Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright spoke with reporters this week. Watch below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking on the video.
Tennessee Volunteers running back Jabari Small spoke with reporters this week. Watch below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking on the video.
Tennessee Volunteers running backs coach Jerry Mack spoke with reporters this week. Watch below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking on the video.
Tennessee Volunteers running backs coach Jerry Mack spoke with reporters this week. Watch below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking on the video.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As the 2023 season opener inches closer, the Tennessee football team wrapped up preseason practice No. 13 on Friday morning at Haslam Field.
One of the most impressive groups throughout preseason camp has been the running backs, featuring an ideal mix of veteran returners and ultra-talented newcomers, giving the Vols a deeper and more versatile room than in years past.
The dynamic duo of senior Jabari Small and junior Jaylen Wright, both of whom were named preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award, will be looked upon to replicate the production they had a season ago when they helped UT lead the nation in scoring (46.1 points per game) and finish third nationally in rushing touchdowns (40).
Small is back for his fourth season with the program and continues to be the “quiet leader” of the room, leading by example on and off the field.
“He is not a ‘rah-rah’ guy. Jabari is not going to be the loudest all the time, he just kind of leads by example,” running backs coach Jerry Mack said following Friday’s practice. “He is the first one in the meetings, he brings a pad, he is taking notes, and guys respect those guys that are pros … His teammates understand that ‘this guy right here, that is who I would like to be like,’ from a standpoint of just the way he goes about carrying his business.”
After leading the team in rushing last year, Wright has continued to raise his game to the next level, drawing rave reviews from UT’s coaches as well as his teammates throughout the offseason and fall camp.
“In high school, he just was not an all-around runner,” Mack said. “He was not an every-down back, and that is what you have seen, him really being intentional about trying to work those deficiencies that he needs to work on.
“He is going to be one of the poster boys in our program, I think, for a guy that came in extremely raw on and off the field, and now what you’ve see is him grow into a complete player, on and off the field.”
While Small and Wright carried the bulk of the load last season, Dylan Sampson flashed as a true freshman, showcasing his elite athleticism while giving the Vols yet another dangerous weapon out of the backfield. The sophomore speedster has added weight and strength this offseason and will look to increase his role in a crowded running back room.
“Dylan can do everything for us,” Mack said. “Dylan can go flex out in the slot, he can play in the backfield, obviously. From a pass pro, that is probably one of the things that [you] just have to make sure that Dylan is spot on with what he is supposed to do … He is not afraid of contact. Samp could play corner if he really wanted to. He will stick his face in there, and he is not afraid of it.”
Despite a strong core of returners, Tennessee also added three talented freshmen to the room this season in Cameron Seldon, Khalifa Keith and DeSean Bishop, all of which have flashed during fall camp and have ability to make an immediate impact while providing some much-needed depth for one of the most physically demanding positions on the field.
A full transcript of Mack’s post-practice media availability along with select player quotes can be found below.
On Jaylen Wright’s improved vision…
“A lot of good things; Jaylen Wright has grown tremendously as an inside-the-tackle runner. When he first got here, he was a guy that really wanted to bounce runs. A lot of that is probably what they asked him to do in high school. What you see now is a guy that is a lot more attentive about going through the hole, pressing the double team, things like that. All those different things, running through the smoke, that is what we have talked about a lot with J-Wright. The last couple of years, you’ve just seen the growth in his game a ton.”
On Cameron Seldon’s growth over the summer and during fall camp…
“Every practice, he gets a little bit better. Not having the baseline like I talked about in the spring, working with him over the summertime, working with him all through camp, [and] being able to get quality reps. I talk about it at the staff meeting a lot of times; Cam is a guy that needs to play in front of the big five linemen as much as humanly possible. Every opportunity he gets to have those guys in front of him, understanding leverage and understanding pad level, that is going to be huge for him. The only way he is going to continue to grow is just continuing to play football. He is really good out in space on the perimeter; I think he has a comfort zone there. But at the end of the day, [he is] a big, strong, physical guy. If he keeps developing as a runner, he has a chance to be a really good player.”
On Jabari Small perfecting his craft as a veteran…
“The first thing was Jabari understanding some of his deficiencies, and that is the health piece. He got that addressed in the offseason. The next part is, all these guys have aspirations to go onto the National Football League, and he has approached – on the field and off the field – he has really approached everything like a pro. I have seen tremendous growth in the meeting rooms, not only just what his assignment is and what he wants to do, but Jabari is also very good at understanding the blocking schemes, understanding what the offensive lineman’s job is, what the receiver’s job is, all those different things. He has really grown in the offense going into year three. Understanding his job and his responsibility is pretty easy; now he is trying to be a pro and an expert and understand the whole of how everything fits together.”
On how DeSean Bishop’s injury affects his development…
“Obviously, you need reps to actually get better, and we are a little heartbroken about that, because that guy was really doing a good job for us. He was coming along; we had really high hopes for him in the first part of the season. Hopefully, he will get the opportunity to come back this season at some point in time. I do think you treat it like a redshirt year. It is a chance for him to get in the meeting room, it is a chance for him to continue to grow his baseline as far as our system and what we want, and I have no reserve about saying he is going to come back in the spring and be a different player, just for the simple fact he is going to understand all the ins and outs, things that he did not understand quite as well during the previous spring.”
On if he has a feeling for how many running backs he can realistically play…
“The running back position, just through attrition, sometimes guys get bumps and bruises. We all feel like those guys are three-down backs, so we feel like they can play every down. We do not have to rotate guys in for short yardage, pass pro and things like that; all of them have grown. Right now, it is really tough to say. How we have played here in the past, we rotated and usually had a two-headed monster. Dylan Sampson was able to get into the rotation last year and really had some great success. It really just depends on the flow of the game. One thing about running backs, if a guy has a hot hand, you want to keep him in, so that is no different than what we are trying to do. If a guy is really in a rhythm, I would be crazy to take that guy out. I have to continue to get the most out of him while he is in a rhythm. But I do foresee we are going to need all those guys as the season progresses.”
On the interchangeability of J
“They definitely are more interchangeable than a year ago. Jaylen has really grown as a pass protector, he has grown with his hands, he can catch the ball out of the backfield now. Jabari has grown as a pass protector, so I do not feel like he has a lot of deficiencies from that aspect. The goal is to always recruit and always have three-down backs in your room, guys you feel are athletic enough to catch the ball out of the backfield. But at the same time, those short yardage situations and those pass pro situations where you know you are going to get those some of those exotics and things like that, that those guys are stout enough, big enough and strong enough to hold up and not get blown back into the quarterback. I think over the years, that is what you have seen; both of them are playing at a really high level right now.”
On the factors that have gone into Jaylen Wright’s leap…
“In high school, he just was not an all-around runner. He was not an every-down back, and that is what you have seen, him really being intentional about trying to work those deficiencies that he needs to work on. He is going to be one of the poster boys in our program, I think, for a guy that came in extremely raw on and off the field, and now what you’ve see is him grow into a complete player, on and off the field.”
On load management with Jabari Small heading into the season…
“Jabari is a guy that had no reps really in the spring at all. He hadn’t played football before this camp since the bowl game in December. A little bit different than the Jacob Warren situation, Jabari needed to get hit. You saw last year what happened to Jaylen Wright, he didn’t practice all of camp and had some fumbling issues earlier in the season. We learn from our mistakes as coaches, so make sure that now, Jabari is going to get in there. He’s taking some inside drill, which normally he doesn’t take. He needs to feel that pad-on-pad and be able to finish plays. He has wanted that. He saw what happened to Jaylen last year, and he didn’t want that to happen to him this year. He has embraced the contact more than anything else.”
On early impressions of Khalifa Keith…
“Big, strong, powerful guy. He is everything that, when we recruited him, we thought he could be. He came in about 225 or 230 [pounds]; he has continued to maintain about that body weight, and he can move with it and make plays with it. One thing about him, he does have really good hands. He was a former basketball player in high school, too. Really athletic; his deal is really just learning our system and how we go about doing things here at Tennessee. I think as a player, you are going to see that guy involved in a lot of special teams this year. Coach [Ekeler] is extremely excited about his role and what he can be. As a runner, he is a lot further along than I really even anticipated right now. Running between the tackles, people do not want to come up and tackle him too much. He just has to continue to learn, to play his way into shape more than anything else. He is going to contribute this year for us in some kind of capacity.”
On Jaylen Wright’s ball security…
“He really locked in probably about midseason last year. After the LSU game, I do not think he had any more issues as far as the ball not coming out. I do think a lot of that was not being able to get hit at all during the month of August and not understanding that impact and where those bodies were going to come from all the time. Taking some of those things for granted a little bit, squeezing the ball, making sure it is secure. I think a lot of it was those issues; honestly, I have not seen him fumble even in practice at all since probably midseason of last year.”
On what Dylan Sampson would need to do to become a regular player…
“Dylan can do everything for us. Dylan can go flex out in the slot, he can play in the backfield, obviously. From a pass pro, that is probably one of the things that [you] just have to make sure that Dylan is spot on with what he is supposed to do. Samp has increased his weight; he is about 195 pounds now. Still probably a little bit lighter than we would like, but it is increasing. But the biggest thing for him is going to be in pass pro; he has to be able to eat up the cushion. Do not let those 230 or 240-pound linebackers get started. Stop those guys before they can get their feet moving and drive and close that cushion, and then go ahead and strike. He is not afraid of contact; Samp could play corner if he really wanted to. He will stick his face in there, and he is not afraid of it.”
On how Jabari Small has garnered the respect of his teammates…
“He is a quiet leader; he is not a ‘rah-rah’ guy. Jabari is not going to be the loudest all the time; he just kind of leads by example. He is the first one in the meetings, he brings a pad, he is taking notes, and guys respect those guys that are pros. They look at those guys, and everybody thinks you have to be the guy that is always loud and always rallying the troops, and that is just not Jabari’s demeanor. That is not his personality, but I have seen him continue to come out of his comfort zone and continue to grow as a leader here since we have been at Tennessee. I think that is a compliment to him; he has great parents, so he knows what he has to do to take that next step. And the teammates see it; his teammates understand that ‘this guy right here, that is who I would like to be like,’ from a standpoint of just the way he goes about carrying his business.”
On if he is itching to get onto the field after missing spring practice…
“Obviously I haven’t played in a long time. I’m excited to get back out there and get into the groove of things. I’m just trying to push myself to get better from last year and become more physical as a player. I’m just itching to get back out there.”
On how Jaylen Wright has changed as a player…
“After the LSU game last year, I think he’s grown and is now playing with confidence. When you’re playing with confidence, you figure things out. I think that’s came together for him. He’s been really fun to watch. He’s a really fun player, he’s physical, plays with that edge and he has that dog in him.”
On where he feels like this offense is as they are getting closer to the season starting…
“With 13 practices in, we are definitely in the dog days of camp. Right now, we are just going against ourselves. We have to push ourselves, fight to get in shape and play when we are hurt or sore. I think that’s where we are right now as an offense, and I think the defense is doing a great job of pushing us. The defense is giving us great looks. I think we are on time as far as being ready for the season, but I think we are at that part in training camp. We have practice 14 ahead of us, and we are at that point in camp where we are just pushing ourselves and trying to fight through.”
On his progression last season after the LSU game…
“Last year, I kind of took it upon myself. I changed the way I came in the building; I changed the way I came working. Just work hard, just changed my mindset towards things.”
On his physical improvement since his freshman year…
“I’m different in probably every aspect. I’m different in my mindset, I’m different in my weight, I’m different in the way I run. I became more physical, more elusive.”
On how he’s grown as a pass protector…
“Became more physical. I feel like pass pro is a mindset, it’s just the way you come thinking of it. You just have to think, just be physical. I attacked the weight room, my strength, my body size, that changed.”
-UT Athletics
HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame revealed Thursday that Tennessee redshirt senior linebacker Keenan Pili is one of 85 players chosen for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. The award is selected annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry that epitomizes great ability and integrity.
The outstanding graduate transfer linebacker is poised to make a major impact for the Vols in 2023 after showing strong leadership and instincts during spring practices. Pili played at BYU from 2019-22 where he was a defensive leader and team captain, collecting 190 total tackles, 95 solo tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups. He earned his undergraduate degree in exercise science from BYU in December of 2022.
Pili originally signed with the Cougars as a member of the Class of 2016 as one of the top prep players in Utah. Before making his debut for the Cougars in 2019, Pili served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Orlando, Florida from 2017-19.
Watch list candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. The finalists and winner will be chosen by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
The winner of the 2023 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be announced on December 14. Five finalists will be unveiled on November 30. The presentation of the Award will be held during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Celebration Dinner (January 20, 2024) at the Sheraton Waikiki, and they will also be recognized at halftime of the Polynesian Bowl (January 19, 2024).
2023 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors
Sr. DE Tyler Baron
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Sr. LB Aaron Beasley
Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon)
Sr. OL Cooper Mays
Rimington Trophy Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Media)
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Sr. WR Bru McCoy
All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Media, Phil Steele)
Sr. QB Joe Milton III
Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List
Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
Maxwell Award Watch List
All-SEC Third Team (Media, Phil Steele)
R-Sr. LB Keenan Pili
Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List
Sr. RB Jabari Small
Doak Walker Award Preseason Candidate List
Sr. OL Javontez Spraggins
All-SEC Third Team (Media)
R-Sr. TE Jacob Warren
Mackey Award Watch List
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee
So. WR Squirrel White
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
Sr. RS Dee Williams
All-American Fourth Team (Phil Steele)
All-SEC Third Team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
Jr. RB Jaylen Wright
Doak Walker Award Preseason Candidate List
All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Led by sixth-year senior quarterback Joe Milton III, Tennessee’s up-tempo offense started fast with a touchdown on its first drive as the Volunteers wrapped up their second scrimmage of preseason camp on Wednesday in Neyland Stadium.
“He was really accurate with the football, really decisive and been a really good decision maker,” said head coach Josh Heupel of Milton. “(He’s) been in control of protections for the most part. We have continued to push their hand on that side of it.”
Milton led Tennessee’s first-team offense down the field vs. the first-team defense, and the drive culminated with a Jaylen Wright touchdown run. Wright, who finished the 2022 campaign strong, has enjoyed an outstanding camp in his third season with the program. He was the Vols’ leading rusher last season with 875 yards on 146 carries and 10 scores.
“He’s been very intentional in his work,” said Heupel. “He’s continued to grow and just being able to have a championship mindset, be able to reset from play to play, play with passion, not playing just straight out of emotion. He’s been great with the young backs. He’s been a great leader (and) great teacher for those guys.
“On the football side of it, he’s a guy that early in his career, just wanted to run around everything and just use his speed to his advantage. He can still do all of those things, but he’s got really good vision. He understands blockers, he understands how to use them, he delivers double teams to the second level (and) he finds space. His vision on the back door cuts has grown, (and) he’s doing it at the right time. He’s playing at a really high level.”
The Vols shined in third-down defense, provided pass rush and forced a turnover late in the scrimmage.
“Third-down defense was really strong for the most part, and in overtime, I thought the defense did a great job,” Heupel said. “They played really good football in the overtime period, so all-in-all, a good day’s work.”
Thursday is an off day for UT, which returns to the practice field for back-to-back practices on Friday and Saturday at Haslam Field.
The Vols open the season on Sept. 2 against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ABC. The game is being presented by Nissan.
Tickets for the season opener in Nashville are on sale now through the Nashville Sports Council and Nissan Stadium via Ticketmaster.com.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening Statement
“Good day out there; good energy on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Got some good special teams work, did some normal drive work, but got some coming out and finished it with some overtime. Plays on both sides of the line of scrimmage, offense got some things going early. I thought defense did a really good job in the middle part of the scrimmage getting off the field. Third-down defense was really strong for the most part, and in overtime, I thought the defense did a great job. They played really good football in the overtime period, so all-in-all, a good day’s work. Two weeks and change away from kickoff; we have a lot of things we need to continue to clean up on both sides of it. The communication side I thought could have been better offensively, just some of the mechanics stuff. But all-in-all, good work; it also lets us know where we have to improve before we get to Nashville.”
On the offensive improvements from the last scrimmage…
“I thought they made some plays; some of our vets, we did let go in this one. They got some early work in and then got out in the middle part of the scrimmage. I thought there were some really good things that happened up front in protection early in the scrimmage. There are some things just mechanically, how we function and operate, that we have to get better at, too. It was all positions.”
On the personnel of the offensive line…
“We have had multiple guys going at center, like I said when I talked about Cooper [Mays] being out. Thought all those guys handled it, as far as the communication once they got the play call, in a really positive way. Our protection with the one group in particular has been pretty sound for the most part; those guys have to continue to grow. We will find out as we continue to finish up training camp where we are with who we will run out there with the first group the first game.”
On Joe Milton III’s accuracy in the scrimmage…
“He was really accurate with the football, really decisive, been a really good decision maker. I do not know if he has thrown a pick all training camp. Been in control of protections for the most part; we have continued to push their hand on that side of it. That is Joe and the guys behind him, too, and I think they have continued to grow in that way.”
On if the mechanics that need to be cleaned up are common…
“Some of it is–the first scrimmage, in all reality, was probably a little cleaner than today’s just operationally: sideline, play clock, getting things settled as we get out there on the field the first play of a drive. I am not worried about where we are. We are pretty intentional on working those things during practice. I thought today could have been cleaner, but it was not just one guy. All of us just need to be a little bit cleaner.”
On what he’s seen from Kaleb Webb that shows he’s been intentional with his growth…
“From the offseason to where we are today, he’s been very intentional. I don’t know if anybody spends more time in the building catching balls off the jugs. He’s always coming back for extra work in the middle of the day to understand what he’s doing, what he’s seeing to continue to grow within our offense, understanding defensive structure. He’s gotten a lot stronger, his lower body in particular, that’s helped him with speed, getting in and out of breaks. He’s just continuing on his football journey with a real purpose every day and small strides end up to big gains by the time we get to kickoff. Been really pleased with him. Chas Nimrod is a guy that has done the exact same thing. He’s continued to grow; he’s played multiple positions within our offense. Really excited about Chas and Kaleb.”
On how long DeSean Bishop and Tyree Weathersby will be out…
“Weathersby will be out for the year. DeSean is not out for year but will be out for an extended period of time. Probably a couple of months.”
On if they are waiting on Cooper Mays to recover before beginning game prep or if they are proceeding as if he will not be able to play…
“We believe we’ll have an opportunity to have him back. Everything has gone well since he missed training camp and had the issue that he had. At the same time, and it’s true for every position but in particular the offensive line, you better have contingency plans. You don’t know when that’s going to happen. A guy gets an ankle, you guys have seen that since we’ve been here. Every week, you’ve got to understand where you’re at going into the game, how you want to manage and play those guys if you’re healthy. But if something happens to one of those five guys, somebody gets nicked up, who’s the next in, how are you shuffling your front five, in particular if your center goes down. Those are the things that you work through every training camp and throughout the course of the season.”
On how he would assess the run game after the second scrimmage…
“We’ll be able to see more as you go back and watch it with all the bodies and the moving parts up front. I thought, at times, we were really efficient and effective. There are some things that are unique within our run game that I thought our guys handled really well. Some of that in our pull schemes. I thought the backs did a really good job of pressing, making cuts, some of that coming out the back door. We manage the load of the guys that you’ve seen play a lot of football here. A lot of our young backs got a lot of work today. I thought they handled and operated better than they did in the first scrimmage. They continue to get comfortable in how they play.”
On where the team is in terms of the four-man pass rush…
“Not just the scrimmages, the practices are extremely important too to evaluate where you’re at. I know that we’ve taken strides, that’s in the interior, that’s on the edges. We’ve added depth which allows those guys to rotate more and stay fresh. I’m excited about what we’re doing on the front four at this point. Some of the things that we have to grow in, in particular pass defense in general, but third down defense, third and long defense in particular as well. A huge part of that is the back end, your backers included, but it starts with getting a really good pass rush. I’m excited about the growth that I’ve seen so far.”
On what progress he’s seen from Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr.…
“First of all, those guys dramatically changed their habits off the field. They changed their bodies, because of that, within what we’re doing, strength and nutrition. Their level of play and understanding of what we’re doing has continued to grow in a really big way. I’ve said this before, but there’s a difference between guys that come in in mid-year, I’m talking about true freshmen, and guys that show up late May or early June. Those guys were both June arrivals last year. They did some really positive things last year, but they’ve had a really good offseason of continued growth.”
On if any defensive backs are starting to separate themselves apart from the others…
“Similar to the offensive line, you got to have contingency plans as far as where guys are going to truly navigate to get your best five on the field. You got to have some depth at those positions too and rotate some during the course of a ball game. We got some young guys that have really grown here over the last 11-12 practices. I’m excited about them. They’ll play some defensive snaps, but they’ll play a ton on special teams too. Our vets, I’m excited about the guys that maybe missed a little bit of time last year or here early in training camp. I feel like they’ve really grown in understanding our scheme, communication, fundamentals and technique. The next couple of weeks are important as we get everyone back healthy to make sure that we grow the right way before kickoff.”
On how Jaylen Wright has done during fall camp…
“He’s been healthy throughout the course of training camp. His body is dramatically different. He’s one of the guys that we recognize as we started training camp for what he had done in the offseason (and) the changes he had continued to make to his body. He’s been very intentional in his work. He’s continued to grow and just being able to have a championship mindset, be able to reset from play to play, play with passion, not playing just straight out of emotion. He’s been great with the young backs. He’s been a great leader (and) great teacher for those guys. He’s into it when he’s not even the guy that’s getting the reps. On the football side of it, he’s a guy that early in his career, just wanted to run around everything and just use his speed to his advantage. That’s how he kind of developed as a young back in high school with some of what they did. He can still do all of those things, but he’s got really good vision. He understands blockers, he understands how to use them, he delivers double teams to the second level (and) he finds space. His vision on the back door cuts has grown (and) he’s doing it at the right time. He’s playing at a really high level.”
On if he feels like the team has more depth in the secondary…
“We absolutely are deeper on the second and third levels. The growth of the young guys inside of our program, that can be at the linebacker spot, guys that were here playing a lot of special teams last year like Elijah (Herring) and Kalib (Perry), those two guys in particular. The young guys that we’ve added, the true freshmen at that position, Arion Carter has had a great training camp. I said it I think a week ago, but he’s taken a major step from where he finished spring ball. I’ll say the same thing about (Jeremiah) Telander and Jalen (Smith) too. On the third level, the young guys are going to play some snaps for us. We have great competition that creates urgency in the meeting room, creates urgency in the offseason. It shows up in the way they play and compete on the practice field and today when we’re inside of the stadium. We have guys that are vets that played a lot of football last year, those guys have taken a step in their understanding of how we want to play too. We absolutely have more depth, more competition, and as we get closer to kickoff figuring out the rotation as those guys continue to compete and show that they’re going to play at a championship level.”
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After taking Monday off, Tennessee football began the third week of preseason training camp Tuesday morning inside the Anderson Training Center before wrapping up Practice No. 11 on Haslam Field. Ongoing position battles and roster development have been the key talking points throughout the fall as the No. 12/10 Volunteers work towards the season opener against Virginia on Sept. 2 in Nashville.
In UT’s defensive back room, numerous veteran players have gained valuable, in-game reps that they will lean on this season. The Big Orange returns nine DBs from last year’s squad with starting experience, including all five starters from UT’s decisive Orange Bowl victory over No. 7 Clemson.
Assistant coach Willie Martinez met with the media on Tuesday and discussed the benefits of the depth and experience at defensive back as well as the development of the room’s young players.
“Having depth at the backend is very important, because I don’t think you can go through a whole season with just five guys playing,” Martinez said. “(Injuries) happen and this league is way too good, so the more players that have experience and have proven it on the field gives you a chance to be more consistent as a secondary.”
Martinez also weighed in on the detail-oriented approach of his veterans that will pay dividends when the season kicks off.
“Seeing the small things in practice, doing the things that matter, the fundamentals, the technique, the footwork that needs to happen on a third down or a fourth down. If you can show it consistently in the practice, then it will show up on game day. That is where the experience comes in that I was speaking earlier about.”
Tuesday’s availabilities also featured four returning players from the secondary. When asked which younger DBs have stood out so far in camp, redshirt senior Warren Burrell had praise for three freshman corners and their growth over the past two weeks.
“This is one of those situations where it’s hard to pick one. These young guys came in ready to play. These guys, you can tell they love football, you can tell they appreciate the experience, they want to be better. They want to be the best that they can be. Those guys, Rickey (Gibson III), Jordan (Matthews), Cristian (Conyer), that’s just the corners, but there is way more. Those guys who I’m going to speak to, they’ve been taking every day and growing, learning in every way possible. They’ve been trying to turn their weaknesses into strengths. They really just have been learning what it’s like to be a DB at the University of Tennessee. The standard that we’re trying to set, that we’re trying to create here, those guys are doing nothing but pushing us forward, so we appreciate them.”
The Vols will head to Neyland Stadium Wednesday morning for the second and final scrimmage of fall camp. The scrimmage is closed to media and the public, with head coach Josh Heupel scheduled to speak in a post-scrimmage press conference at approximately 11 a.m. inside the Stokely Family Media Center.
Full transcript from Martinez and select quotes from Burrell, redshirt senior defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally, redshirt senior defensive back Brandon Turnage and redshirt sophomore defensive back Andre Turrentine can be viewed below.
On where the three freshmen cornerbacks (Cristian Conyer, Rickey Gibson III, Jordan Matthews) have developed the most since spring…
“I think they’re obviously a lot more comfortable than they were in the spring. By the fourth or fifth time that we have installs, you’re seeing less and less alignment issues, you see a lot more execution on a consistent basis. They’re competing at a different level because they know it more. It’s good to see. You got some of the guys making plays. Consistently, all three of them are making something happen during the practice.”
On how some minor injuries have allowed for them to work in different guys…
“The great thing about getting the five new guys from spring, now we’ve got the depth that we can actually be versatile. We want to always be versatile on the backend where we’ve got guys that can move around. That’s giving us that opportunity now. They haven’t gotten all the reps that Tamarion (McDonald) and Wesley (Walker) have had, (but) it’s given some guys some opportunities now to show what they can do inside whether you’re a safety or a corner. That’s been really good for us.”
On whether the judgement of experienced defensive backs comes from watching game film or from what he sees in practice…
“I think it depends on who it is. You’re looking at someone like Gabe Jeudy-Lally that’s had a lot of football, played a lot of football, and you can see that when he comes here in practice. Whether we put in something that’s totally different name wise, schematically it’s really the same thing, he sees it the same way, (even though) the words are different. So, you see that quick adjustment for him and then obviously he can make a bunch of plays. Then, you got the guys that have to learn it, like the younger guys, everything. They don’t have that game experience where they’ve had their failures to a certain scheme or coverage that we have called. Gabe has that, he’s had plenty of reps, game reps where the younger guys don’t. So, that’s when you’re talking about the experience. The experience that’s been really good for the young guys is being here since January and seeing how the whole thing works. How we manage the team, how do we work, the competition. I’m a really good player coming in here, but then they see the development of a guy that’s been here for a year or two years, strength and power I guess is something where somebody like Gabe that’s coming from a different situation where he has a ton of game experience. He understands it, he knows if he’s lagging a little bit, he knows where he needs to pick it up. That’s where it’s different.”
On where he makes judgements in terms of returning players…
“Those are great. Jaylen (McCollough) is the same way, has a lot of game reps. Warren Burrell has a lot of game reps, had an injury, been out for a long time, comes right back, snap and clears, he kind of knows all the stuff that we know how we have to perform schematically. (He’s) confident. He knows that he’s been here, he’s had some of the good and the bad. It helps him snap and clear a lot sooner because he knows he’s got some good reps in games.”
On Doneiko Slaughter’s growth at cornerback…
“We’ve been very intentional of just leaving him at corner. He can play all of the other positions, but like a lot of guys, it’s really good to let him learn a position. It’s not easy playing out there on the corner, on the edge. Not only do you have to have the skillset, which he does, you have to have the amount of experience of being out there by yourself, the confidence that you need. You have to put days together, you have to put periods together into practice where you see some consistency. You can’t get down on yourself, and they’re priceless, the reps that he’s had this whole time in camp. He’s built a lot of confidence, you can see it in his playmaking. You see a lot more consistent playmaking, you’re seeing less mistakes, and it’s very beneficial.”
On the importance of in-game experience…
“Having depth at the backend is very important because I don’t think you can go through a whole season with just five guys playing. It happens (injuries), this league is way too good, so the more players that have experience and have proven it on the field gives you a chance to be more consistent as a secondary. That would be the first thing. Seeing the small things in practice, doing the things that matter, the fundamentals, the technique, the footwork that needs to happen on a third down or a fourth down. If you can show it consistently in the practice, then it will show up on game day. That is where the experience comes in that I was speaking earlier about.”
On what about Brandon Turnage jumps off the page…
“It’s going to start off with his energy. There is no problem that Brandon is not going to try and solve really quickly. He sees the glass half-full. I think everybody understands what that means. He has a smile on his face, he doesn’t let the last play affect him, good or bad, he is just on to the next play, which we keep saying all the time, ‘snap and clear.’ Every coach says it on our staff and across the country, I know that, but he gives you a chance because he’s smart, he gives you a chance because he’s a guy who is selfless, he understands our defense, and he’s got playmaking ability. When he’s healthy, Brandon is as good as it gets. Just got to continue to keep him in the right frame of mind and keep pushing him to where he can continue to show the consistency he showed when he got the opportunity last year when he was healthy.”
On Kamal Hadden’s growth…
“Consistency. He’s been very consistent since January, every day. It’s the small details that matter. He has always been good off the field, but he has really made a point this last spring and summer. He’s just graduated, that’s something really big to accomplish, but he did it with a 3.2 GPA. He’s one of those 75 to 90 guys that were over the 3.0 average, so that’s given him confidence. The small details of being healthy enough to get through a spring, it’s his first spring he ever made, last year, since he’s been here. That gave him a chance to develop with his teammates and see where he would be at on a consistent basis, and he showed that through the summer and then now in camp. The consistency, attention to small details, being a good teammate, that’s something that he has grown.”
On how he gets defensive backs in position to make and execute plays…
“You have to do it in practice. You have to see it over and over where they’re actually doing it in practice where it builds some confidence. Creating good habits. That’s where I think it’s going to show up in games. I’m not saying that I’ve been around certain players that do it the right way in practice, do it the right way in the classroom, and can’t make plays, I get that. I think we have a bunch of guys with the experience. We’ve been really on them about the small details that matter. Building where you have good habits where it just comes natural, and the opportunities come up in the fourth quarter or the winning moments that they kind of produce. But they got to do that out on the practice field. That’s where you see it most. That’s where it builds the confidence.”
On the defensive staff being intact for three years in a row and how that shows on the field…
“Saying the same things, over and over. I think the people that have been in this program and now going on our third year, they see how the culture was flipped. To have the majority of the staff together has helped, obviously, number one with the older players. You’re getting more players that have been here for those three years saying the things that we’re saying to them when we’re not around. It becomes tougher for us to get a word in at practice. I think you’ve been up here, and there’s probably multiple coaches that have said it, we’re not coaching the small things anymore. The players are doing it. That’s where it benefits where you have consistency in the staff. Saying the same thing, the words mean something because you are very consistent because you actually worked hours and hours on a certain scheme. They hear it, the same thing, coming from the same coaches. It matters to the players for the consistency to buy in.”
On what he has seen from Andre Turrentine during fall camp and how he has grown…
“Well first of all, Andre (Turrentine) is one hundred miles an hour at everything he does. What I mean by that is that it’s going to be a hundred percent effort, the best he can. He had to learn our package. Now that he’s learned it and has a really good feel for it, it’s built some confidence for him. He has a lot of energy that the players feed off of. He’s making more and more plays in practice. It’s obviously built confidence for himself but also with his teammates. They already know that Dre is going to give you relentless effort. He has a lot of juice and a lot of energy. When he first got here, it might not have been the right communication, but it was definitely ‘this is what it is’. If you’re saying ‘rip, rip, rip’ even though it is supposed to be ‘liz, liz, liz’, I mean he was confident it was ‘rip, rip, rip’. Now he knows it, and guys really respect him for that because they feel his energy, they feel how important it means to him. He’s asking great questions in the room where his teammates can see him from the left and the right, and it matters to him. It’s really great to see him because he’s taken a lot of reps here in camp which is going to benefit us in the long run.”
On how much his experience on the team will benefit the secondary…
“We have a lot of experience in that room, myself included. It helps any team having guys who have gone out there and seen these things before and have already had the experience of dealing with certain things. The playbook is something that we’ve already instilled in us. So, having guys with that type of experience, you can just go out there and play football. Having a room like that where you don’t have to coach all the little things, you can just go out there and play, have each other’s backs and go out there and do what’s really important, helps everybody.”
On his recovery from last season’s injury…
“It was tough sitting out, but being able to watch my guys do what they need to do, there wasn’t a better feeling than that. I am a firm believer that you can’t truly appreciate something until you feel what it’s like to go without it. So, having that moment where you don’t get to play the game that you love just makes you want to come back even more. You bring that energy. There’s always those days where you’re not feeling it as much. You remember times like that where you didn’t even have the opportunity to come out and be on the field. It makes you appreciate the moment, take it one step at a time and enjoy it.”
On who has impressed him of the younger guys…
“This is one of those situations where it’s hard to pick one. These young guys came in ready to play. These guys, you can tell they love football, you can tell they appreciate the experience, they want to be better. They want to be the best that they can be. Those guys, Rickey (Gibson III), Jordan (Matthews), Cristian (Conyer), that’s just the corners, but there is way more. Those guys who I’m going to speak to, they’ve been taking every day and growing, learning in every way possible. They’ve been trying to turn their weaknesses into strengths. They really just have been learning what it’s like to be a DB at the University of Tennessee. The standard that we’re trying to set, that we’re trying to create here, those guys are doing nothing but pushing us forward, so we appreciate them.”
On how he feels so far through fall camp and what the internal competition is like…
“Moving from the spring to fall, everything just kind of slowed down. Our offense was a thousand miles per hour, but it’s really slowed down, and I’ve been able to hone in on things that they are doing and it has made the game come a lot easier to me. There is a lot of great competition going on in our room. I think that every day, everybody is getting better by taking a step to be able to go out there in a couple weeks and get the job done. I think that we can put anybody out on the field right now, and it will be a great thing for our defense and a great thing for our team.”
On the young guys that have impressed him through fall camp…
“I think the guy that has made the biggest step from the spring is definitely Cristian Conyer. He has really honed in the last five months since spring ball and really taken over, getting to know the plays. He goes out there and makes plays every day. It’s just been really cool to see, because coming from high school early on and trying to get it done in the spring was a little bit of a step. He’s taken a really big jump. Rickey Gibson III does a really good job, and Jordan Matthews is really physical. So, it’s been good to see the whole group just evolve. I think we’ve taken a hundred steps in the right direction since the spring.”
On the depth in the DB room and the pressure that brings…
“Pressure wouldn’t be particularly what I say. We play a high-pressure position on the field. It’s more or less that you have to do your job every single play that you go out there. If you do your job, you have set yourself up to be in the right position to take the jump, take a spot. So, more or less it is me thinking about doing my job every play to the best of my ability to help the defense, and if I am helping the defense. At the end of the day, it will be hard to keep certain people off the field if they are helping the defense.”
On how he is coming off of his injury from last year…
“Well you know really it was a long process. Actually after the injury happened I got real down on myself and stuff because it got around to February to March to April, and I still wasn’t feeling really good at all. So really now, you know just continuing to push as I feel my body healing and doing what I feel like I can do at a high level. I really started waking up earlier so I could get in the building really early, get some treatment and stuff like that. Go ahead and get myself feeling good. I mean, that’s really how I’ve been coping with the issues with that foot or whatever, but everything has been good so far.”
On his mindset coming into camp…
“Well everywhere I’ve been, you know, I always had to compete. So really my mindset was, you know, focus on me. In the middle of last season I learned how to face myself and challenge myself everyday rather than competing with the guys around me. I try to do a big job of watching film when I get home, you know, and times when I’m away from the building trying to stay in sync. Keep watching and keep learning. So I really compete with myself at the end of the day, taking what I know from my film study and trying to apply it on the field.”
On how he balances focusing on himself and being a good teammate…
“Well it’s kind of a line you have to draw. You know you have to hold your teammates accountable, and that’s a part of them holding me accountable, or me holding myself accountable. Going home watching extra film, I do it on my own but when I’m here I’m watching it with my teammates. We all try to encourage each other to get in our playbook. We said as a group, we said as a unit ‘lock in, be within and be all in,’ and I feel like that kind of just applies to our motto. You know going home and doing extra when you’re not in the building. As a group we have to hold each other to that standard, make sure that everyone is doing it when they get home. And I feel like that’s where the freshmen have grown.”
On how much more comfortable he is this fall camp compared to last year…
“I’m a lot more comfortable, actually. A whole year in this system under Coach Banks and Coach Martinez. This spring and this offseason, we did a heck of a job of making sure guys know what they’re doing, exactly what they’re doing, and helping their teammates. Last year, I feel like was a big part of me knowing what to do, so this year I’m kind of helping my teammates out and getting everybody lined up and making sure everybody knows their job.”
On how he maintains a high energy at practice…
“Playing at 100% and just giving effort and straining everything I do, I’ve been taught that from a young age. I don’t really think about it much, I’m just out there going. It also helps because every play is not going to be perfect. If you strain, it kind of makes up for your mistakes but I feel like that’s just somebody that I am. I don’t really think of it too much.”
On how he plans to make the next step and what improvements he is looking to make…
“Just knowing what to do. I don’t think it was ever a talent thing for me or not being able to compete, it’s just being in a new system with guys who have already been in the system a year. Also, being young I was only a sophomore coming in. Just knowing what to do and doing it at a fast pace with confidence.”
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After taking Monday off, Tennessee football began the third week of preseason training camp Tuesday morning inside the Anderson Training Center before wrapping up Practice No. 11 on Haslam Field. Ongoing position battles and roster development have been the key talking points throughout the fall as the No. 12/10 Volunteers work towards the season opener against Virginia on Sept. 2 in Nashville.
In UT’s defensive back room, numerous veteran players have gained valuable, in-game reps that they will lean on this season. The Big Orange returns nine DBs from last year’s squad with starting experience, including all five starters from UT’s decisive Orange Bowl victory over No. 7 Clemson.
Assistant coach Willie Martinez met with the media on Tuesday and discussed the benefits of the depth and experience at defensive back as well as the development of the room’s young players.
“Having depth at the backend is very important, because I don’t think you can go through a whole season with just five guys playing,” Martinez said. “(Injuries) happen and this league is way too good, so the more players that have experience and have proven it on the field gives you a chance to be more consistent as a secondary.”
Martinez also weighed in on the detail-oriented approach of his veterans that will pay dividends when the season kicks off.
“Seeing the small things in practice, doing the things that matter, the fundamentals, the technique, the footwork that needs to happen on a third down or a fourth down. If you can show it consistently in the practice, then it will show up on game day. That is where the experience comes in that I was speaking earlier about.”
Tuesday’s availabilities also featured four returning players from the secondary. When asked which younger DBs have stood out so far in camp, redshirt senior Warren Burrell had praise for three freshman corners and their growth over the past two weeks.
“This is one of those situations where it’s hard to pick one. These young guys came in ready to play. These guys, you can tell they love football, you can tell they appreciate the experience, they want to be better. They want to be the best that they can be. Those guys, Rickey (Gibson III), Jordan (Matthews), Cristian (Conyer), that’s just the corners, but there is way more. Those guys who I’m going to speak to, they’ve been taking every day and growing, learning in every way possible. They’ve been trying to turn their weaknesses into strengths. They really just have been learning what it’s like to be a DB at the University of Tennessee. The standard that we’re trying to set, that we’re trying to create here, those guys are doing nothing but pushing us forward, so we appreciate them.”
The Vols will head to Neyland Stadium Wednesday morning for the second and final scrimmage of fall camp. The scrimmage is closed to media and the public, with head coach Josh Heupel scheduled to speak in a post-scrimmage press conference at approximately 11 a.m. inside the Stokely Family Media Center.
Full transcript from Martinez and select quotes from Burrell, redshirt senior defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally, redshirt senior defensive back Brandon Turnage and redshirt sophomore defensive back Andre Turrentine can be viewed below.
On where the three freshmen cornerbacks (Cristian Conyer, Rickey Gibson III, Jordan Matthews) have developed the most since spring…
“I think they’re obviously a lot more comfortable than they were in the spring. By the fourth or fifth time that we have installs, you’re seeing less and less alignment issues, you see a lot more execution on a consistent basis. They’re competing at a different level because they know it more. It’s good to see. You got some of the guys making plays. Consistently, all three of them are making something happen during the practice.”
On how some minor injuries have allowed for them to work in different guys…
“The great thing about getting the five new guys from spring, now we’ve got the depth that we can actually be versatile. We want to always be versatile on the backend where we’ve got guys that can move around. That’s giving us that opportunity now. They haven’t gotten all the reps that Tamarion (McDonald) and Wesley (Walker) have had, (but) it’s given some guys some opportunities now to show what they can do inside whether you’re a safety or a corner. That’s been really good for us.”
On whether the judgement of experienced defensive backs comes from watching game film or from what he sees in practice…
“I think it depends on who it is. You’re looking at someone like Gabe Jeudy-Lally that’s had a lot of football, played a lot of football, and you can see that when he comes here in practice. Whether we put in something that’s totally different name wise, schematically it’s really the same thing, he sees it the same way, (even though) the words are different. So, you see that quick adjustment for him and then obviously he can make a bunch of plays. Then, you got the guys that have to learn it, like the younger guys, everything. They don’t have that game experience where they’ve had their failures to a certain scheme or coverage that we have called. Gabe has that, he’s had plenty of reps, game reps where the younger guys don’t. So, that’s when you’re talking about the experience. The experience that’s been really good for the young guys is being here since January and seeing how the whole thing works. How we manage the team, how do we work, the competition. I’m a really good player coming in here, but then they see the development of a guy that’s been here for a year or two years, strength and power I guess is something where somebody like Gabe that’s coming from a different situation where he has a ton of game experience. He understands it, he knows if he’s lagging a little bit, he knows where he needs to pick it up. That’s where it’s different.”
On where he makes judgements in terms of returning players…
“Those are great. Jaylen (McCollough) is the same way, has a lot of game reps. Warren Burrell has a lot of game reps, had an injury, been out for a long time, comes right back, snap and clears, he kind of knows all the stuff that we know how we have to perform schematically. (He’s) confident. He knows that he’s been here, he’s had some of the good and the bad. It helps him snap and clear a lot sooner because he knows he’s got some good reps in games.”
On Doneiko Slaughter’s growth at cornerback…
“We’ve been very intentional of just leaving him at corner. He can play all of the other positions, but like a lot of guys, it’s really good to let him learn a position. It’s not easy playing out there on the corner, on the edge. Not only do you have to have the skillset, which he does, you have to have the amount of experience of being out there by yourself, the confidence that you need. You have to put days together, you have to put periods together into practice where you see some consistency. You can’t get down on yourself, and they’re priceless, the reps that he’s had this whole time in camp. He’s built a lot of confidence, you can see it in his playmaking. You see a lot more consistent playmaking, you’re seeing less mistakes, and it’s very beneficial.”
On the importance of in-game experience…
“Having depth at the backend is very important because I don’t think you can go through a whole season with just five guys playing. It happens (injuries), this league is way too good, so the more players that have experience and have proven it on the field gives you a chance to be more consistent as a secondary. That would be the first thing. Seeing the small things in practice, doing the things that matter, the fundamentals, the technique, the footwork that needs to happen on a third down or a fourth down. If you can show it consistently in the practice, then it will show up on game day. That is where the experience comes in that I was speaking earlier about.”
On what about Brandon Turnage jumps off the page…
“It’s going to start off with his energy. There is no problem that Brandon is not going to try and solve really quickly. He sees the glass half-full. I think everybody understands what that means. He has a smile on his face, he doesn’t let the last play affect him, good or bad, he is just on to the next play, which we keep saying all the time, ‘snap and clear.’ Every coach says it on our staff and across the country, I know that, but he gives you a chance because he’s smart, he gives you a chance because he’s a guy who is selfless, he understands our defense, and he’s got playmaking ability. When he’s healthy, Brandon is as good as it gets. Just got to continue to keep him in the right frame of mind and keep pushing him to where he can continue to show the consistency he showed when he got the opportunity last year when he was healthy.”
On Kamal Hadden’s growth…
“Consistency. He’s been very consistent since January, every day. It’s the small details that matter. He has always been good off the field, but he has really made a point this last spring and summer. He’s just graduated, that’s something really big to accomplish, but he did it with a 3.2 GPA. He’s one of those 75 to 90 guys that were over the 3.0 average, so that’s given him confidence. The small details of being healthy enough to get through a spring, it’s his first spring he ever made, last year, since he’s been here. That gave him a chance to develop with his teammates and see where he would be at on a consistent basis, and he showed that through the summer and then now in camp. The consistency, attention to small details, being a good teammate, that’s something that he has grown.”
On how he gets defensive backs in position to make and execute plays…
“You have to do it in practice. You have to see it over and over where they’re actually doing it in practice where it builds some confidence. Creating good habits. That’s where I think it’s going to show up in games. I’m not saying that I’ve been around certain players that do it the right way in practice, do it the right way in the classroom, and can’t make plays, I get that. I think we have a bunch of guys with the experience. We’ve been really on them about the small details that matter. Building where you have good habits where it just comes natural, and the opportunities come up in the fourth quarter or the winning moments that they kind of produce. But they got to do that out on the practice field. That’s where you see it most. That’s where it builds the confidence.”
On the defensive staff being intact for three years in a row and how that shows on the field…
“Saying the same things, over and over. I think the people that have been in this program and now going on our third year, they see how the culture was flipped. To have the majority of the staff together has helped, obviously, number one with the older players. You’re getting more players that have been here for those three years saying the things that we’re saying to them when we’re not around. It becomes tougher for us to get a word in at practice. I think you’ve been up here, and there’s probably multiple coaches that have said it, we’re not coaching the small things anymore. The players are doing it. That’s where it benefits where you have consistency in the staff. Saying the same thing, the words mean something because you are very consistent because you actually worked hours and hours on a certain scheme. They hear it, the same thing, coming from the same coaches. It matters to the players for the consistency to buy in.”
On what he has seen from Andre Turrentine during fall camp and how he has grown…
“Well first of all, Andre (Turrentine) is one hundred miles an hour at everything he does. What I mean by that is that it’s going to be a hundred percent effort, the best he can. He had to learn our package. Now that he’s learned it and has a really good feel for it, it’s built some confidence for him. He has a lot of energy that the players feed off of. He’s making more and more plays in practice. It’s obviously built confidence for himself but also with his teammates. They already know that Dre is going to give you relentless effort. He has a lot of juice and a lot of energy. When he first got here, it might not have been the right communication, but it was definitely ‘this is what it is’. If you’re saying ‘rip, rip, rip’ even though it is supposed to be ‘liz, liz, liz’, I mean he was confident it was ‘rip, rip, rip’. Now he knows it, and guys really respect him for that because they feel his energy, they feel how important it means to him. He’s asking great questions in the room where his teammates can see him from the left and the right, and it matters to him. It’s really great to see him because he’s taken a lot of reps here in camp which is going to benefit us in the long run.”
On how much his experience on the team will benefit the secondary…
“We have a lot of experience in that room, myself included. It helps any team having guys who have gone out there and seen these things before and have already had the experience of dealing with certain things. The playbook is something that we’ve already instilled in us. So, having guys with that type of experience, you can just go out there and play football. Having a room like that where you don’t have to coach all the little things, you can just go out there and play, have each other’s backs and go out there and do what’s really important, helps everybody.”
On his recovery from last season’s injury…
“It was tough sitting out, but being able to watch my guys do what they need to do, there wasn’t a better feeling than that. I am a firm believer that you can’t truly appreciate something until you feel what it’s like to go without it. So, having that moment where you don’t get to play the game that you love just makes you want to come back even more. You bring that energy. There’s always those days where you’re not feeling it as much. You remember times like that where you didn’t even have the opportunity to come out and be on the field. It makes you appreciate the moment, take it one step at a time and enjoy it.”
On who has impressed him of the younger guys…
“This is one of those situations where it’s hard to pick one. These young guys came in ready to play. These guys, you can tell they love football, you can tell they appreciate the experience, they want to be better. They want to be the best that they can be. Those guys, Rickey (Gibson III), Jordan (Matthews), Cristian (Conyer), that’s just the corners, but there is way more. Those guys who I’m going to speak to, they’ve been taking every day and growing, learning in every way possible. They’ve been trying to turn their weaknesses into strengths. They really just have been learning what it’s like to be a DB at the University of Tennessee. The standard that we’re trying to set, that we’re trying to create here, those guys are doing nothing but pushing us forward, so we appreciate them.”
On how he feels so far through fall camp and what the internal competition is like…
“Moving from the spring to fall, everything just kind of slowed down. Our offense was a thousand miles per hour, but it’s really slowed down, and I’ve been able to hone in on things that they are doing and it has made the game come a lot easier to me. There is a lot of great competition going on in our room. I think that every day, everybody is getting better by taking a step to be able to go out there in a couple weeks and get the job done. I think that we can put anybody out on the field right now, and it will be a great thing for our defense and a great thing for our team.”
On the young guys that have impressed him through fall camp…
“I think the guy that has made the biggest step from the spring is definitely Cristian Conyer. He has really honed in the last five months since spring ball and really taken over, getting to know the plays. He goes out there and makes plays every day. It’s just been really cool to see, because coming from high school early on and trying to get it done in the spring was a little bit of a step. He’s taken a really big jump. Rickey Gibson III does a really good job, and Jordan Matthews is really physical. So, it’s been good to see the whole group just evolve. I think we’ve taken a hundred steps in the right direction since the spring.”
On the depth in the DB room and the pressure that brings…
“Pressure wouldn’t be particularly what I say. We play a high-pressure position on the field. It’s more or less that you have to do your job every single play that you go out there. If you do your job, you have set yourself up to be in the right position to take the jump, take a spot. So, more or less it is me thinking about doing my job every play to the best of my ability to help the defense, and if I am helping the defense. At the end of the day, it will be hard to keep certain people off the field if they are helping the defense.”
On how he is coming off of his injury from last year…
“Well you know really it was a long process. Actually after the injury happened I got real down on myself and stuff because it got around to February to March to April, and I still wasn’t feeling really good at all. So really now, you know just continuing to push as I feel my body healing and doing what I feel like I can do at a high level. I really started waking up earlier so I could get in the building really early, get some treatment and stuff like that. Go ahead and get myself feeling good. I mean, that’s really how I’ve been coping with the issues with that foot or whatever, but everything has been good so far.”
On his mindset coming into camp…
“Well everywhere I’ve been, you know, I always had to compete. So really my mindset was, you know, focus on me. In the middle of last season I learned how to face myself and challenge myself everyday rather than competing with the guys around me. I try to do a big job of watching film when I get home, you know, and times when I’m away from the building trying to stay in sync. Keep watching and keep learning. So I really compete with myself at the end of the day, taking what I know from my film study and trying to apply it on the field.”
On how he balances focusing on himself and being a good teammate…
“Well it’s kind of a line you have to draw. You know you have to hold your teammates accountable, and that’s a part of them holding me accountable, or me holding myself accountable. Going home watching extra film, I do it on my own but when I’m here I’m watching it with my teammates. We all try to encourage each other to get in our playbook. We said as a group, we said as a unit ‘lock in, be within and be all in,’ and I feel like that kind of just applies to our motto. You know going home and doing extra when you’re not in the building. As a group we have to hold each other to that standard, make sure that everyone is doing it when they get home. And I feel like that’s where the freshmen have grown.”
On how much more comfortable he is this fall camp compared to last year…
“I’m a lot more comfortable, actually. A whole year in this system under Coach Banks and Coach Martinez. This spring and this offseason, we did a heck of a job of making sure guys know what they’re doing, exactly what they’re doing, and helping their teammates. Last year, I feel like was a big part of me knowing what to do, so this year I’m kind of helping my teammates out and getting everybody lined up and making sure everybody knows their job.”
On how he maintains a high energy at practice…
“Playing at 100% and just giving effort and straining everything I do, I’ve been taught that from a young age. I don’t really think about it much, I’m just out there going. It also helps because every play is not going to be perfect. If you strain, it kind of makes up for your mistakes but I feel like that’s just somebody that I am. I don’t really think of it too much.”
On how he plans to make the next step and what improvements he is looking to make…
“Just knowing what to do. I don’t think it was ever a talent thing for me or not being able to compete, it’s just being in a new system with guys who have already been in the system a year. Also, being young I was only a sophomore coming in. Just knowing what to do and doing it at a fast pace with confidence.”
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s 2023 home football games against UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Georgia are sold out, and limited tickets remain on sale for the Vols’ contests vs. Austin Peay, UConn and Vanderbilt in Neyland Stadium.
Single-game tickets for those contests are on sale now at AllVols.com.
In May, Tennessee announced it had exhausted its football season ticket inventory with 70,500 purchased. The sellout figure emphatically eclipsed the department’s strategic plan goal of 61,000 by 9,500. In addition, UT sold over 9,000 new season tickets for 2023.
The Vols open the season on Sept. 2 against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ABC. The game is being presented bu Nissan. Tickets for the season opener in Nashville are on sale now through the Nashville Sports Council and Nissan Stadium via Ticketmaster.com.
Tennessee makes its 2023 Neyland Stadium debut on Sept. 9 vs. Austin Peay for a 5 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN+/SEC Network+.
-UT Athletics
