BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The second-ranked Tennessee baseball team was picked to win its division and was well represented on the preseason All-SEC teams, which were announced by the league office on Thursday.
The Volunteers were selected by the league’s 14 head coaches to win the SEC Eastern Division after garnering 90 total points and receiving 12 of a possible 13 first-place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team). UT finished 11 points ahead of second-place Florida, which received the other two first-place votes.
LSU was picked to win the western division and was the favorite to win the league overall with 11 first-place votes.
Tennessee led all eastern division teams with four players earning preseason All-SEC honors and was tied for the overall SEC lead with two first teamers in starting pitchers Chase Dollander and Chase Burns. Junior transfer Maui Ahuna was tabbed as the second-team shortstop while veteran right hander Camden Sewell was also named to the second team as a relief pitcher.
The full SEC Preseason Coaches Poll and preseason All-SEC teams can be seen by clicking HERE.
Dollander is coming off a breakout sophomore season where he earned consensus first-team All-America honors and became just the second player in program history to be named SEC Pitcher of the Year.
Regarded as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2023 MLB Draft, Dollander posted a perfect 10-0 record and led the country with a 0.80 WHIP last season. The Evans, Georgia, native also finished second in the SEC with 108 strikeouts and led the league with a 2.39 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a paltry .175 batting average. He has been tabbed as a unanimous preseason first-team All-American entering this season.
Burns was one of the top freshmen in the country in 2022, earning freshman of the year or freshman pitcher of the year recognition from the NCBWA, D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball News while garnering unanimous Freshman All-America honors. The hard-throwing right hander was the first pitcher in program history to earn three national award honors in the same season.
Burns was also named to four All-America teams following his debut season, joining former AL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey (1994) as the only players in program history to be selected to four All-America teams as true freshmen. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native had a phenomenal freshman campaign for the Big Orange, finishing with an 8-2 record and 2.91 ERA to go along with 103 strikeouts while serving as the Vols’ Friday night starter for the majority of the season. Like Dollander, Burns has also earned unanimous first-team All-America honors this preseason.
Ahuna joins the Vols after two very productive seasons at the University of Kansas, where he garnered first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022 and was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection as a true freshman in 2021.
Another potential first-round MLB Draft prospect, Ahuna is considered one of the top defensive shortstops in the country while also boasting impressive numbers at the plate during his collegiate career, posting a .357 batting average with 75 runs scored, 27 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 73 RBIs and 21 stolen bases over the past two seasons with the Jayhawks. A native of Hilo, Hawaii, Ahuna has been tabbed as a preseason All-American by four different outlets.
A Swiss army knife for the Big Orange, Sewell has been one of the Vols’ most versatile and productive arms throughout his time on Rocky Top, boasting a 15-3 overall record with a 2.53 ERA and 136 strikeouts over 70 appearances (10 starts) while holding opposing hitters to a .196 batting average.
The Cleveland, Tennessee, native has developed a reputation of being one of the SEC’s top big-game performers and has shined in late season and postseason contests throughout his career. Sewell was named to the 2021 SEC All-Tournament team and the 2021 NCAA Knoxville All-Regional team as a junior. He helped lead Tennessee its first SEC Tournament title since 1995 last year by tossing five shutout innings against Florida in the championship game. Sewell has garnered preseason All-America accolades from the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball News this year.
Tennessee’s complete list of preseason honors can be found below.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Former Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith will take the field for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night, seeking to become the latest VFL world champion.
In addition, former defensive lineman and All-American Derek Barnett is vying to capture his second Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles. Barnett has been on injured reserve and will not play in the contest. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions and is in the process of rehabbing the injury.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Smith is attempting to become the 40th VFL to win a Super Bowl as a player. To date, a total of 39 players have combined for 48 rings, including Barnett, who was a key member of the Eagles’ 2017 squad that defeated New England in Super Bowl LII.
A VFL is guaranteed to win a Super Bowl ring for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
The Super Bowl experience has come full circle for Smith. He attended Super Bowl LIV in Miami in January 2020 while still a member of the Volunteers. He was presented with the inaugural Fritz Pollard Trophy in Miami, which honors a college player who has exemplified extraordinary courage, community values and exceptional performance on the field.
Smith has reached the NFL playoffs in both of his professional seasons, having played over 2,500 snaps and becoming a force for a Kansas City offense that leads the NFL and averaged 413.6 yards per game during the regular season.
Smith’s story of perseverance and leadership as a Volunteer is one that will endure forever. A former five-star high school prospect out of Jackson, Tennessee, he was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and a 2020 Second-Team All-American as chosen by the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.
He was sidelined during the 2018 offseason with blood clots but fought his way back and in 2019, helped lead the Volunteers to a Gator Bowl victory.
Off the field, Smith was awarded the university’s highest student honor when he was announced as a Torchbearer Award recipient in 2021. He was a two-time SEC Community Service Team honoree, and he won the 2019 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year.
After a three-year hiatus initiated due to the pandemic, the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame is set to resume induction in 2023, with a 12-member class set to be honored the weekend of April 14-15.
The class features four Vol greats, six Lady Vol legends, one former head coach and a transformational administrator: baseball player Chris Burke, soccer player Ali Christoph, administrator Joan Cronan, football player Ted Daffer (posthumous), track athlete Tianna Madison, rower Chelsea Pemberton, football player Carl Pickens, golfer Violeta Retamoza, track & field head coach Chuck Rohe, track athlete DeeDee Trotter, tennis player Caitlin Whoriskey and tennis player Chris Woodruff.
The 10 former student-athletes in the Class of 2023 combined to account for eight national championships, 10 SEC titles, six Olympic medals, one world record and an Academic All-American.
“We haven’t welcomed a new class of hall of famers since 2019,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. “For that reason, we’ve selected a larger class to celebrate this spring. These individuals each earned a special place in the history of Tennessee Athletics and left remarkable legacies that continue to inspire those who have followed them.”
Induction weekend coincides with Tennessee football’s spring Orange & White Game on Saturday, April 15.
Chris Burke | Baseball | 1999-2001 Chris Burke is one of the top hitters in program history and a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors his final two seasons with the Volunteers. Many of Burke’s records still stand, as the 2001 SEC Player of the Year remains Tennessee’s career-record-holder in runs scored (224), hits (314), singles (199), doubles (72), triples (17), total bases (498) and extra-base hits (115). Burke also led the 2001 Vols to their third College World Series appearance while leading the NCAA in hits (118), runs scored (105) and runs per game (1.57). Burke’s induction into the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023 comes on the 10-year anniversary of his induction into the University of Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Ali Christoph | Soccer | 2003-06 One of the most decorated soccer players in Tennessee history, Ali Christoph was a two-time NSCAA All-American, earning first-team honors as a junior in 2005. A three-time first-team All-SEC performer, she was a mainstay on the field for Tennessee through four seasons, leading UT to three regular-season SEC titles (2003, 2004, 2005) and two SEC Tournament championships (2003, 2005). During her time on Rocky Top, the Lady Vols made three appearances in the NCAA Round of 16, and she played in a program-best 93 matches for the Big Orange to set the school record for minutes played at 8,513. Christoph also holds the program career record of five made penalty kicks and ranks second in career assists with 27. She was just as accomplished in the classroom, being named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2006. She completed her degree in Psychology in 2008.
Joan Cronan | Administrator | 1983-2012 Under the vision and direction of Joan Cronan, the Tennessee women’s athletics department and the Lady Vols garnered a reputation as one of the most visible and respected brands throughout the nation. Tennessee’s success in both the athletic and academic realms spoke volumes about Cronan’s decision-making and leadership ability. A history-maker and member of several halls of fame, Cronan holds the distinction of becoming the first female director of athletics for the entire combined (men’s and women’s) department at UT when she served as Interim Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director in 2011. During her tenure overseeing women’s athletics, the Lady Vols won 10 team and 36 individual/relay NCAA championships, and they also captured 58 team and 177 individual/relay SEC titles. She hired 22 Tennessee head coaches, oversaw development and construction of multiple facilities and managed the women’s athletics program’s expansion from seven to 11 sports. Annual giving to women’s athletics increased exponentially from $75,000 to more than $2 million during her tenure. She now serves the university in an advisory role as Women’s Athletic Director Emeritus.
Ted Daffer | Football | 1949-51 (Posthumous) Ted Daffer, who is being inducted posthumously, was a mainstay in the middle of Tennessee’s dominant national championship defenses in the early 1950s under Gen. Robert Neyland. The defensive guard was the only two-time first-team All-America selection from the 1950-51 squads. He helped the Volunteers to an 11-1 record and a national championship in one poll in 1950, a season that culminated with a 20-14 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. He was named SEC Most Outstanding Lineman by the Birmingham Quarterback Club that fall. Daffer returned the following year and guided UT to a consensus 1951 national championship with an undefeated regular season as his unit pitched five shutouts. A two-time first-team All-SEC honoree, Daffer earned his degree in Business in 1951 and was selected in the 21st round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He passed away on March 1, 2006.
Tianna Madison Bartoletta | Women’s Track & Field | 2004-05 A three-time Olympic champion for Team USA, Tianna Madison Bartoletta enjoyed a historically successful two-year career with the Tennessee women’s track & field program from 2004-05. She led the Lady Vols with 16 points at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships—winning the long jump national title and finishing third in the 60-meter dash—to help UT win the program’s first NCAA team championship and Tennessee’s first women’s NCAA team championship in a sport other than basketball. Individually, Bartoletta’s sophomore year in 2005 featured a clean sweep of long jump gold at the SEC and NCAA Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons, and she was tabbed the 2005 SEC Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. She finished her Tennessee career as a six-time All-American and currently holds school records in the indoor long jump (6.78m/22-3) and outdoor long jump (6.89m/22-7.25). Embarking on a prolific professional career after her sophomore season, Bartoletta has claimed six IAAF World Championship medals and represented the United States at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. She struck Olympic gold in 2012 with a world-record performance in the 4×100-meter relay and claimed a pair of golds in 2016, winning the long jump (7.17m/23-6.25) and 4×100-meter relay in Rio. Bartoletta is currently re-enrolled and is on track to complete her degree in Social Work later this year.
Chelsea Pemberton | Rowing | 2002-05 Chelsea Pemberton established herself as one of the top rowers in Tennessee history and was a major factor in the progression of the team’s success during the last decade and a half. Pemberton led the Lady Vols to three straight NCAA Championship appearances from 2003-05. After placing 16th in 2003, the three-time CRCA Pocock All-American helped Tennessee to a pair of top-10 finishes in the varsity 8+ races, taking 10th in 2004 and eighth in 2005—the best finish in the event in program history. During her career, Pemberton also was selected as a four-time CRCA All-Region first-teamer. She earned her degree in English in 2005.
Carl Pickens | Football | 1989-91 All-American Carl Pickens dazzled fans from 1989-91 at wide receiver, return specialist and even defensive back as a redshirt freshman. Pickens was a key contributor on the Vols’ back-to-back 1989 and 1990 SEC Championship teams. A 1989 SEC All-Freshman Team selection, he sparked UT to a win at LSU with a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown, and he was tabbed defensive MVP of the 1990 Cotton Bowl with a crucial interception in the endzone against Arkansas. His 1990 season saw him receive first-team All-SEC laurels with 917 receiving yards. He earned first-team All-America honors from four organizations as a junior in 1991, catching 49 passes for 817 yards for an average of 17.9 yards per catch. His 79.73 receiving yards per game led the SEC that fall. Pickens, who was also a standout on the track & field squad, was chosen in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He would go on to earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors that fall.
Violeta Retamoza | Women’s Golf | 2002-06 Violeta Retamoza is one of the most decorated golfers in Lady Vol history. Retamoza was named first-team All-SEC and led the Lady Vols in lowest stroke average for three consecutive seasons (2003, 2004, 2005). During her time at Tennessee, the Aguascalientes, Mexico, native notched three individual wins, two of which came during her freshman year and set the program’s single-season record for tournament wins. During the 2004-05 season, Retamoza set another program single-season record for rounds of par or better (15). In 2005, Retamoza collected first-team All-America honors and also earned SEC Player of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year acclaim while finishing as the program’s career leader in rounds played (128). She graduated from the Haslam College of Business in 2006 and was an Academic All-American in 2004.
Chuck Rohe | Men’s Track & Field | 1963-71 Tennessee men’s track & field coaching great Chuck Rohe stood at the helm of the program from 1963-71. Previously enshrined in five halls of fame, Rohe led the Volunteers to a dominant stretch of 21 consecutive SEC titles across cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field. His Tennessee squads sported an impressive 130-18-2 (.873) dual record over nine seasons and finished in the top-five at the NCAA Championships on six occasions. In 1967, Rohe was named the United States Track & Field Coach of the Year. Rohe also was the architect of the championship-level nexus between Tennessee’s track and football programs, helping the Vols succeed in both sports by enabling student-athletes (17 in total) to participate in each. He served as the director of football recruiting under head coach Doug Dickey and mentored a pair of football All-Americans in Richmond Flowers and Chip Kell, in addition to Dick Evey. Three football athletes who also competed on Rohe’s track & field teams earned All-America acclaim in their respective events.
DeeDee Trotter | Women’s Track & Field | 2002-04 DeeDee Trotter achieved SEC and NCAA glory during her three years with the Lady Vol track & field program, winning titles and setting program records that still hold up to this day. An eight-time All-American, she won the 2004 outdoor NCAA 400-meter dash championship after claiming SEC gold in the outdoor 400-meter in 2003. Her college-best times of 51.29 and 50.00 in the indoor and outdoor 400m, respectively, still stand as program records. The Decatur, Georgia, native won six world titles over the course of her professional career, including two Olympic gold medals in the 4×400-meter relay at Athens in 2004 and London in 2012. She secured her third Olympic medal with a bronze performance in the 400-meter dash (49.72) in London and is one of only 10 Tennessee alums to win multiple Olympic medals. Trotter earned her Tennessee degree in Sociology in 2005.
Caitlin Whoriskey | Women’s Tennis | 2007-10 Caitlin Whoriskey is one of the most distinguished Lady Vol tennis players in program history. The 2010 ITA National Singles Player of the Year is one of three Lady Vols ever to earn singles and doubles All-America acclaim in the same season, doing so in 2010, after earning her first All-American nod in 2009. Whoriskey is one of seven players in program history to earn three consecutive All-SEC honors and was an integral part of the only two ITA All-American Championships in program history, earning the doubles crown in 2007 with Zsofia Zubor then doing so again in 2009 with Natalie Pluskota. In the spring of 2010, Whoriskey and Pluskota became the only pairing in Lady Vol tennis history to reach the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championships. Whoriskey graduated in 2010 with a degree in Geography.
Chris Woodruff | Men’s Tennis | 1992-93 Chris Woodruff is one of the most legendary and decorated alums in the storied history of Tennessee’s men’s tennis program. The Knoxville native remains the only NCAA singles champion in program history, winning the title in 1993. He took home ITA National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year honors that same year. A career that began with Woodruff’s 1992 ITA National Rookie of the Year acclaim finished with two singles All-American honors (1992 and 1993), along with a pair of singles All-SEC distinctions (1992 and 1993). Woodruff posted a two-year singles record of 81-16 (.835), including a remarkable 45-7 (.865) mark in 1993. The multiple-time ATP Tour champion and former world No. 29 singles player served as assistant coach and associate head coach at Tennessee from 2002 until his promotion to head coach in 2017. He completed his degree in Psychology in 2005.
NASHVILLE – No. 6 Tennessee fell to Vanderbilt at the buzzer on the road Wednesday night, 66-65.
With Vanderbilt trailing by two points with 4.8 seconds remaining, the Commodores inbounded the ball near midcourt. Ezra Manjon drove toward the basket and kicked out to an open Tyrin Lawrence in the corner, who hit a 3-pointer as time expired to give Vanderbilt the one-point win.
Vanderbilt was 10-for-25 (.400) from 3-point range in the victory—the most made threes and highest 3-point percentage by a Tennessee opponent this season.
Tennessee (19-5, 8-3 SEC) had four double-figure scorers in the loss, led by Santiago Vescovi and Tyreke Key, who had 14 apiece. Key’s 14 points were his career-high against an SEC opponent, while Vescovi’s four threes were tied for his most in SEC play this season.
Olivier Nkamhoua and Julian Phillips each had 10 points for the Vols, while freshman forward Tobe Awaka scored eight points and had nine rebounds in a career-high 22 minutes.
Wednesday’s game featured 15 lead changes and nine ties on a night where neither team led by more than five points—or more than three points in the final 13:21.
Vanderbilt extended its lead to three points twice in the final six minutes, but Vescovi answered both times with a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie up the game.
The latter came with 1:37 remaining and tied the game at 63 and was followed by a defensive stop by the Vols and then a 15-foot jumper from Nkamhoua with 50 seconds to go.
After Tennessee got another stop on the defensive end, Vanderbilt fouled five straight times to put the Vols in the bonus. After a Tennessee missed free throw, the Commodores hit the game winner on the other end.
Tennessee led 34-32 at halftime after a back-and-forth first half that featured four ties and eight lead changes. The Vols shot 50 percent from the field during the first half, but Vanderbilt shot a nearly equal 48 percent in the opening period.
Key got off to a hot start offensively for Tennessee, leading the Vols with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. In just 12 first-half minutes, Zakai Zeigler—who was saddled with two fouls before the break—recorded six assists.
Lawrence and Liam Robbins combined for 23 of Vanderbilt’s 32 first-half points with 12 and 11 points in the opening period, respectively.
Lawrence and Robbins, who entered Wednesday’s game shooting a combined 20-of-85 (.235) from 3-point range on the season, combined to shoot 5-of-7 (.714) in the first half. As a team, the Commodores made six of their first 10 3-point attempts.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is back home for another Saturday SEC showdown, taking on Missouri at 6 p.m. ET inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After an 11-win campaign last fall, Tennessee football has shifted its focus to the 2023 season with offseason workouts underway and the coaching staff gearing up for the start of spring practice next month.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks, new offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and new tight ends coach Alec Abeln met with the media on Wednesday afternoon. Halzle was promoted last month, and Abeln was elevated from offensive analyst to tight ends coach last week.
Staff continuity has played a vital role for the Volunteers’ success in the Josh Heupel era. Tennessee has retained its defensive staff in both seasons, while two offensive staff members have departed for promotions since last year.
Banks enters his third season with the program, and his unit will feature the most depth it has had going into a spring.
“We talk about compound interest a lot, and obviously the more reps they can get, the better it is for them and the program,” Banks said. “Knowing that those guys should be able to get the lion’s share of reps going into spring can only help the program. We’re excited about that. At this point it seems on paper that we’ll have our lion’s share of guys that will be able to contribute this spring.”
Halzle takes the reins of offensive coordinator after Alex Golesh was named head coach at USF in early December. Halzle has overseen the most productive two-year stretch of quarterback play in school history.
“The Orange Bowl was still us,” Halzle said. “That’s who we are. We’re going to play with tempo. We’re going to go vertical on people. We are going to attack. That isn’t changing. That’s what we said we were going to be the first day we got here. Nothing of that is changing now.”
Tennessee begins spring practice on March 20 with the Orange & White Game set for April 15. Additional details, including a game time, will be announced at a later date.
Below are quotes from Wednesday’s media session:
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Feb. 8, 2023
On the offseason review process of last season… “Honestly, we are just deep diving into it. We started Monday, really going back through our cut ups. You try to evaluate, obviously, all the things you thought you did well. Where are the liabilities at? What do we need to get better at? Obviously, there were a lot of great things that went on. You don’t win 11 games without doing a lot of things right, but for us, to continue to move the needle there are some things we obviously have to get better at. We evaluate the personnel based on what we had last year. Now we are starting to look at the personnel we have now. As we continue to dive deeper and deeper into it, we’ll continue to talk about schemes and how we want to adjust based on the personnel that we have coming back. We are in the early stages of it. Right now, we are really just looking at the big plays, the good and the bad. The further we go into it obviously, we will start talking scheme and how we can make some adjustments based on our personnel.”
On how important it is to get pressure on the quarterback with a four-man rush… “I think it’s everything. Everywhere I have been we have had great success at rushing four. On the (Philadelphia) Eagles – I haven’t seen a lot of NFL football this year, but we have definitely heard (about their great pass rush). We would love to be able to do that. We think we have made some strides. We also understand there is a lot of work yet to be done. We feel like we recruited at a higher level, and we have some young guys coming in here that we hope will be able to help us transition to being able to be more efficient with our four-man packages. I think we will be. But yeah, if we do that, do it at a high level, it just makes everyone else’s job that much easier.”
On the size and length of the players in the secondary… “In football, bigger is better. Particularly when they can run, and they are athletic. We have a model we work towards. Obviously, we feel like we are starting to address some of those needs. It’s starting to shape into what we are looking for, so to speak. Particularly in this league, wideouts are so big, fast and explosive, you want guys that are long and obviously that can run. Yeah, we definitely are getting bigger back there. Hopefully that will continue to grow back there as well.”
On if he is seeing any physical changes in guys over the offseason… “Yeah, they are young and eager. You see some of the freshmen that have only been on campus a short time. You can already see their bodies starting to change a little bit. It’s great. It’s the time you grow your program. Coach (Kurt) Schmidt does a great job with his staff putting our guys through their paces and building their mental toughness that you need to be successful along with their bodies. So yeah, I do see a lot of bodies starting to change. Even some of the guys that have been here and are a little bit older, just in terms of their body composition starting to change. Some of the bigger guys are getting a little bit leaner and then obviously some of the older guys that need to get a little bit more bulk. In year two for them, you can start to see it a little bit.”
On the addition of BYU transfer cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally… “Excited about him. He’s a guy who’s played a lot of football, whether it be at Vanderbilt or BYU. The reality of it is we know we have some steps we need to make at a lot of positions, but the cornerback position is one of those spots. With his experience, we think he can come in here and hopefully compete for one of these jobs and help push those other guys to help these guys continue to grow. So, it’ll be a great opportunity for him, but I think it will also be a great opportunity for everybody involved, getting those guys going. We all know in this business the more competition you have the better it is for the program. He will be another guy who creates some great competition in that role.”
On the addition of Arizona State transfer defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott… “Another guy who has been in the battles, has played at a high level. For us, we talk about our d-line being the tip of the spear, so we just felt like he was a guy that we thought could again, come in and contribute right away and create an environment in that room that is highly competitive. Because again, the better you are up front, as we talked about even from a four-man pass rush or just being stout against the run, we go as our front goes. He will be another guy that will continue to grow up there.”
On this past season’s run defense and how much depth contributed to that… “I think both things are true. Obviously, those guys did a tremendous job in starting up front with guys being able to control their gaps, and being sound with our linebackers getting downhill, the DBs as well, the safeties are involved as is the corner. It was a collective effort. Philosophically we wanted to do a great job that way and make sure we put guys in predictable situations by eliminating the run game. For the most part, we did a great job of that all season. My hat’s off to all of those guys. For us to continue to grow though, we have to continue to get better at stopping the run but improving against the pass. That is just an area we know we can improve on. We think obviously we will be a lot healthier. We think that will help, but as we talked about earlier, just being able to get home with four guys was obviously a situation that will help everybody, including the back end.”
On how he thinks his philosophy has changed coaching at Tennessee and in the SEC… “I think you are constantly evolving, and it’s not just conference. It is personnel, what do you have? Then obviously as you start to look at the conference, what are you seeing? Who are the coordinators you’re going against? I think to be able to survive in this profession you have to always be growing, you have to be ready to adapt based on conference, based on scheme and based on players. That’s always been my philosophy, but at the core of it again, you have to be able to take something away. For us, it has always started with the run game. We want to do a great job at stopping the run and putting guys in predictable throwing situations. Once you can dictate the terms, it usually goes well for us and that’s really at the core of who I am.”
On what he likes about BYU transfer linebacker Keenan Pili… “Once again, he’s played a lot of ball, but the leadership that he has. We had a chance to meet with him and communicate with him, just an awesome guy. Obviously, we know he is a really good football player, but his leadership style and the way he carries himself, I think he will be a really good resource for some of the younger backers in that room and he’ll be someone they can look to get some answers, just kind of being a pro, so to speak. We’re excited about him. Like I said, he’s played a ton of ball and played at a high level, but we’re really excited about his leadership and how he’ll help these young guys really develop and get better.”
On Joey Halzle‘s promotion to offensive coordinator… “Joey does a great job. He’s very consistent with his approach. Obviously, we have had really good quarterback play here since I have been here, and Joey and I came in together. He is never too high and never too low. He is a guy that has obviously played the position, and he is a rockstar. I think he will do a tremendous job here. I’m one of his biggest fans. Coach (Alex) Golesh obviously did a tremendous here, but we feel really good about the way the direction the offense is headed under his leadership. He’s smart, bright and passionate, and the way he carries himself and the leadership style he has, you can see it in the way our quarterbacks perform week in and week out.”
On what he is prioritizing for the defense in the offseason… “Just being able to affect the quarterback with four. I think we talked about that a little bit earlier. Just being able to tighten up on the back end, and it’s not just the back end because linebackers are included in that. Making sure when we are in some zone principles that guys are where they need to be consistently. Just like anything, there were a lot of good things that we did in the pass game, but for us to continue to grow, we have to be able to affect the quarterback a little bit better, particularly in some of our four-man concepts, and then we have to be able to hold up, whether we are in man or zone, linebackers and defensive backs included.”
On his excitement and expectations for the freshman class… “It’s exciting because we have not necessarily worked with them a ton, but from the short time that we have had them, those guys have been exactly what we want to be. Very coachable. The big thing I really like is how competitive these guys are. They want to be good. They understand that there are some opportunities here. They understand the standard that we established last season, and those guys want to be a part of it. For us to continue to grow, not just as a defense but as a team, we have to continue to be hungry, and I think these young freshmen are super hungry. They all want to get out there and prove themselves, you can see it just in their actions. How they are attacking the weight room at this point, the few times that you do have a chance to meet with them, just how eager they are to learn the playbook and learn things that will give them an opportunity to get on the field. It’s exciting, from linebackers to the front to the defensive backs, all those guys are excellent competitors and are excited about getting out there and showing us what they can do.”
On studying and preparing to face new offensive coordinators in the SEC… “It is probably more schematically, where they are coming from, and then how much of an influence do you feel like the head coach has on what is going to be done. So, it kind of varies a little bit. If the head coach is an offensive guy, you have to believe they are not going to change much. If it is a defensive guy, depending on where it is, that offensive coordinator may have a little more to do with the scheme and how much they start to involve. Would personnel play a factor? I would think so, but overall, I think schematically, you try to look at what they have done at the previous places and try to prepare that way the best you can.”
On what his main focus is in the spring offensively… “Overall, as an entire offensive unit, the main thing is that these guys understand that what we were able to accomplish last year does not just happen because you are here and you were the No. 1 offense in the country. You don’t just get to be that next year. Making sure that everybody knows the amount of work that went into that. Remembers the guys that were here last year that did it. You got to remember what you put in to make that happen, and the new guys just got to understand that just because you come into this system, with this group of guys around you, you don’t just get to do what a Jalin Hyatt, or a Cedric Tillman, or a Hendon Hooker did. They put in the work to go earn that. That’s what the main focus for the entire offseason is. We have to start back at square one. Last year’s plays have absolutely nothing to do with next year’s.”
On how he would describe Coach Alec Abeln‘s style… “Coach Abeln does a great job with scheme. He’s a schemer. He’s always done that, from back at UCF to here now. He’s great in the run-game, he’s great in protections from being on that side of the ball as a player, as well. So, a lot of our run-game this year had his handprints all over it. He’s also an elite teacher of football. Not just a communicator of information, but he can teach at a really, really high level. That’s something that I know Coach Heupel values in this building, having guys that can teach, not just tell you what’s been told to them, but actually teach it and convey it to each person individually.”
On offensive transfers John Campbell and Dont’e Thornton… “Starting with John Campbell, you have a very large, athletic guy right there. Long arms, big hands, he has everything you want as a tackle. He’ll have a great chance to compete for a bunch of playing time. We got three or four or five really good tackles in that room that can go and play a bunch of ball. Really excited about his athleticism and his experience, he’s played a lot of big-time football. He’s not going to step into any kind of arena that’s too big for him. We’re really excited about what he can bring. With Dont’e (Thornton), really big guy that can run. He’s 6’4-plus, the day he steps on the field he might always be the fastest guy on the field. That guy can really roll. He does a great job of giving you position flexibility with what he has done and his ability to get in and out of breaks. He’s fluid, he can roll over the in-steps, he can do all of that type of stuff. He can read defenses from his time playing college football. He gives you a chance to move him all over the field and create mismatches.”
On what he saw from Joe Milton III’s game film… “Joe (Milton III) did a great job when he was the backup last year of preparing himself like he was the starter, which is why whenever he came into the game, he played at a really high level. When he moved over to the starter at the end of the year, same type of guy. He didn’t change. He didn’t think he had to be different because he was in the starting role, like ‘hey, I’m a different guy now I change.’ No, he’s still him, he’s still himself moving forward. That’s why you saw him continue to have more and more success from the week one I’ll call it against Vanderbilt to the Orange Bowl. He just kept growing. He doesn’t feel like, ‘I’m an older guy, I got this thing figured out.’ He still attacks his preparation as if he’s a young guy, ‘I want to learn, I want to know everything’ and that’s why you see him make the growth that he’s made.”
On how much Orange Bowl looked like how his role is going to be moving forward… “The Orange Bowl was still us. That’s who we are. We’re going to play with tempo. We’re going to go vertical on people. We’re going to dictate the pace of play. We’re going to dictate what the defense can and can’t do, when they can sub and when they can’t. The aggression of which we attack, we try and score from all over the field. One of our biggest sayings is it’s really hard to score when you aren’t trying. So we try to score the ball. Whenever we get it, we anticipate crossing the goal line with it. That is who we are. We are going to attack, that isn’t changing. That’s what we are, that’s what we said we were going to be the first day we got here. Nothing of that is changing now.”
On if anything has changed since the Orange Bowl… “Maybe a little bit. It’s been a little bit of running the room, but the guys in there – it’s been so communal in there from the very beginning. Everybody has a voice in that, now at the end, Coach Heupel and myself has to make the final call, ‘Okay, this is what we’re ending up doing.’ But it’s never been one guy talking and everyone else taking notes. It’s always been extremely conversational, that’s how the whole building is run. As far as that one, it’s been mostly on the recruiting side of now being responsible for the entire offensive side that you’re recruiting, as opposed to making sure you get your position. Having more phone calls to make, more contact to make with kids, when they’re on-campus they have a coordinator meeting. There’s a lot more to it on that side of the spectrum, as opposed to just being in the room and talking ball, which is what we do.”
On what Coach Heupel promoting from within says about his philosophy… “I think it starts with what Coach Heupel expects from what we call the young coaching staff, the support staff on the side. They are coaches. They know football, they know how to teach, they know how to work, and they know what we do and how to do it at a high level. When he brings them in on the front end, he’s not just hiring helping hands. He wants to hire people that he sees being able to take that next step in the future. It’s not exclusively that way, but I think that’s why you’ve seen that two years in a row, because he’s hired two young guys that he knew were elite at their position and he got to see that first hand for a year on one end, and two years on the other end and knew with a lot of confidence that they’d be able to step in and preform at a high level.”
On where Cameron Seldon will start in the spring… “He gives you a chance to do some really fun stuff. Obviously, with a young guy that’s first time in the building, you got to be careful to not bog somebody down and overload them with everything you could do. You got to get him good at one thing first. Where he ends up starting out, as we get through our pre-spring stuff before we get on the field for spring ball we’ll make that decision more definitive as we roll based on what he can handle, what he does well, what he doesn’t do well. Then once he gets one thing cemented –okay he’s really good at this – now you can start growing a guy like that’s extra roles. Really whatever they can handle, starting at a young age and moving on through his time throughout the program.”
On Nico Iamaleava practicing with team then going to play in Polynesian Bowl… “Loved having all these guys here. We basically got another spring ball with them, almost. A lot of them were doing scout team and all that, but being able to sit in meetings, start learning the terminology. He came back this January and he had transferred all of his notes to his iPad that he had. He knows a lot of the way we call stuff, the way we take our drops, all of that when he first got on campus is monumental. Now, you can start going into the details of actually playing the quarterback position because he has a firm understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish when we’re calling plays. He’s young, he’s got to learn, but I thought it was great that he got to go play football with us in December, and then go play more football, and then come back so you’re not two months off your high school career the first time you’re picking up a ball again. I thought that was really beneficial for him. I love when the guys can go play their all-star games, it’s a cool experience for them. It’s something that they’ve earned over their career, we would never take away someone’s ability to go play in an all-star game.”
On having receivers that can play multiple positions… “That is big. Any time you get skill position players that can create matchup issues, whether that is size on a smaller defensive back or speed on a bigger linebacker, it gives you an ability to create explosive plays in the offense that are outside the realm of what you typically do. If you can put stuff like that on tape, you just become more and more difficult to defend. Your base stuff is still what you do, you have to operate that at a high level, but as soon as you can start saying ‘how do I get this guy on this guy?’ and create a matchup in our favor, now you are working with some stuff that can be some game-changing type situations. What you saw us do with Jalin Hyatt quite a bit last year, getting him on the right body. Not just putting him on the same guy over and over, but we got him on a certain person specifically, and he was able to turn those into touchdowns a lot of the time.”
On the biggest thing he learned working under Alex Golesh… “The biggest thing from Coach Golesh is he is extremely organized and detailed about how he goes through every aspect of this job. From organizing the staff room, to organizing the unit meeting, to organizing recruiting, everything about that was not just shooting from the hip. Understanding that I probably do not even know everything that I do not know yet, as long as you are detail-oriented and know exactly how you want to go through everything, it gives you a chance to get out ahead of those mistakes that you may make as a first-time coordinator. Saying ‘Man, I did not see that one coming.’ So, learning from him has been really big-time as far as making sure you have all your ducks in a row and that you are ready to go, because the meeting is going to roll as you roll now.”
On the third quarterback role… “They (Gaston Moore and Navy Shuler) are going to have a chance to this spring, absolutely. With the transfer portal, you never know who is coming in and out of your building anymore. So, do you have to be always evaluating? Yes, absolutely, but we really like the guys in that room. We have good players, we have good people that are smart and competitive and tough, and that is how we are trying to build that room. So, [I] do not see a pressing need, but it could absolutely be one at some point. So, I am not going to sit here and say yes or no at this point.”
On finding out how he was promoted to offensive coordinator… “[Coach Heupel] called me and said ‘Are you ready?’ I said ‘Yes, sir,’ and he said ‘Okay.’ That was kind of the end of that one. It has been fun moving up, because I have been with Coach Heupel my whole career, and I think, for a lot of young coaches, it is hard to get out of that view as a support staff type guy. Getting moved into my first position job, getting brought here, and then getting bumped up to coordinator. He sees that I am doing it the right way and the way that he wants it done, and he sees that I can be a benefit to the program because if he did not see it that way, it would not have happened. He was not just doing it just to do it. That was the biggest thing, he is instilling the confidence without having to give you a pep talk, because he understands that this was the best thing for the program, in his opinion.”
On Nico Iamaleava getting reps… “With the numbers in that room, there are a lot of reps to go around, which is completely different from the last couple of years that we were here. It is huge. The biggest thing about freshmen getting here, whether it is December for bowl practice or in spring ball, is they get a chance to mess it up. They are going to, I have told them that. ‘You are going to mess it up, do not play timid, do not play slow trying to be right, play fast as you can, rip it all over the field, make your mistakes, we will come into the film room and learn from them, and we will go back out there and try to make less each day as we are moving forward.’ It gives you the chance that, when fall camp comes around, they are not trying to figure out what to do, they have run all of this before, they have seen all of these different defensive looks, and now they are finding themselves as a player and how they operate in the system, which now gives you a chance to actually go operate with live fire in the fall.”
On his promotion to tight ends coach… “It means the world to me. Obviously, I’ve been in the building since Coach Heupel got here. Found out, kind of officially, Thursday morning. I still knew that there were still some steps to work through, and by Friday morning it was a done deal.”
On the importance of recruiting a balanced tight end prospect… “I think with what we do, obviously we do not sub a whole lot so, [they] have to be able to do a bunch of different roles. They have to be a threat in the passing game. They have to get you off the field on third downs. They have to be able to run block. Obviously (want) a guy that can do all of it. (McCallan Castles) is a guy who can do all of those things, and we are really excited that he is here.”
On his philosophy and developing his strength of knowledge in run the game… “I think how I got developed starts with Coach Heupel. Just whole program belief for coaches that you are in here for a reason. If you have an idea and if you have a way we can do things better, I don’t care if you are a GA, don’t care if you are a student assistant. I want your input. As a group, there is no ego. We want to try and find the best solution to do everything. I think growing up in a program and a coaching staff like that is what has allowed me to have the kind of success that I have had. As far as philosophy, not much is going to change. We are going to play fast. We are going to run the ball downhill. Be physical. Finish. All of those things are going to stay the same.”
On his connection with Coach Heupel… “I have told recruits this, and I have told guys on the radio this as well. I vividly remember being 20 years old, him walking into that team room for the first time and thinking, this dude is different. This dude is a winner. I think at that point, we were as bad as it gets offensively, like 125 out of 128. The very first question he asked me was how much do I weigh, and it was not enough. There was a belief and an expectation of just because this is how things have been, does not mean that that is how things are going to be. We have what it takes to be successful, but it will take everything you have. To me, right away as I knew as a young coach, had an opportunity to stay at my alma mater for one year as a GA. Ultimately, it was really easy for me to go down to Central Florida, just because [I] knew that that is who I wanted to be with and who I wanted to grow from.”
On Jacob Warren returning next season… “I can’t say enough about Jay. Honestly, he is going to be more of a collaborator than a student in a lot of ways. He has a ton of input. Super smart, does everything the right way. I am really grateful he came back and excited to see him take steps this year.”
On how excited he is to work with this season’s tight end group… “It makes my job easy when you have guys that can do it all. To be honest with you, we need to get them involved more and find more ways to get the ball in their hands. I know Princeton (Fant) gave you some things that were really unique, and I think we’ll continue to see more of that as we go forward.”
On what makes him an effective teacher… “One, I’ve been taught by good teachers. Glen Elarbee was my position coach for two years in college, and that’s definitely a huge part of it. I love seeing how different guys learn. We’ll hit auditory, visual and all the bullet points of it. At the end of the day, it comes down to knowing the why, and making the why make sense for a guy. We play so fast that you’re not always going to have somebody tell you exactly what to do. Being able to understand what we’re trying to do big-picture really allows you to problem-solve out there. To me, that’s what really fires me up—especially this time of the year, with mid-years and young guys where it’s their first time getting real football. The fireworks and all the light bulbs go off, and it’s really exciting.”
On Kelsey Pope making the same transition from offensive analyst to position coach, and the advice that he’s received from him… “Coach Pope is a great football coach and a great friend. He’s helped me a ton through the first week and is definitely a guy I’ll be leaning on, not just this year, but my whole career.”
On what he’s seen from Freshman Ethan Davis… “I love Ethan. He’s a guy that’s athletically a mismatch for people. He allows us to do exactly what we want to do – in terms of playing really fast, physical, being a mismatch in space but also being able to stick your face in it and go get after some people.”
On what the message is when Heupel promotes guys from within the program… “To me, it gives me confidence. There’s a lot of people that would like to be standing here right now, and there is a lot of people qualified to be standing here right now. To me, it’s a belief that I’m the right guy for a reason. There’s a lot of reasons why you could say to go out-of-house or go outside, but at the end of the day, betting on me as a person and knowing that we’re going to continue to have success.”
On the difference the job brings as far as recruiting… “Being out on the road is really the biggest difference. The way recruiting rules have been the past couple of years, we are able to be super involved, but right now we’re dead. For me, it’s not a whole lot different than what it’s been the last few Februarys where you’re still trying to get guys on the phone, talking and building relationships that way. I am really excited to go on the road, get to meet high school coaches, sit down in some living rooms and be on that end of it.”
On what makes the offense works… “I don’t know if it’s necessarily a secret, but what we do works and that’s a part of the success. At the end of the day, it comes down to the guys being able to execute it. There’s no magic play, it’s really what those guys are able to do on Saturday.”
Tennessee Volunteers defensive coordinator Tim Banks visited with the media in Knoxville on Wednesday for an offseason update on the UT defense, the new players and much more.
Tennessee Volunteers defensive coordinator Tim Banks visited with the media in Knoxville on Wednesday for an offseason update on the UT defense, the new players and much more.
Tennessee Volunteers first-year offensive coordinator Joey Halzle visited with the media on Wednesday to discuss being elevated from quarterbacks coach, the offseason, the new players and much more.
Tennessee Volunteers first-year tight ends coach Alec Abeln visited with the media on Wednesday and discussed being elevated into a coaching staff position, the offseason, his group of TEs and much more.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel has announced the addition of Andrew Goodman and former Volunteer and NFL veteran Robert Ayers Jr. to his support staff.
Goodman is the program’s new director of football operations, while Ayers Jr. will serve as a defensive graduate assistant.
Goodman comes to Knoxville after a year as the director of football operations at UConn. He was part of the Huskies’ first bowl appearance since 2015. In Storrs, he oversaw all daily internal operations, team travel logistics, high school camps, and he was the program’s liaison to multiple facets of the athletic department.
Prior to UConn, Goodman served in the same capacity at Brown University from April 2019 to December 2021. He oversaw operations and assisted in the management of the program’s operating budget, while helping the head coach in facility master planning in addition to team travel logistics and social media strategy.
Goodman was a recruiting coordinator at his alma mater of Penn State from December 2016 to March 2019. He developed and executed strategic programming for official and unofficial visits during a time that the Nittany Lions produce four consecutive top-20 heralded classes. Penn State reached two New Year’s Six bowls during his tenure, including the 2017 Rose Bowl and 2018 Fiesta Bowl. The 2018 class was tabbed sixth nationally by the 247Sports Composite ranking.
Goodman was the assistant director of football operations and recruiting at Princeton from March 2015 to December 2016 after launching his career as a player personnel intern for the Buffalo Bills in the summer of 2015 and 2016. The fall of 2015 saw the Tigers claim an Ivy League championship.
Goodman lettered at wide receiver for Penn State from 2008-11 during a period that saw the Nittany Lions win the 2008 Big Ten championship and reach the Rose Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Outback Bowl and Ticket City Bowl.
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native earned two degrees from Penn State. He received his bachelor’s degree in supply chain and information systems in 2012, and he completed his master’s degree in educational leadership in 2021.
Ayers Jr. returns to his alma mater after launching his coaching career in the Knoxville area. He served as the defensive line coach (2020) and defensive coordinator (2021) at Knoxville Catholic High School before taking the defensive coordinator position at Oak Ridge High School for the 2022 season. He excelled and was named 2022 Tennessee Class 5A Region 3 Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ayers Jr. completed an outstanding 10-year NFL career in 2018. The No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by Denver, Ayers Jr. played five seasons with the Broncos and appeared in 72 games with 142 tackles, 12 sacks and 26 tackles for loss on the defensive line. Denver made three playoff appearances during his time and won the AFC Championship in 2013 to reach Super Bowl XLVIII.
Ayers Jr. spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with the New York Giants. He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2015, setting a career high with 9.5 sacks, which led the squad. He finished that season with 41 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss.
Ayers Jr. was a disruptive defender with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2016-17. He logged 60 tackles and 8.5 sacks in his two seasons. He played his final NFL season with the Detroit Lions in 2018.
He officially announced his retirement from professional football in July 2019, finishing his career with 265 total tackles and 34.5 sacks.
Ayers Jr. earned four letters with the Vols from 2005-08 after redshirting in 2004. During his four-year on-field career, he collected 113 tackles with 31.5 tackles for loss in 48 games played at defensive end.
He led the Vols in tackles for loss in each of his final two years, totaling 27.5 during that stretch. Ayers Jr. earned first-team All-SEC honors as a senior team captain in 2008, starting all 12 games at defensive end and leading the conference with 15.5 tackles for loss. He paced the UT line with 49 total tackles—34 solo—and established himself as an NFL Draft first round pick. That spring leading up to the draft, he was named defensive most valuable player of the 2009 Senior Bowl.
Ayers Jr. shared the Andy Spiva Award as the Vols’ most improved defender in 2008, while helping UT tie for third in the country in total defense (263.5 ypg) and rank 10th in the nation in scoring defense (16.8 ppg).
He was a member of the Vols’ 2007 SEC Eastern Division championship team, registering 12 tackles for loss and four sacks while appearing in all 14 contests. He was named the team’s “Lifter of the Year” that season.
Ayers Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee in African American studies in 2008.
Ayers Jr. and his wife, Brandi, have two daughters—Brailyn and Robyn.
