Tennessee Volunteers placekicker Charles Campbell spoke with reporters this week. Watch below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking on the video.

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 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.
 

Running Backs Coach Jerry Mack

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 Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small…  
“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.”  
 

Senior RB Jabari Small

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.” 
 

Junior RB Jaylen Wright

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

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