause the most and who can play the fastest, right? There are a lot of guys that can definitely play at a high level at those spots. Right now, we are just trying to see who will fit best in which spots. Whether it is the field, boundary or whatever the case may be. We will be alright.”

On how pass defense last year is analyzed this season…
“Last year was last year, we are on to the next. We do take pride and we have to take pride in that. We know what we can be. We can be a great defense and we know how much talent we have at every level on the defensive side. We have taken pride in a lot of things last year, but last year is last year, this is a new year. We will show the whole world what we are capable of.”

On Jaylen McCollough’s offseason improvements…
“Oh man, Jaylen has improved so much in every aspect and category of the game. You can tell he is more locked in. He sees it, he sees the vision, he is way more mature, and his body has gotten way better. Everything about him, the way he carries himself has increased tremendously.  He has been great and has had an amazing offseason. I think he will do great things this year for sure.”

On what he wanted to improve on during the offseason…
“I just have to take the next step, I got to make more plays. My ball skills are good, I got to be able to show everybody my balls skills. Literally everything and every category I can improve. From tackling to being a leader, play-calling, to seeing formation and seeing what the offense likes to do. I have looked back at myself and had to tell myself I need to be better. I don’t think I did great last year, honestly. I know I can do way more so, I am just locked in and ready to improve.”

RS-Senior QB Hendon Hooker

On keeping the momentum through each quarter of a game…
“We all do. We all want to finish how we start. A couple of times last year we didn’t do that, so just making that a big deal of just finishing everything, finishing drives. If we get down there in the red zone, you know, we need six, so just making a big emphasis on just finishing everything. It is not just talking to the offense, but team wide. Making sure everybody is locked in and has that same competitive nature throughout the whole game.”

On his biggest growth from this time a year ago…
“Just being relaxed. Not being too antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there with my teammates. They encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to. So, really just doing my day-to-day emphasis, which is just getting better and focusing on leading, in the classroom, getting on film, communicating at a high-level has been something I have been trying to work on.”

On how his relationship with Coach Heupel has grown…
“Definitely a family feeling. From day one, coach Heupel came in with the attitude of: we want to win ball games and that’s what I’m here to do. As well as just being aggressive, so to speak, and what I mean by that is just having a mindset to just go out there and try to dominate. That’s what I try to do when I approach the field and play like it’s my last. So, him bringing that approach to the team, as well as being a great listener. Understanding what the team needs in every aspect, not just in the building but in life as well. You never know what some of the players are going through. So, just him being very appealing to every player and very down to Earth. I think he’s the best coach in America.”

On the offensive line throughout fall camp…
“They’re doing a great job. A lot of communication from them this camp for sure. They’re asking us what we think, what we like in some different looks. We’re doing the same from the quarterback and running back standpoint. You know, they work hard every day no matter how they feel. You know that up tempo is tough on those big guys so them just persevering through all that and keeping that same mind set of ‘Come on we got to finish.’ We have to push through whatever pain we’re feeling. It’s bigger than us. They have had that team attitude so I’m excited to see them full-go.”

Junior WR Jimmy Holiday

On his comfort level as a receiver and potentially a returner…
“I’ve kind of just been taking it day-by-day, learning from the other guys like Cedric Tillman, Ramel Keyton, Princeton Fant, Jacob Warren, the guys that have been here and instilling the little things that they have been taught to do. I have kind of just been going up under their wing. Kickoff return wise, I did it last year. I mean, I have always been a return guy, so having the opportunity to do that, just trying to put my best foot forward for this team.”

On how he has worked to elevate his game…
“I would just say speed, coming at the ball. In year two, trusting my hands more. I think transitioning in the first year of the offense, kind of struggled with catching the ball. Still, it’s a day-to-day thing, just catching the balls every day.”

On the transition to receiver from quarterback…
“It solely was my decision. I mean, I wasn’t really approached to play receiver. I always wanted to. I always felt like I was better using my speed at other positions but really felt the love with receiver. Just having the opportunity to use my speed to get open for the guys. I would say (I was comfortable with the) transition to when coach Heupel got here, the coaching. More coaching made me feel comfortable with what I was doing at receiver.”

-UT Athletics