BALTIMORE, Md. — Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker added yet another honor to his long list of preseason accolades, earning a spot on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list as announced by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc.
The preseason watch list, semifinalists, finalists and award recipient are selected by the distinguished Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers and former players.
The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on-and-off the field during the 2022 college football season.
The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.
This marks the fourth national award list that Hooker has been named to this preseason after also being selected for the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award and Manning Award watch lists.
Hooker set single-season program records for completion percentage (68.0) and passer efficiency rating (181.4) last fall in his debut season on Rocky Top. The redshirt senior produced 3,561 yards of total offense and 36 total touchdowns during the 2021 campaign, his first at UT after transferring to Knoxville from Virginia Tech.
The Greensboro, North Carolina, native played in all 13 games with 11 starts in 2021, completing 206-of-303 passes for 2,945 yards and 31 touchdowns with three interceptions. His 2,945 passing yards were fourth-most in the SEC, while his 9.7 yards per passing attempt ranked second in the league and fourth in the nation.
The 2022 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner will be presented the Golden Arm Award trophy by The Johnny Unitas Educational Foundation President, John Unitas, Jr., at the Golden Arm Award banquet and celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022.
The complete Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award preseason watch list can be seen HERE.
Hooker and the Volunteers open their 2022 season in primetime on Thursday, Sept. 1 against Ball State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network. Tickets for the contest can be purchased HERE.
2022 Tennessee Football Preseason Honors
R-Sr. LB Jeremy Banks Butkus Award Watch List Lott Trophy Watch List All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Coaches) All-SEC Third Team (Media) All-SEC Fourth Team (Phil Steele) Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
Sr. DB Trevon Flowers All-SEC Third Team (Coaches, Media) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon) Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
R-Sr. QB Hendon Hooker Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List Manning Award Watch List Davey O’Brien Award Watch List Maxwell Award Watch List All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Coaches, Media, Phil Steele) Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
Jr. RB Jabari Small Doak Walker Award Watch List All-SEC Third Team (Coaches, Phil Steele) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon)
R-Sr. WR Cedric Tillman Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List Biletnikoff Award Watch List Maxwell Award Watch List Third-Team All-American (Athlon, Phil Steele) All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Coaches, Phil Steele) All-SEC Second Team (Media) Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
R-Sr. TE Jacob Warren John Mackey Award Watch List Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Sr. OL Darnell Wright All-SEC Second Team (Coaches, Media) All-SEC Third Team (Phil Steele) All-SEC Fourth Team (Athlon) Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
Sr. DL/LB Byron Young All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Coaches, Media) All-SEC Second Team (Phil Steele) Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Kickoff for the 2022 Tennessee football season is one week away, and fans can enjoy several enhancements to the gameday experience at Neyland Stadium, Shields-Watkins Field this fall. For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
Fireworks, Neyland Night Lights The spectacular fireworks show that debuted last season during pregame and following UT touchdowns and victories returns in 2022. The dramatic LED light show is also back to accentuate in-game festivities. With a late sunset in September, there will be a halftime light show for the season-opener against Ball State and the Sept. 17 contest versus Akron.
New Videoboards, North End Zone Social Deck New state-of-the-art videoboards are prominently displayed in the north and south end zones this season. For the first time in Neyland Stadium history, a videoboard will reside in the north end zone as part of the new North End Zone Social Deck.
The North End Zone Social Deck is a premium area that offers fans a unique view with a sports bar feel and upgraded amenities with the new north videoboard as a backdrop. The deck will offer an all-local craft beer assortment on tap that will rotate throughout the season. Additionally, a new walk-through market with innovative technology that allows fans to self-checkout is available. A separate ticket is required to access the new North End Zone Social Deck.
Toyota Volunteer Village Toyota Volunteer Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. New this season will be a video wall for fans to check out other games around college football. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. A new food court debuts, along with appearances by Smokey and the Spirit Squad. Vol Village, located across from Circle Park, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Vol Village opens 3 ½ hours prior to kickoff and will open at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 1.
Truly’s Tailgate Located outside Gate 9, fans can stop by for food and drinks at Truly’s Tailgate. Fans may enter Truly’s prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s. New food options this season include Texas Roadhouse and Big Orange Bites. For any game starting later than noon ET, Truly’s will open four hours prior to kickoff. For a noon kickoff, the tailgate will open at 9 a.m. Truly’s will stay open throughout the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks, television entertainment and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
VolShop NIL Gear Looking for custom game jerseys or t-shirts of your favorite player? VolShop, located near Section A on Concourse 1 of Neyland Stadium, will be selling exclusive NIL merchandise all season. Custom jersey options are available at utvolshop.com as well and at the VolShop Student Union location throughout the week.
The Return of V-O-L-S Letters For the first time in over a decade, the iconic V-O-L-S letters will rise gloriously on the south end of Neyland Stadium. Two sets with an orange background and white lettering have been installed as part of stadium upgrades this offseason under the leadership of Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. The original V-O-L-S letters featured a white background and orange lettering that debuted in the summer of 1966. As part of renovations prior to the 1976 season, the design of the letters shifted to white lettering with an orange background. Due to Neyland Stadium’s videoboard being replaced, the letters were removed entirely from the stadium in the summer of 2009. The photo-friendly, timeless tradition has been restored.
New Beer Kiosk Following kickoff, fans will find a new beer kiosk located outside of Gate 21. Similar to Truly’s Tailgate, fans with a game ticket will be able to grab a beverage and return to their seats.
Additional Campus Restroom Options Additional restroom options for fans will be located throughout campus on gameday, including Toyota Volunteer Village and Lot 9. Restrooms in Thompson-Boling Arena will also be available beginning four hours prior to kickoff.
New Digital Ticketing and Parking Reminders Fans are reminded that tickets and parking passes to the 2022 Tennessee football season are digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud.
Fans will gain admission into all venues via a unique bar code via SafeTix, which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android).
All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. At various Neyland Stadium gates, fans will enter via pedestal scanners that feature two scanning methods:
Fans with tickets added to their Apple/Google Wallet (recommended) will tap near the top portion of the pedestal and enter.
Fans with tickets loaded in their Tennessee Athletics app can scan their own bar code on the middle portion of the pedestal and enter.
PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY.
Fans entering Neyland Stadium via Gate 21, Gate 10 and Truly’s Tailgate will take part in a new walkthrough weapons detection systems prior to scanning their ticket. Fans should have their mobile devices out and ready to scan, but they will not have to remove keys or wallets from their pockets.
Blake Shelton’s new single at country radio is “No Body.”
Blake shares with everybody the meaning behind the title of “No Body,” “I love the song ‘No Body’ because the hook has such a twist to it. People hear the song…they think, ‘what does “No body but yours” mean?’ No body but yours…No. Body. Like, your body. No body…but yours. That’s what it’s about.”
Check out the music video for Blake Shelton’s “No Body.”
Congrats to Chris Young & Mitchell Tenpenny as their song “At The End Of A Bar” is the number-one song in country music this week.
Talking about the song topping the chart, Chris says “Writing At The End Of A Bar with Mitchell Tenpenny and Chris De Stefano and then me and Chris getting to produce it together. Like all of this craziness has been so awesome to be able to celebrate a huge number one. It’s the first number one I’ve got co-producing with De Stefano. It’s my 13th Number one, it’s Mitchell’s second number one. And I’m just so proud of this song. I mean, it’s one of those things that I hoped would connect with people. But just seeing the reaction live and seeing it continue to grow over the past several months has just been absolutely incredible. And I’m so grateful to have another number one at the top of the charts with ‘At The End Of A Bar’.“
“At The End Of A Bar” is from Chris Young’s album, Famous Friends.
As Thomas Rhett is out on his Bring The Bar To You tour – word comes that his extending the run of shows into 2023 – and bringing the tour to Canada.
Thomas says “It’s been an absolute blast being back out on the road this summer and we are so excited to take the tour to Canada next year.”
Bringing openers Jordan Davis and Kameron Marlowe, Rhett adds, “It feels like forever since we were last able to play for those fans. They always bring an insane amount of energy and we cannot wait to get up there and see them again.”
The dates for Thomas Rhett’s 2023 Canadian run of shows are;
2/9/2023 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena 2/11/2023 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place 2/12/2023 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome 2/16/2023 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre 2/17/2023 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre 2/18/2023 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre 2/21/2023 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens 2/22/2023 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena 2/24/2023 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre 2/25/2023 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
Thomas Rhett’s current single at country radio is “Half Of Me” which features Riley Green.
As Tennessee approaches Year 2 under Josh Huepel, the Vol Nation is excited about the prospects of a potential second-place finish in the SEC East division.
Roman Harper of the SEC Network has even forecast the Vols will go 10-2, losing only to Alabama and LSU during the regular season and upsetting the defending national champions, Georgia.
The Vols surprised many last year by winning seven games and making a bowl game.
To surpass last year’s win total, the Vols must improve in several areas.
Here’s a look at what UT did last year and whether UT will better those stats.
Can UT score 39.3 points per game again this season?
In the second year of Josh Heupel’s system, the Vols should be just as productive as Year One.
Hendon Hooker figures to be the second-best quarterback in the SEC. Cedric Tillman will likely catch over 70 passes. Running back Jabari Small, if he can stay healthy, can crack 1,000 rushing yards, if not 1,200. The offensive line returns four starters.
And while you might think defenses could catch up to UT’s attack, the Vols face only three defensive coordinators that they played against last year.
Look for Tennessee to score at least 30 points in all but three games. Look for the Vols to score at least 40 in seven games.
That will allow UT to average more than 39.3 points per game and set another school record for points scored.
Can UT average 217.8 rushing yards per game?
When people think of an uptempo, spread offense, they think pass, pass, pass.
But UT has a run-first scheme, which sets up the pass game.
The Vols averaged almost 220 rush yards per game last season. They did it without a back gaining over 800 yards. They did it when their best back, Tiyan Evans, quit the team in November. They did it without a great offensive line. But they also did it because Hooker ran for 616 net yards.
UT would like for Hooker to run less, which makes sense against the lesser opponents on the schedule.
Jabari Small gained about 12 pounds in the offseason to help his stamina, strength and availability. He was banged up several times last year.
Jalyen Wright, freshmen Dylan Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas should provide UT with enough depth to average even more yards than a year ago.
Three keys will be (1) staying healthy (2) converting in short-yardage situations and (3) success in the four-minute offense.
Will UT average 474.9 total yards?
Tennessee will average 14 to 16 possessions per game. That’s two to four more series than most teams.
That will allow UT to rack up more yards. But the key is balance.
UT averaged 217.8 rush yards per game last year and 257.1 passing.
That’s strikes the balance you want.
Look for UT to average over 220 on the ground, 270 in the air and 490 total – which will rank among the top three in the SEC.
The total will rank among the top three in the SEC.
Can UT improve on allowing 421.7 total yards per game?
No defense will post great numbers with an uptempo offense on the other side.
The barometer isn’t allowing 14 points or less than 300 yards per game. It’s making a stop when you
have to, protecting a lead in the fourth quarter with a key sack or forced turnover.
Given that, don’t expect UT’s defense to rank among the top eight in the SEC (it was 11th last year).
The Vols will give right at 400 yards per game. The Vols will allow more than 24 points per game (after allowing 29.1 last year).
And the more the offense scores, the more the defense will allow. Why? Because opponents will be forced to throw more to catch up and UT will insert backups, thus skewing the defensive numbers.
The more pertinent defensive numbers to watch are what happens in the first half.
If UT can hold opponents to less than 14 points in the first half, that’s a win, especially for an offense that averaged over 14 points in the first quarter. Last year, UT allowed 16.6 points per game in the first half of the regular season.
Will third-down defense improve?
Tennessee allowed opponents to convert 42% on third down, ranking 13th in the SEC and 94th in the nation.
If that happens again, Tennessee won’t finish second in the East division and might not finish ranked in the top 25.
UT was better at stopping opponents when it was third-and-short. But when it was third-and-medium or third-and-long, the secondary got torched.
My biggest concern about UT’s team is cornerback. The corners were awful against Purdue in the Music City Bowl. And while UT has a lot of bodies from which to chose, I’m not sure how are SEC caliber.
The secondary could get a huge boost if defensive ends Byron Young, Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison
can mount a consistent four-man pass rush. That trio needs to combine for at least 22 sacks.
Short yardage offense
Tennessee’s offense doesn’t play complementary football. It tries to score and score as fast as possible.
That means the defense doesn’t get much rest and has to play a plethora of snaps. UT’s defense played over 100 snaps against Kentucky last season.
Hooker even apologized to the defense at times last year for scoring so quickly.
While the uptempo attack doesn’t give the defense a rest, there is one way the offense could help the defense: third-down conversions in short-yardage situations.
Offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said there is one way to correct that issue: Sign Eddie George.
But George isn’t available. He’s also 48.
So the Vols must rely on the backs at hand.
A power back would help. So would a more physical offensive line. But coaches have bragged on the ability of Jabari Small, who hits the mesh point hard and keeps churning his legs. He might be the answer on third-and-1.
I’ll say UT does a better job this season of converting on third-and-short but not by a wide margin.
Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all (The BKW Festival is Sept. 4) http://www,bigkahunawings.com
Here’s an updated list of University of Tennessee players in the National Football League after the 2nd roster cutdown in the 2022 preseason, from 85 to 80 players.
You’ll also see a list of players that were once at UT as well as other Knoxville area players that played at other schools.
I’ve included depth chart listings from either the team’s “unofficial” depth chart or Ourlads’ reported depth charts.
That’s all below now, and often, here on my blog “Vince’s View.”
Recent Transactions *One-time Vols LB DeAndre Johnson waived by Dolphins (8/23) *One-time Vols TE Eli Wolf waived by Packers (7/22); signed by Commanders (8/7); placed on IR (8/22) *Knoxville area OL Nathan Gilliam waived by Steelers (8/16); signed by Bengals (8/19) *VFL WR Josh Malone waived by Titans (8/16) *Knoxville area RB Nathan Cottrell waived/injured by Jaguars (8/7); added to IR (8/8); waived injury settlement (8/16) *VFL DB Bryce Thompson waived by Saints (8/10); added to IR (8/11); waived injury settlement (8/15) *VFL DB Micah Abernathy signed by Packers (8/10) *VFL rookie DB Kenneth George Jr. waived by Titans (8/9) *VFL TE Alex Ellis waived by Cardinals from the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list (7/26) *One-time Vols OL Jahmir Johnson waived by Packers in injury settlement (July) *One-time Vols DL Savion Williams waived by Jets (Summer)
Notes *VFL Kahlil McKenzie is back on offense with the Ravens, working at guard *There’s one additional VFL in the NFL not on a roster – TE Ethan Wolf (Saints) on IR *One-time Vols TE Eli Wolf is in the NFL with Washington, but on IR and not on an expanded roster *18 of 32 teams have a VFL on their roster *There are 8 ex-Vols that finished college at others schools currently on NFL teams *There are 9 Knoxville-area players that did not attend UT currently on NFL teams
Tennessee Volunteers On Expanded NFL Rosters as of 8/25/22 (28) x = rookie AFC East (0) NONE – Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
AFC North (5) OT – Ja’Wuan James (71) Baltimore Ravens (2nd team LT) DT – Kahlil McKenzie (69) Baltimore Ravens (3rd team RG) QB – Joshua Dobbs (15) Cleveland Browns (3rd team QB) RB – John Kelly (41) Cleveland Browns (6th team RB) DB – Cameron Sutton (20) Pittsburgh Steelers (Starting RCB) NONE – Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South (3) LB – Jalen Reeves-Maybin (34) Houston Texans (3rd team OLB) LS – Morgan Cox (46) Tennessee Titans (LS) DB – Theo Jackson (29) Tennessee Titans-x (2nd team S) NONE – Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC West (6) DE – Jonathan Kongbo (90) Denver Broncos (3rd team SLB) OL – Trey Smith (65) Kansas City Chiefs (Starting RG) FB – Jakob Johnson (45) Las Vegas Raiders (FB) DT – Kendal Vickers (95) Las Vegas Raiders (3rd team DT) DL – Matthew Butler (73) Las Vegas Raiders-x (3rd team DT) WR – Joshua Palmer (5) Los Angeles Chargers (2nd team WR) NONE – 0
NFC East (1) DE – Derek Barnett (96) Philadelphia Eagles (2nd team DE) NONE – Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Commanders
NFC North (2) WR – Velus Jones Jr. (12) Chicago Bears-x (2nd team WR/PR/KR) DB – Micah Abernathy (46) Green Bay Packers (3rd team S) NONE – Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings
NFC South (6) WR – Cordarrelle Patterson (84) Atlanta Falcons (Starting RB) OL – Cade Mays (64) Carolina Panthers-x (3rd team RG) RB – Alvin Kamara (41) New Orleans Saints (Starting RB) DT – Shy Tuttle (99) New Orleans Saints (Starting DT) WR – Marquez Callaway (1) New Orleans Saints (2nd team WR) CB – Alontae Taylor (27) New Orleans Saints-x (2nd team RCB) NONE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West (5) WR – JaVonta Payton (32) Arizona Cardinals-x (4th team Slot WR) CB – Emmanuel Moseley (4) San Francisco 49ers (Startinf LCB) WR – Jauan Jennings (15) San Francisco 49ers (2nd team WR) DE – Darrell Taylor (52) Seattle Seahawks (Starting OLB) CB – Justin Coleman (24) Seattle Seahawks (2nd team CB) NONE – Los Angeles Rams
Injured Reserve List – VFLs (Not on 80-Player Roster) TE – Ethan Wolf (Saints)
VFL Free Agents – Recently in NFL TE – Jason Croom DT – Malik Jackson P – Michael Palardy DE – Kyle Phillips DB – Nigel Warrior LB – Alexander Johnson P – Dustin Colquitt TE – Luke Stocker QB – Tyler Bray TE – Alex Ellis DB – Kenneth George Jr.-x WR – Josh Malone CB – Bryce Thompson
One-Time Vols That Transferred To Other Schools On NFL Rosters (6) QB – Jarrett Guarantano (16) Arizona Cardinals (U. of Tennessee/Washington)-x (4th team QB) QB – Nathan Peterman (14) Chicago Bears (U. of Tennessee/Pitt) (3rd team QB) WR – Brandon Johnson (89) Denver Broncos (U. of Tennessee/UCF)-x (3rd team WR) P – Tommy Townsend (5) Kansas City Chiefs (U. of Tennessee/Florida) (Starting P) WR – Preston Williams (18) Miami Dolphins (U. of Tennessee/Colorado St) (2nd team WR) RB – Ty Chandler (32) Minnesota Vikings (U. of Tennessee/North Carolina)-x (4th team RB/3rd team KR)
Active Knoxville Area Players That Didn’t Play At UT on NFL Rosters (9) WR – Tee Higgins (85) Cincinnati Bengals (Oak Ridge HS/Clemson) (Starting WR) OG – Nate Gilliam (66) Cincinnati Bengals (Farragut HS/Wake Forest) (4th team RG) LB – Devin Harper (50) Dallas Cowboys (Karns HS/Oklahoma St.)-x (3rd team MLB) WR – Randall Cobb (18) Green Bay Packers (Alcoa HS/Kentucky) (Starting Slot WR) WR – Amari Rodgers (8) Green Bay Packers (Catholic HS/Clemson) (2nd team Slot WR/Starting PR/2nd team KR) QB – Trevor Lawrence (16) Jacksonville Jaguars (Born in Knoxville, did not go to HS locally/Clemson) (Starting QB) OL – Darian Kinnard (75) Kansas City Chiefs (Grew up in Knoxville, did not go to HS locally/Kentucky)-x (2nd team RG) S – Harrison Smith (22) Minnesota Vikings (Catholic HS/Notre Dame) (Starting S) OG – Cole Strange (69) New England Patriots (Farragut HS/Chattanooga)-x (Starting LG)
Injured Reserve List – Non VFLs (Not on 80-Player Roster) TE – Eli Wolf – Commanders (U. of Tennessee/Georgia)
Non-VFL Free Agents Recently In NFL WR – Jalen Hurd (U. of Tennessee/Baylor) TE – Daniel Helm (U. of Tennessee/Duke) OL – Marcus Tatum (U. of Tennessee/UCF)-x RB – Nathan Cottrell (West HS/Georgia Tech) OL – Jahmir Johnson (U. of Tennessee/Texas A&M)-x DL – DeAndre Johnson (U. of Tennessee/Miami)-x DL – Savion Williams (U. of Tennessee/Florida A&M)-x
Arlington, TX – September 27, 2021 – AT&T Stadium: Ezekiel Elliott (21) of the Dallas Cowboys and Derek Barnett (96) of the Philadelphia Eagles during a Monday Night Football game.
(Photo by Allen Kee / ESPN Images)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media following Wednesday’s practice at Haslam Field to talk about the strides his defense has made this fall heading into this year’s season opener against Ball State on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Neyland Stadium.
The talk throughout the offseason centered around adding some more pieces to a defensive unit that was really good at times a year ago but lacked the overall depth that the coaching staff would have liked.
That added depth and a full year in the system has Banks feeling good about where his defense is at just eight days out from the season opener.
“They have made a ton of progress through this point,” Banks said. “Going through another spring and summer, the guys understand a lot of the base principles that we have in place. We have some new guys in the program who are working their way through it, but based on where we were a year ago, we are definitely ahead and feel like we are headed in the right direction.”
Due to the Vols’ quick-strike, up-tempo offense, having more depth should provide a major boost of the defensive side of the ball this season as Banks and his staff will look to get more players in the mix and rotate in to keep everyone fresh throughout the game.
“The style in which we play, we are going to play a lot of snaps, and the offense is going to score a ton of touchdowns, and we will have a lot of opportunities to go out there and have success,” Banks said. “The more players you are able to play, the better it is for our long-term future as well as immediate success.
“We have worked hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what we are doing. We split the groups up and tried to even out the reps in order to figure out who are best guys are and to have enough depth, and that will pay dividends moving forward.”
One area in particular where the increased depth could be the most notable is along the defensive line, and Banks mentioned his excitement to see how that group performs this season.
“That’s obviously one of the key positions, not just defensive tackle, but the defensive line in general,” Banks said. “You talk about being able to play more guys and I think that’s a spot in particular where you want to make sure that you’re able to rotate those guys and not have any drop off.
“I don’t think there will be much of a drop off between who’s in and who’s out. I think all of those guys collectively have had a really good camp thus far and we’re looking forward to watching those guys perform Thursday. The reality of it is, we’ll go as far as our front goes. Those guys know that. Everybody has a job to do on every single play. But those guys are the tip of the spear and they’ve really worked hard.”
More “Relaxed” Hendon Hooker Ready to Take Offense to New Heights
While the defense looks to be much improved, behind the leadership of redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker, Tennessee’s high-flying offense will look to be even better than last year when it ranked among the national leaders in scoring and total offense.
When meeting with the media on Wednesday, Hooker talked about being more relaxed and having more fun heading into this season compared to where he was a year ago.
“Just being relaxed. Not being to antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there,” Hooker said when asked what changed most about his game this offseason.
“My teammates, they encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to. So, really just doing my day-to-day emphasis, which is just getting better and focusing on leading, in the classroom, getting on film, communicating at a high level, has been something I have been trying to work on.”
Next Thursday’s season opener will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for the contest can be purchased HERE.
On the progress the defense has made in his system… “They’ve made a ton of progress through this point. Obviously, going through another spring and summer, a lot of the base principles that we had in place, I think those guys really truly understand it. We obviously have some new guys in the program kind of working their way through it. But if you wanted to say where we are now based on where we were a year ago, we’re definitely ahead and feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”
On what has surprised him the most this preseason… “I don’t know that I’m surprised, to be honest with you. Having done this for many years, I feel like we are exactly where we need to be. The guys are really working extremely hard; the freshmen that we have recruited, we knew they had talent, but we also knew that there would be a learning curve, and both of those things have held true. I don’t know that there have been many surprises right now. I feel like year two of the program, everyone understands exactly what to expect and how we go about our business. Everybody is really working hard that way, and there really haven’t been any surprises to this point.”
On comparing the defense to when he began coaching… “We did not have a ton of depth when we got here, and we really did not know our players, so we are trying to figure out exactly what their strengths and obviously what their liabilities were. Going through spring and a season, we know exactly what our veterans bring to the table and what their liabilities are, and we have obviously worked very, very hard to make them strengths. As far as the guys that jump out or guys that maybe the common fan doesn’t know, I think it is really the usual suspects. I think Tyler Baron has had a really good camp for us. I feel like on the backend, T-Mac [Tamarion McDonald] has come along and is doing a tremendous job for us, along with Tank [Jaylen McCollough] and [Trevon] Flowers. Then obviously B.Y. [Byron Young]. He jumps out. He is a guy that has worked really hard on his craft, and he obviously made a ton of plays for us last year, but he would be the first one to tell you he wanted to reaffirm his skillset in terms of timing, his hand placement and things of that nature. I think he has really taken another step, and we are really excited to see all of those guys perform next Thursday.”
On the starting secondary come week one… “We have some veterans that have played a lot of football, from Flowers who I mentioned earlier to Tank [Jaylen McCollough], who’s played obviously, [Warren] Burrell, who’s played. Those guys have played a lot of football for us. They would be the first ones to tell you that they have all been interchangeable all spring and even the fall. Exactly what position those guys will play on Thursday, I think we are still working through that, but those three names jump to mind. We feel pretty good that those guys will be out there in some form or fashion, but we will see what position.”
On how the depth has helped prepare for the season… “The style in which we play, we are going to play a lot of snaps, and the offense is going to score a ton of touchdowns, and we will have a lot of opportunities to go out there and have success. The more players you are able to play, the better it is for our long-term future as well as immediate success. We have worked hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what we are doing. We split the groups up and tried to even out the reps in order to figure out who our best guys are and to have enough depth, and that will pay dividends moving forward.”
On Tamarion McDonald’s improvement… “He has always been a talented kid. He has limited experience at defensive back going back to his high school days. Every snap he took last year was an investment, and he really worked hard to be able to redeem it this year. The big thing is the consistency that he has performed with last spring and this fall. We are excited about him. He is a big-body kid who can run, is physical, and we think he has a chance to be a really good player for us and contribute at a high level this season.”
On how he feels third-down defense has improved… “You look for evidence in clues during practice, and there have been some clues that we will play at a high level. At the end of the day, you have to do it next Thursday and Saturdays moving forward. The third down was something we talked about last year, but I told the guys this is a new year. We got some returning players, but the chemistry is different and there are different players in some spots. We are just going to go out there and execute, whether it’s first down, second down, third down, red zone, you name it, we just want to execute at a high level, and when the season is over, we will see how we fare.”
On what he’s liked about Kamal Hadden and Christian Charles… “[Kamal] Hadden is very athletic, and he’s a tough kid. He has a tremendous amount of confidence, energy and juice. Obviously being able to get him back has been very important to us, being able to get more reps and clean up some things that he wanted to work on and things that we’ve identified coming out of last fall. He’s worked very hard, and we’re excited to see him play next week. As far as [Christian] Charles goes, he’s been a warrior. He’s a kid that’s extremely physical. He’s a guy that has the ability to play on the hash. He got some reps at corner. I think his overall grasp as a package has improved greatly. I think he understands a lot more in detail in terms of what we’re trying to get accomplished based on every different coverage that we have. I think that will bode well for him moving forward. Both of those guys are going to contribute. We’re excited to have them and can’t wait to see these guys play.”
On what the cornerback position will look like… “It’s still kind of evolving. We’ll have a number in mind in terms of how many guys we want to play. The lions share the reps so to speak. But to be able to say definitively what that looks like, I don’t know that right now, and I’m not prepared to share that right now. We’re going to play guys. Like I told the guys in the first meeting, ‘you get what you deserve.’ If you work really hard and you’re consistent in the things, we’ve asked you to be consistent with then you’ll have an opportunity to go out there and play. We feel like we’ve made some strides in that area and developed some depth. Obviously, we’ll see come Thursday night who’s exactly ready to go, and we’ll have a plan for it.”
On the current depth of defensive tackle… “That’s obviously one of the key positions, not just defensive tackle, but the defensive line in general. You talk about being able to play more guys, and I think that’s a spot in particular where you want to make sure that you’re able to rotate those guys and not have any drop off. The usual suspects, between Bump [LaTrell Bumphus], between Elijah [Simmons], D.J. [Da’Jon Terry], those guys will be able to come in, Prime [Kurott Garland] (as well). I think all of those guys will play a significant role with us. I don’t think there will be much of a drop off between who’s in and who’s out. I think all of those guys collectively have had a really good camp thus far, and we’re looking forward to watching those guys perform Thursday. The reality of it is, we’ll go as far as our front goes. Those guys know that. Everybody has a job to do on every single play. But those guys are the tip of the spear and they’ve really worked hard. We’re anxious to see them show it on Thursday night.”
On the anticipated contribution from freshmen Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. … “We’re excited. Those guys have been as good as advertised in terms of athleticism that they bring to the table during lift. They’re polished in terms that they’ve come from good football programs. We feel like they were prepared, as much as you can be, coming to the collegiate level. We anticipate them playing. I think those guys will obviously contribute. How much? We’ll see, but we’re counting on those guys, and we need those guys to play well for us to continue to grow this defense and bring some added speed and athleticism to.”
On Juwan Mitchell and how confidence in the linebacker role has changed since the spring… “I feel a ton better about it to be quite honest with you. Ju [Juwan Mitchell] has really picked up where he left off before he got dinged up last fall. He has a better grasp of the defense, I should say. He’s been better in terms of his leadership, trying to be more vocal, taking command of the defense so to speak. He’s been good. I think he’s in a good place where he’s ready to go and he’s tuned up. But I think with Jeremy [Banks] and obviously [Aaron] Beasley, you put Pakk [Kwauze Garland] in there, we feel like we’ve got some guys that will be able to contribute. [Solon] Page III is another guy who comes to mind, so we feel like we’ve got enough guys there that we will be able to keep guys fresh and put guys in the game, and it won’t be much of a drop off that way.”
On the impact new players like Andre Turrentine and Wesley Walker can make this season… “We like Wes [Walker] a ton. Dre [Andre Turrentine] is a little bit younger, so he’s still working his way through it, just like most freshmen. Obviously at the other spot (Ohio State), he was there a year, but in our mind, he’s really just a freshman. Wes has obviously played some snaps, even though it was somewhere else. He has a little bit more of a veteran mentality. Obviously, he’s been in some battles, so we expect him to contribute, and have an opportunity to really help this defense moving forward. I think Dre is still working through it. At some point, I think he’ll be ready to be able to contribute. Whether it be on defense, (special) teams, or what have you. But we’re uber glad and excited that those guys are here, and we feel like they’re going to help us in terms of being able to play better defense.”
On the guys competing at the corner spots… “There is definitely still a lot of competition going on. Right now, we are just rotating guys trying to see who understands the defense the most, who can relay a cause the most and who can play the fastest, right? There are a lot of guys that can definitely play at a high level at those spots. Right now, we are just trying to see who will fit best in which spots. Whether it is the field, boundary or whatever the case may be. We will be alright.”
On how pass defense last year is analyzed this season… “Last year was last year, we are on to the next. We do take pride and we have to take pride in that. We know what we can be. We can be a great defense and we know how much talent we have at every level on the defensive side. We have taken pride in a lot of things last year, but last year is last year, this is a new year. We will show the whole world what we are capable of.”
On Jaylen McCollough’s offseason improvements… “Oh man, Jaylen has improved so much in every aspect and category of the game. You can tell he is more locked in. He sees it, he sees the vision, he is way more mature, and his body has gotten way better. Everything about him, the way he carries himself has increased tremendously. He has been great and has had an amazing offseason. I think he will do great things this year for sure.”
On what he wanted to improve on during the offseason… “I just have to take the next step, I got to make more plays. My ball skills are good, I got to be able to show everybody my balls skills. Literally everything and every category I can improve. From tackling to being a leader, play-calling, to seeing formation and seeing what the offense likes to do. I have looked back at myself and had to tell myself I need to be better. I don’t think I did great last year, honestly. I know I can do way more so, I am just locked in and ready to improve.”
On keeping the momentum through each quarter of a game… “We all do. We all want to finish how we start. A couple of times last year we didn’t do that, so just making that a big deal of just finishing everything, finishing drives. If we get down there in the red zone, you know, we need six, so just making a big emphasis on just finishing everything. It is not just talking to the offense, but team wide. Making sure everybody is locked in and has that same competitive nature throughout the whole game.”
On his biggest growth from this time a year ago… “Just being relaxed. Not being too antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there with my teammates. They encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to. So, really just doing my day-to-day emphasis, which is just getting better and focusing on leading, in the classroom, getting on film, communicating at a high-level has been something I have been trying to work on.”
On how his relationship with Coach Heupel has grown… “Definitely a family feeling. From day one, coach Heupel came in with the attitude of: we want to win ball games and that’s what I’m here to do. As well as just being aggressive, so to speak, and what I mean by that is just having a mindset to just go out there and try to dominate. That’s what I try to do when I approach the field and play like it’s my last. So, him bringing that approach to the team, as well as being a great listener. Understanding what the team needs in every aspect, not just in the building but in life as well. You never know what some of the players are going through. So, just him being very appealing to every player and very down to Earth. I think he’s the best coach in America.”
On the offensive line throughout fall camp… “They’re doing a great job. A lot of communication from them this camp for sure. They’re asking us what we think, what we like in some different looks. We’re doing the same from the quarterback and running back standpoint. You know, they work hard every day no matter how they feel. You know that up tempo is tough on those big guys so them just persevering through all that and keeping that same mind set of ‘Come on we got to finish.’ We have to push through whatever pain we’re feeling. It’s bigger than us. They have had that team attitude so I’m excited to see them full-go.”
On his comfort level as a receiver and potentially a returner… “I’ve kind of just been taking it day-by-day, learning from the other guys like Cedric Tillman, Ramel Keyton, Princeton Fant, Jacob Warren, the guys that have been here and instilling the little things that they have been taught to do. I have kind of just been going up under their wing. Kickoff return wise, I did it last year. I mean, I have always been a return guy, so having the opportunity to do that, just trying to put my best foot forward for this team.”
On how he has worked to elevate his game… “I would just say speed, coming at the ball. In year two, trusting my hands more. I think transitioning in the first year of the offense, kind of struggled with catching the ball. Still, it’s a day-to-day thing, just catching the balls every day.”
On the transition to receiver from quarterback… “It solely was my decision. I mean, I wasn’t really approached to play receiver. I always wanted to. I always felt like I was better using my speed at other positions but really felt the love with receiver. Just having the opportunity to use my speed to get open for the guys. I would say (I was comfortable with the) transition to when coach Heupel got here, the coaching. More coaching made me feel comfortable with what I was doing at receiver.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media following Wednesday’s practice at Haslam Field to talk about the strides his defense has made this fall heading into this year’s season opener against Ball State on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Neyland Stadium.
The talk throughout the offseason centered around adding some more pieces to a defensive unit that was really good at times a year ago but lacked the overall depth that the coaching staff would have liked.
That added depth and a full year in the system has Banks feeling good about where his defense is at just eight days out from the season opener.
“They have made a ton of progress through this point,” Banks said. “Going through another spring and summer, the guys understand a lot of the base principles that we have in place. We have some new guys in the program who are working their way through it, but based on where we were a year ago, we are definitely ahead and feel like we are headed in the right direction.”
Due to the Vols’ quick-strike, up-tempo offense, having more depth should provide a major boost of the defensive side of the ball this season as Banks and his staff will look to get more players in the mix and rotate in to keep everyone fresh throughout the game.
“The style in which we play, we are going to play a lot of snaps, and the offense is going to score a ton of touchdowns, and we will have a lot of opportunities to go out there and have success,” Banks said. “The more players you are able to play, the better it is for our long-term future as well as immediate success.
“We have worked hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what we are doing. We split the groups up and tried to even out the reps in order to figure out who are best guys are and to have enough depth, and that will pay dividends moving forward.”
One area in particular where the increased depth could be the most notable is along the defensive line, and Banks mentioned his excitement to see how that group performs this season.
“That’s obviously one of the key positions, not just defensive tackle, but the defensive line in general,” Banks said. “You talk about being able to play more guys and I think that’s a spot in particular where you want to make sure that you’re able to rotate those guys and not have any drop off.
“I don’t think there will be much of a drop off between who’s in and who’s out. I think all of those guys collectively have had a really good camp thus far and we’re looking forward to watching those guys perform Thursday. The reality of it is, we’ll go as far as our front goes. Those guys know that. Everybody has a job to do on every single play. But those guys are the tip of the spear and they’ve really worked hard.”
More “Relaxed” Hendon Hooker Ready to Take Offense to New Heights
While the defense looks to be much improved, behind the leadership of redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker, Tennessee’s high-flying offense will look to be even better than last year when it ranked among the national leaders in scoring and total offense.
When meeting with the media on Wednesday, Hooker talked about being more relaxed and having more fun heading into this season compared to where he was a year ago.
“Just being relaxed. Not being to antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there,” Hooker said when asked what changed most about his game this offseason.
“My teammates, they encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to. So, really just doing my day-to-day emphasis, which is just getting better and focusing on leading, in the classroom, getting on film, communicating at a high level, has been something I have been trying to work on.”
Next Thursday’s season opener will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for the contest can be purchased HERE.
On the progress the defense has made in his system… “They’ve made a ton of progress through this point. Obviously, going through another spring and summer, a lot of the base principles that we had in place, I think those guys really truly understand it. We obviously have some new guys in the program kind of working their way through it. But if you wanted to say where we are now based on where we were a year ago, we’re definitely ahead and feel like we’re headed in the right direction.”
On what has surprised him the most this preseason… “I don’t know that I’m surprised, to be honest with you. Having done this for many years, I feel like we are exactly where we need to be. The guys are really working extremely hard; the freshmen that we have recruited, we knew they had talent, but we also knew that there would be a learning curve, and both of those things have held true. I don’t know that there have been many surprises right now. I feel like year two of the program, everyone understands exactly what to expect and how we go about our business. Everybody is really working hard that way, and there really haven’t been any surprises to this point.”
On comparing the defense to when he began coaching… “We did not have a ton of depth when we got here, and we really did not know our players, so we are trying to figure out exactly what their strengths and obviously what their liabilities were. Going through spring and a season, we know exactly what our veterans bring to the table and what their liabilities are, and we have obviously worked very, very hard to make them strengths. As far as the guys that jump out or guys that maybe the common fan doesn’t know, I think it is really the usual suspects. I think Tyler Baron has had a really good camp for us. I feel like on the backend, T-Mac [Tamarion McDonald] has come along and is doing a tremendous job for us, along with Tank [Jaylen McCollough] and [Trevon] Flowers. Then obviously B.Y. [Byron Young]. He jumps out. He is a guy that has worked really hard on his craft, and he obviously made a ton of plays for us last year, but he would be the first one to tell you he wanted to reaffirm his skillset in terms of timing, his hand placement and things of that nature. I think he has really taken another step, and we are really excited to see all of those guys perform next Thursday.”
On the starting secondary come week one… “We have some veterans that have played a lot of football, from Flowers who I mentioned earlier to Tank [Jaylen McCollough], who’s played obviously, [Warren] Burrell, who’s played. Those guys have played a lot of football for us. They would be the first ones to tell you that they have all been interchangeable all spring and even the fall. Exactly what position those guys will play on Thursday, I think we are still working through that, but those three names jump to mind. We feel pretty good that those guys will be out there in some form or fashion, but we will see what position.”
On how the depth has helped prepare for the season… “The style in which we play, we are going to play a lot of snaps, and the offense is going to score a ton of touchdowns, and we will have a lot of opportunities to go out there and have success. The more players you are able to play, the better it is for our long-term future as well as immediate success. We have worked hard to make sure everyone is comfortable with what we are doing. We split the groups up and tried to even out the reps in order to figure out who our best guys are and to have enough depth, and that will pay dividends moving forward.”
On Tamarion McDonald’s improvement… “He has always been a talented kid. He has limited experience at defensive back going back to his high school days. Every snap he took last year was an investment, and he really worked hard to be able to redeem it this year. The big thing is the consistency that he has performed with last spring and this fall. We are excited about him. He is a big-body kid who can run, is physical, and we think he has a chance to be a really good player for us and contribute at a high level this season.”
On how he feels third-down defense has improved… “You look for evidence in clues during practice, and there have been some clues that we will play at a high level. At the end of the day, you have to do it next Thursday and Saturdays moving forward. The third down was something we talked about last year, but I told the guys this is a new year. We got some returning players, but the chemistry is different and there are different players in some spots. We are just going to go out there and execute, whether it’s first down, second down, third down, red zone, you name it, we just want to execute at a high level, and when the season is over, we will see how we fare.”
On what he’s liked about Kamal Hadden and Christian Charles… “[Kamal] Hadden is very athletic, and he’s a tough kid. He has a tremendous amount of confidence, energy and juice. Obviously being able to get him back has been very important to us, being able to get more reps and clean up some things that he wanted to work on and things that we’ve identified coming out of last fall. He’s worked very hard, and we’re excited to see him play next week. As far as [Christian] Charles goes, he’s been a warrior. He’s a kid that’s extremely physical. He’s a guy that has the ability to play on the hash. He got some reps at corner. I think his overall grasp as a package has improved greatly. I think he understands a lot more in detail in terms of what we’re trying to get accomplished based on every different coverage that we have. I think that will bode well for him moving forward. Both of those guys are going to contribute. We’re excited to have them and can’t wait to see these guys play.”
On what the cornerback position will look like… “It’s still kind of evolving. We’ll have a number in mind in terms of how many guys we want to play. The lions share the reps so to speak. But to be able to say definitively what that looks like, I don’t know that right now, and I’m not prepared to share that right now. We’re going to play guys. Like I told the guys in the first meeting, ‘you get what you deserve.’ If you work really hard and you’re consistent in the things, we’ve asked you to be consistent with then you’ll have an opportunity to go out there and play. We feel like we’ve made some strides in that area and developed some depth. Obviously, we’ll see come Thursday night who’s exactly ready to go, and we’ll have a plan for it.”
On the current depth of defensive tackle… “That’s obviously one of the key positions, not just defensive tackle, but the defensive line in general. You talk about being able to play more guys, and I think that’s a spot in particular where you want to make sure that you’re able to rotate those guys and not have any drop off. The usual suspects, between Bump [LaTrell Bumphus], between Elijah [Simmons], D.J. [Da’Jon Terry], those guys will be able to come in, Prime [Kurott Garland] (as well). I think all of those guys will play a significant role with us. I don’t think there will be much of a drop off between who’s in and who’s out. I think all of those guys collectively have had a really good camp thus far, and we’re looking forward to watching those guys perform Thursday. The reality of it is, we’ll go as far as our front goes. Those guys know that. Everybody has a job to do on every single play. But those guys are the tip of the spear and they’ve really worked hard. We’re anxious to see them show it on Thursday night.”
On the anticipated contribution from freshmen Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. … “We’re excited. Those guys have been as good as advertised in terms of athleticism that they bring to the table during lift. They’re polished in terms that they’ve come from good football programs. We feel like they were prepared, as much as you can be, coming to the collegiate level. We anticipate them playing. I think those guys will obviously contribute. How much? We’ll see, but we’re counting on those guys, and we need those guys to play well for us to continue to grow this defense and bring some added speed and athleticism to.”
On Juwan Mitchell and how confidence in the linebacker role has changed since the spring… “I feel a ton better about it to be quite honest with you. Ju [Juwan Mitchell] has really picked up where he left off before he got dinged up last fall. He has a better grasp of the defense, I should say. He’s been better in terms of his leadership, trying to be more vocal, taking command of the defense so to speak. He’s been good. I think he’s in a good place where he’s ready to go and he’s tuned up. But I think with Jeremy [Banks] and obviously [Aaron] Beasley, you put Pakk [Kwauze Garland] in there, we feel like we’ve got some guys that will be able to contribute. [Solon] Page III is another guy who comes to mind, so we feel like we’ve got enough guys there that we will be able to keep guys fresh and put guys in the game, and it won’t be much of a drop off that way.”
On the impact new players like Andre Turrentine and Wesley Walker can make this season… “We like Wes [Walker] a ton. Dre [Andre Turrentine] is a little bit younger, so he’s still working his way through it, just like most freshmen. Obviously at the other spot (Ohio State), he was there a year, but in our mind, he’s really just a freshman. Wes has obviously played some snaps, even though it was somewhere else. He has a little bit more of a veteran mentality. Obviously, he’s been in some battles, so we expect him to contribute, and have an opportunity to really help this defense moving forward. I think Dre is still working through it. At some point, I think he’ll be ready to be able to contribute. Whether it be on defense, (special) teams, or what have you. But we’re uber glad and excited that those guys are here, and we feel like they’re going to help us in terms of being able to play better defense.”
On the guys competing at the corner spots… “There is definitely still a lot of competition going on. Right now, we are just rotating guys trying to see who understands the defense the most, who can relay a cause the most and who can play the fastest, right? There are a lot of guys that can definitely play at a high level at those spots. Right now, we are just trying to see who will fit best in which spots. Whether it is the field, boundary or whatever the case may be. We will be alright.”
On how pass defense last year is analyzed this season… “Last year was last year, we are on to the next. We do take pride and we have to take pride in that. We know what we can be. We can be a great defense and we know how much talent we have at every level on the defensive side. We have taken pride in a lot of things last year, but last year is last year, this is a new year. We will show the whole world what we are capable of.”
On Jaylen McCollough’s offseason improvements… “Oh man, Jaylen has improved so much in every aspect and category of the game. You can tell he is more locked in. He sees it, he sees the vision, he is way more mature, and his body has gotten way better. Everything about him, the way he carries himself has increased tremendously. He has been great and has had an amazing offseason. I think he will do great things this year for sure.”
On what he wanted to improve on during the offseason… “I just have to take the next step, I got to make more plays. My ball skills are good, I got to be able to show everybody my balls skills. Literally everything and every category I can improve. From tackling to being a leader, play-calling, to seeing formation and seeing what the offense likes to do. I have looked back at myself and had to tell myself I need to be better. I don’t think I did great last year, honestly. I know I can do way more so, I am just locked in and ready to improve.”
On keeping the momentum through each quarter of a game… “We all do. We all want to finish how we start. A couple of times last year we didn’t do that, so just making that a big deal of just finishing everything, finishing drives. If we get down there in the red zone, you know, we need six, so just making a big emphasis on just finishing everything. It is not just talking to the offense, but team wide. Making sure everybody is locked in and has that same competitive nature throughout the whole game.”
On his biggest growth from this time a year ago… “Just being relaxed. Not being too antsy, not trying to force things, but just letting the game come to me and having fun, having a great time out there with my teammates. They encourage me to come out every day and continue to keep my head down and lead the way that they need me to. So, really just doing my day-to-day emphasis, which is just getting better and focusing on leading, in the classroom, getting on film, communicating at a high-level has been something I have been trying to work on.”
On how his relationship with Coach Heupel has grown… “Definitely a family feeling. From day one, coach Heupel came in with the attitude of: we want to win ball games and that’s what I’m here to do. As well as just being aggressive, so to speak, and what I mean by that is just having a mindset to just go out there and try to dominate. That’s what I try to do when I approach the field and play like it’s my last. So, him bringing that approach to the team, as well as being a great listener. Understanding what the team needs in every aspect, not just in the building but in life as well. You never know what some of the players are going through. So, just him being very appealing to every player and very down to Earth. I think he’s the best coach in America.”
On the offensive line throughout fall camp… “They’re doing a great job. A lot of communication from them this camp for sure. They’re asking us what we think, what we like in some different looks. We’re doing the same from the quarterback and running back standpoint. You know, they work hard every day no matter how they feel. You know that up tempo is tough on those big guys so them just persevering through all that and keeping that same mind set of ‘Come on we got to finish.’ We have to push through whatever pain we’re feeling. It’s bigger than us. They have had that team attitude so I’m excited to see them full-go.”
On his comfort level as a receiver and potentially a returner… “I’ve kind of just been taking it day-by-day, learning from the other guys like Cedric Tillman, Ramel Keyton, Princeton Fant, Jacob Warren, the guys that have been here and instilling the little things that they have been taught to do. I have kind of just been going up under their wing. Kickoff return wise, I did it last year. I mean, I have always been a return guy, so having the opportunity to do that, just trying to put my best foot forward for this team.”
On how he has worked to elevate his game… “I would just say speed, coming at the ball. In year two, trusting my hands more. I think transitioning in the first year of the offense, kind of struggled with catching the ball. Still, it’s a day-to-day thing, just catching the balls every day.”
On the transition to receiver from quarterback… “It solely was my decision. I mean, I wasn’t really approached to play receiver. I always wanted to. I always felt like I was better using my speed at other positions but really felt the love with receiver. Just having the opportunity to use my speed to get open for the guys. I would say (I was comfortable with the) transition to when coach Heupel got here, the coaching. More coaching made me feel comfortable with what I was doing at receiver.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With nine days until the highly anticipated 2022 season kicks off, Tennessee football hit Haslam Field Tuesday morning to continue its preparations for the season opener. Three weeks into preseason practice, UT’s fast-paced, high octane offense is beginning to shape up.
After a record-setting offensive campaign last fall, the Vols are putting the pieces together to replicate that success in year two under head coach Josh Heupel. Second-year offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Alex Golesh met with members of the media Tuesday inside the Neyland Thompson Sports Complex and primarily discussed his personnel at several key positions for the Big Orange this fall.
Speaking on his tight ends, Golesh has been impressed with the steps that returning starters Princeton Fant and Jacob Warren have taken this offseason and gave nods to Miles Campbell, Charlie Browder and Hunter Salmon as players that he expects to contribute early in the season.
“From a tight end perspective, I feel really good with Princeton (Fant), I feel really good with Jacob (Warren),” Golesh said. “Feel awesome with those two guys. I feel like they’ve both taken really big steps. I feel like we’re as healthy and as multiple with both of those guys as we’ve ever been in this scheme.
“That next spot going in, we’ve challenged Miles (Campbell) in a lot of ways, and in a lot of ways he’s grown up. In a lot of ways, he’s still got a really long way to go. We’ve challenged Charlie Browder. He has gotten better every single day … I do think between Charlie and Miles, we’ll have a three and a four, with Hunter Salmon in there helping in some ways. Do we have five ready to play in the SEC? Probably not right now. I’m hoping by the time we get to Florida, we do.”
Golesh expects to play seven or eight different wide receivers during the course of a game to help keep that position group fresh. As gameday approaches, he has seen the returning veterans—namely Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt—set an example to the new receivers on how to practice with purpose and meet the standards laid out by the coaching staff.
“We feel like we’re deeper with how many (receivers) can play, and at the same time the young guys are seeing the old guys,” Golesh said. “Squirrel (White), Bru (McCoy), Kaleb Webb, they’re looking at Cedric (Tillman) and Jalin (Hyatt) now.
“There’s guys that they can look at and say, ‘That’s how you do it? Awesome. I’m going to try to replicate it and obviously get better.’ So, drastically (different). It’s easier in year two. The expectations are also higher and the standards are also higher, so our job as coaches, hold them to that standard and then if they don’t achieve that standard, put their feet to the fire.”
At running back, an underlying goal is to preserve the health of the room over the course of the season. Sophomore running back Jaylen Wright was ‘full-go’ during Tuesday’s practice, while freshmen Dylan Sampson and Justin Williams-Thomas continued to impress as their debuts are rapidly approaching.
“Jaylen Wright just went through practice with us,” Golesh said. “He looks like he’s got fresh legs, fresher than almost everybody else. He’s been so eager to go. We’ve been really, really smart with him, knowing the beating that a back in this conference is going to take, but he was full-go today. Looked good, like a cool energy about him. He doesn’t like sitting out, so he’s ready to go.
“Dylan (Sampson), man, like a unique clone of Jabari (Small) in terms of being able to get the ball out in space, really, really good hands, elite vision for a young guy. Like, different than what I thought off of high school film. I liked the high school film – you just didn’t know he was going to have vision like he has. He’s a natural running back. He’s not big, but he’s as fast as any back in this league is going to be, so our job with him is going to be to get him in space and let him go hit home runs at whatever point that allows us to happen.
“Justin (Williams-Thomas), different back. Justin has had to evolve and grow into that role. He’s bigger. He has learned how to play more physical. He’s still learning how to play like a true big back, and his growth has been a little bit slower than Dylan, but he’s shown monumental growth as well.”
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Aug. 23, 2022
Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach Alex Golesh
On how many receivers he is confident are ready to play right now… “Yeah, I think we’re as deep at the receiver spot in terms of guys we feel good about playing right now. I think they’re still continuing to, one, get healthy. It was good to get a couple of days off, get some guys that we were being really, really careful with, with Jimmy Calloway, Chas (Nimrod), get those guys back healthy—Squirrel (White)—running around.
“I think a lot of it will depend on how this next week-and-a-half goes. I’ve said this before, how they handle camp and spring ball is one thing. How they handle what a real college football player is supposed to be and how they can handle the students on campus now. It’s rush week as I’m driving down Neyland (Drive), so I get it—how do they handle all of that? How do they go through a normal Tuesday, Wednesday, into a Thursday, a Friday, game day. Throwing 15 hours of class at them. I’m not trying to downplay who can play, who cannot play, but who cannot feel like a freshman as a freshman, and if we could play a bunch of guys, that would be awesome.
“I don’t have a number. I feel like we’re two-deep, two-and-a-half-deep there. A year ago, I felt like we started that way, and then I did not feel that way after we started conference play. So, the hope is that we can be at eight guys that can roll through, that can keep us fresh, so we can play as fast as we possibly can. But that would be the goal, is to have seven to eight that can go. I feel like we do at this point.”
On the efficiency of the offense in year two of the system… “Super, super efficient. Like today, first day that we actually split up scout teams – a year ago, first day of scout teams, we spent half the period doing up-downs because the tempo of how scout team should look was not what we wanted or what the standard is. You’re not teaching the standard anymore of how to practice, of the tempo of what we’re trying to do, whether we’re trying to slow it down or speed it up. So, drastically different.
“You’re having conversations more so about scheme and how you beat a defender in certain looks, more so than actual technique, within a team period. So, you’re able to focus on detail of actual plays, of schemes, more so than we certainly were a year ago at this time.
“I think as we got going, as the year went, I think once the guys understood who we were playing, the difference right now is we feel like we’re deeper with how many guys can play, and at the same time the young guys are seeing the old guys, like we talked about the receivers—Squirrel, Bru, Kaleb Webb, they’re looking at Cedric (Tillman) and Jalin (Hyatt) now.
“There’s guys that they can look at and say, ‘That’s how you do it? Awesome. I’m going to try to replicate it and obviously get better.’ So, drastically (different). It’s easier in year two. The expectations are also higher and the standards are also higher, so our job as coaches, hold them to that standard and then if they don’t achieve that standard, put their feet to the fire.”
On his approach to the offensive game plan for Week 1… “From a game-planning standpoint, the way we structured it this week is this week is a mock game week for us. So, we’re treating today as a normal Tuesday, tomorrow as a normal Wednesday. We’re game-planning as if we were on a short week, or on a normal week, I should say, and then we’ll repeat it, starting with Sunday. I think my only point to our staff was, let’s only put in what we know for sure we’re going to want to do.
“I think inherently, when you have more time, it’s like a bye week. You put in a bunch and then take stuff out, and I’ve always thought that was backwards. But I’ve also been guilty of doing the same thing, so really a base game plan today, normal down-and-distance tomorrow – tight-zone, third downs – and then Thursday-Friday will be our normal Thursday-Friday prep going into a game week, and then we’ll repeat it again next week.
“We’re treating it like a normal game week. I think for the guys, especially the guys that weren’t with us a year ago, it gives them an idea of how fast it goes. Morning-practice team, Tuesday gets on you really, really fast, both as a coach and a player, so for us, it’s good to go through a normal game week. We’re here early, we’re staying late, we’re doing our normal Sunday through Friday deal, and then we’ll repeat it next week.”
On the tight end position and progression of Miles Campbell and Charlie Browder… “From a tight end perspective, I feel really good with Princeton (Fant). I feel really good with Jacob (Warren). Feel awesome with those two guys. I feel like they’ve both taken really big steps. I feel like we’re as healthy and as multiple with both of those guys as we’ve ever been in this scheme. That next spot going in, we’ve challenged Miles (Campbell) in a lot of ways, and in a lot of ways he’s grown up. In a lot of ways, he’s still got a really long way to go. We’ve challenged Charlie Browder. He has gotten better every single day. I think he can help us, I think Miles can help us. How fast they adjust to what gameday is. I said it a year ago about Miles. Miles was physically as ready as a freshman as I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach. He’s had to continue to grow up and figure out what it is to play hard every snap, what it is to prepare for a game week. That’s the challenge to him. When he’s ready to do so, he’ll have a chance to be a really, really good player in this offense, because he can do every single part of what we want. I do think between Charlie and Miles, we’ll have a three and a four, with Hunter Salmon in there helping in some ways. Do we have five ready to play in the SEC? Probably not right now. I’m hoping by the time we get to Florida, we do.”
On wide-receivers making decisions with option routes… “I feel like that’s a big part of what we do offensively. We work that a ton. There’s been so much time on task over the last two years on that. Feel like they’re as good as they’ve been in two years. Obviously as you bring in new guys, those guys have to get used to it and grow and get on the same page with the quarterbacks. That’s probably the biggest part of what we do in that realm in our vertical passing game, but I also think it’s just a part of what we do.
“We spend a lot of time on that. We spend a lot of time on everything else we do in our vertical passing game, our play-action pass game. But those guys getting on the same page, all the routes-on-air through the spring, all the routes-on-air in the summer, we try to put a huge emphasis on that, for those guys to see it the same and be on the same page timing-wise.”
On his observations of Ball State defensively… “Ball State defensively, lost a ton. It’s a little bit more difficult to watch than you want to because you’re watching scheme, and a majority of those guys are gone, whether they were seniors, transfers, whatever the case may be. You’ve got film, personnel film on guys from all over the place in terms of where they came from, so you could see what guys’ body types are and what they are. Schematically you’re watching the film, but again, constantly talking through it with the guys that, ‘Hey, that body that you see is not actually the body.’
“They bring a defensive lineman (Tavion Woodard) back that’s a good player. I think the heart of their defense is their Mike linebacker (Clayton Coll). He is back, led the team in tackles a year ago. I think he had 107 tackles. He’s all over the place, doesn’t ever come off the field. They’ve got a corner (Ameche Uzodinma II) that played a ton two years ago, didn’t play as much last year, I think is a good player.
“Just about everybody else is not on that film a year ago, so just like my last two years in this offense, you’re preparing for the unknown in a lot of ways, which is a little bit nerve-wracking and also kind of fun, because you really have no idea what you’re going to get. You’re preparing in a lot of ways to keep it relatively simple, have answers to what they do, then after the first drive, be able to adjust and see what they bring.
“But, hard-playing bunch. They won their conference two years ago, the Covid year. I’ve known Coach (Mike) Neu for a long time. They’re going to play really, really hard. They have the ability to score a lot of points. They play really aggressive on defense, so we’re going to have to go play.”
On the approach to Bru McCoy’s preparations for the season… “We’re approaching it like we’re going to have him. We’ve approached it that way since he got here. Then we’ll adjust as we need to, if we don’t. Really good football player. Has fit right in to our culture. Has added to our culture. Hard-working, tough, smart, really dynamic. To be honest with you, in a lot of ways, super, super grateful to be here and have another chance to do this and having a blast with it. We’re approaching it like we’re going to have him, and then we’ll adjust if worst-case scenario happens.”
On opponents having seen the offense last year and what will change in his second year… “Changes a lot for you. You have to have answers. You have to anticipate answers to people’s answers. I think a lot of times, the first time you play a team, if you’re referring to specifically the tempo, just like you saw a year ago—teams settle in, players settle in. I think it’s really hard to replicate in practice, so people tend to settle in, you get to the second and third quarter, people are used to it. Play-callers on the other side of the ball figure out what they can and can’t get in at the tempo, so you have to have answers.
“For us, that’s a multitude of different things. I don’t necessarily want to share it, but we have answers to replicate tempo, answers to how they answer it. In a lot of ways, that’s what I spent all spring doing is, ‘Man, we hurt them here. They’re going to take that away. What’s the next counter punch to that?’ But there was no secret coming in a year ago. We came from a place with a system, from a tempo standpoint, from a spacing standpoint, similar. We’ve grown and evolved in a lot of ways.
“You saw us a year ago, as the year went, we’ve grown and evolved in terms of how we get the ball out. Formationally, we’ve expanded. We’ve got to continue to expand formationally, whether it’s motions or disguising pictures offensively. We’ve continued to grow. We’re drastically different today than we were two years ago leaving the previous place. We’re drastically different today than we were leaving the bowl game in Nashville in terms of what we are, what we have. Personnel-wise, we’re different.
“We’ve had to grow and evolve, too, and like I said, you spend a lot of the offseason looking for answers—where we got hurt, and where we hurt people—knowing that there’s going to be answers to that. I think you’ve got to continue to evolve offensively. I don’t know that we’re going to line up in the Pro-I play one—that was a joke—but we certainly have to continue to evolve and look different.”
On Jaylen Wright’s health… “Jaylen Wright just went through practice with us. He looks like he’s got fresh legs, fresher than almost everybody else. He’s been so eager to go. We’ve been really, really smart with him, knowing the beating that a back in this conference is going to take, but he was full-go today. Looked good, like a cool energy about him. He doesn’t like sitting out, so he’s ready to go. We’ll see rotationally how it ends up being.
“We’re going to play, hopefully, four of those guys. Knock on wood, everybody stays healthy, we’ll play a bunch of those guys, but he’s looked, again, today was the first day where he’s been with us full-go going through it. So, he was eager and excited.”
On the progression of the younger running backs… “Dylan (Sampson), man, like a unique clone of Jabari (Small) in terms of being able to get the ball out in space, really, really good hands, elite vision for a young guy. Like, different than what I thought off of high school film. I liked the high school film – you just didn’t know he was going to have vision like he has. He’s a natural running back. He’s not big, but he’s as fast as any back in this league is going to be, so our job with him is going to be to get him in space and let him go hit home runs at whatever point that allows us to happen.
“Justin (Williams-Thomas), different back. Justin has had to evolve and grow into that role. He’s bigger. He has learned how to play more physical. He’s still learning how to play like a true big back, and his growth has been a little bit slower than Dylan, but he’s shown monumental growth as well.
“I still think, again, with any freshman, until they get in there under the lights and see what it actually is with no coaches on the field, it’s really hard to guess what they’re going to be, but he’s shown really, really good steps to growing. I’m happy with where both of those guys are. I think they can both help us in different ways.
“Again, with a back like Dylan and Justin both being young guys, my main concern is always the protection part of it. There’s no redos in protection on protecting the quarterback, so that’s the biggest focal point for those guys is making sure they’re good on the tempo which we play, picking up quarterback pressures and being able to protect the quarterback. If that part is good, those guys will both be able to help us a ton this year.”
On his comfort level with Jeremiah Crawford and Gerald Mincey at left tackle… “I think the best thing for both of those guys is that there was real competition in there, and they both knew they couldn’t have a bad day. Inherently, Coach (Glen) Elarbee has rotated both of them. They’ve both gotten to play next to Jerome. I feel good with both those guys. They’re different players. They’re both inexperienced, but they’re different, so they both have weaknesses, they both have strengths.
“I don’t know that you call the game any different with either one in there by any means, but I think, again, similar to the freshmen, J.J.’s played some and Gerald’s played some. Just not a ton, and not a ton of meaningful reps, so you go in, you kind of let it sort out as they go. They’ll both play, and we’ll see who it is that we have more sync with. If it’s both of them, awesome. We’ll be deeper there than we felt like we were a year ago.”
