There’s brand new music from Blake Shelton!
Blake shares, “Had to bring back the mullet just for y’all.. New song out now.”
Check out Blake Shelton’s new song “No Body” here…
Photo Courtesy of Blake Shelton
If you were at the Craig Morgan concert in Aberdeen, South Dakota this week you had the chance to head to the merch table to buy…Adele‘s CD.
Confused?
Craig explains…
The deluxe edition of Craig’s album God, Family, Country arrives on November 11th – and it includes his current single “How You Make A Man.”
Craig has his memoir – which is also titled God, Family, Country – set for release next month on September 27th.
In the book Craig shares the details of his life, his career in the Army, and his path to country music.
No word yet if Craig’s book and album will be available at Adele’s merch table.
Check out “How You Make A Man” from Craig Morgan here…
Photo Courtesy of Craig Morgan
Cody Johnson‘s latest single at country radio is “Human” – which shares the same name as his 2021 double album.
This week Cody was in New York City to perform his single on the Today Show – check out the segment here.
Photo Credit: Chris Douglas
By Jimmy Hyams
Jabari Small has a goal of rushing for at least 1,000 yards this season.
That seems reasonable, since Tennessee’s junior running back coulda/shoulda rushed for that total last year.
In his first season in Josh Heupel’s uptempo system, Small gained 796 yards despite missing two games due to injury. And he had just three carries against Missouri and four against Kentucky.
“Jabari knew he should’ve been a 1,000-yard back at the end of last year,’’ said running backs coach Jerry Mack. “There’s no reason he couldn’t be one of the elite players in the SEC.’’
To do that, Small had to get bigger and stronger. He weighed 199 pounds at the Music City Bowl. He is now between 212 and 215.
“That is going to help him down the road,’’ Mack said. “The added weight should help him a ton to try to increase his carries.’’
Mack thinks Small can handle 20 to 25 carries per game.
In 2021, Small had three games with at least 20 carries and gained 117 (Bowling Green) 92 (Ole Miss) and 180 yards (Purdue) in those contests.
Small would appear to be a lock to become the Vols’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 (and second since 2010) with one caveat: Staying healthy.
Small said the added weight can help his durability, his pass blocking and his ability to break tackles. Mack said Small went down too often on arm tackles or shoe-string grabs.
“He’s now able to extend those plays because of the added weight,’’ Mack said. “The one thing about weight and strength is it changes your mindset. So when you talk about down there in the red zone, short yardage, he just has a different mentality about how he’s going to go ahead and get that first down.’’
Small said he gained weight by eating protein and steaks.
“It’s made me more durable,’’ Small said. “And I want to be available to finish games.’’
Small said a 1,000-yard season is “definitely’’ a goal. “I don’t want to leave yards on the field.’’
Small said he recalls in the Ole Miss game last year that he was fresh in the first half, but tired in the second half. He doesn’t want to experience that feeling again.
He also doesn’t want to come off the field in short-yardage situations – an area in which UT struggled last year.
Offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said he’d love to have an Eddie George to pound the ball at a defense on third-and-1. But not having a 245-pound back, UT will likely rely on Small, who possess more power than his frame suggests.
“You would love to get a guy in there that has a little bit more power or a stouter back that can push the pile forward,’’ Mack said. “But sometimes with the way we play, that’s not going to always be the case.
“The difference is that sometimes the defense isn’t quite aligned. So now, you don’t have to have that big physical back that traditional offenses have had in the past.
“The biggest thing we look for is just the tempo through the mesh – how fast and how violent a guy’s going to hit it. Jabari last year … probably was our most physical back through the mesh. There were several occasions last year where he pushed the pile forward and was able to keep his feet driving on contact and get that yardage we needed.
“So just because he was a smaller back, he played big.’’
He might play even bigger, with an additional 15 pounds.
Asked if he wants the role of the short-yardage back, Small said: “I want it very badly.’’
Badly enough to change his body during the offseason.
And badly enough to know that if he can covert short-yardage situations, that will mean more plays for the offense and more carries for him.
And get him closer to his goal of 1,000 yards.
Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
Chloe Jenkins, the daughter of fallen Loudon Co. Sgt. Chris Jenkins, organizing a fundraiser for an officer in critical condition who was hit, while off-duty, after he and his wife pulled off the road fix their motorcycle.
David Shoffner and Constance Shoffner were on Clover Circle when an off-duty Campbell Co. deputy, Raymund C. Surber, hit them both as well as the motorbike on August 1st.
Lucas was critically injured in the crash and is in a coma.
The fundraiser is a t-shirt sale which will be held during Friday night’s Loudon High school football game against Soddy Daisy.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. and a table will be set up at the entrance gate for donations. The table will be open from 6:30 p.m. until halftime.
If you can’t attend the game but would like to support Schoffner, please go to https://bluelinetennessee.com/blue-line-shop/ols/products/shoffnerstrong?fbclid=IwAR1YcY0VHAriLYpn0AxwXzJBpdOc88HNIEsf3lfDbVGziZN_WYgQ3D-9TFo to purchase your shirt.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – While sometimes overlooked, special teams often plays a major role in the outcome of winning and losing football games. Due in large part to the efforts of special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, Tennessee was one of the nation’s best in that facet of the game in 2021.
The Vols like look to continue to excel on specials teams this season with the return of their two primary placekickers, starting punter and starting long snapper, while a host of talented playmakers will look to fill the shoes of departed dynamic return man Velus Jones Jr.
“It is great, we got snappers back, we got two kickers back, punters,” Ekeler said when meeting with the media after Wednesday practice. “We have great continuity in that room. Those guys pull for each other, have great work ethics and come to work every day. I know it sounds like coach speak, but that is facts. I really appreciate those guys and they work their tails off, so we are excited about it.”
The biggest question mark in regard to specials teams this season is who will replace the production of Jones Jr., who was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears after leading the SEC in kickoff and punt return average in 2021. Jones’ 15.1 yards per punt return not only led the league but ranked second nationally, while his 27.3 yards per kickoff return also ranked among the top 20 nationally.
Ekeler admitted it would be hard to replace Jones with just one player and that they are looking forward to contributions from a handful of different players.
“We got a bunch of guys and a lot of guys that are capable,” Ekeler said. “We’re really excited about it. Velus Jones Jr. is a hard guy to replace, but we are going to do it by committee.”
Ekeler also talked about the value of playing special teams when it comes to aiding the development of a player’s overall game and those skills translating to other positions all over the field.
“We talk about everything we do on special teams and how it makes you a better football player, how it makes you better offensively and defensively,” Ekeler said. “Every day, coach Heupel will get in the team meeting, and he’ll have clips. We call them transferable skills. Every technique that we work and see how it transfers over to the offensive side and to the defensive side.
“You can talk all you want, but the film doesn’t lie. When you see it every day and you see guys improving and they see it going into making them a better player on offense and making them a better player on defense, that’s all you need.”
Young Talents Adding Depth to Pass Rush
Along with his duties as special teams coordinator, Ekeler also serves as UT’s outside linebackers coach, working a lot with the team’s pass rushers.
With the return of veterans Byron Young, Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison, the Vols have plenty to build around. Add in some talented freshmen with the likes of Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr., and the pass rush has the chance to cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks all year long.
“The sky is the limit. It’s on them, it’s on me to get them ready,” Ekeler said. “I just think as the season goes on, you’re going to see more and more out of both of them. Just remember, they just got here. I’m not making excuses for me or them or anything. Those guys are going to be incredible players when it all is said and done. It’s just getting them to that point. I think you are going to be excited with what you see.”
On who has been working kickoff and punt returns…
“We have had a ton of guys on punt return. We got a bunch of guys and a lot of guys that are capable. We’re really excited about it. Velus Jones Jr. is a hard guy to replace, but we are going to do it by committee.”
On having stability at the kicker and punter positions…
“It is great, we got snappers back, we got two kickers back, you know, punters. We have great continuity in that room. Those guys pull for each other, have great work ethics and come to work every day. I know it sounds like coach speak, but that is facts. I really appreciate those guys and they work their tails off, so we are excited about it.”
On having Paxton Brooks back healthy and the addition of punter Jackson Ross…
“It’s great, Paxton has been banging them on kickoffs and Toby Wilson is too. Shoot, we didn’t have any returns in the last six games on kickoff last year. Toby did a great job. Paxton has done an awesome job.
“Jackson Ross, can’t understand half of what he says, joking, but he is going to be a really good addition, he just got here late. I am anxious to see what he can do live. I have seen it on Zoom and seen it on film, but we are really excited about him and excited about all our guys.”
On using starters in coverage teams…
“What we try to do is, we try and develop our guys, too. You look at Christian Charles last year or Doneiko Slaughter, there are a bunch of guys that played. De’Shawn Rucker, T-Mac (Tamarion McDonald), those guys are starting, a lot of them. They played 30 snaps a game last year, and they did not even blink when they got in on defense and in the offseason, they are ready to rock and roll and they’re game tested. Really, you got young guys like Jourdan Thomas, Elijah Herring, Kalib Perry, you got a bunch of young guys that are hungry and ready to go. Then you got a bunch of veteran guys. It is a mixture of developing guys, getting key guys out there and keeping tread on the tires of the starters and giving guys roles on this football team. Ultimately, we want as many guys to play as possible that can go out there and play at a championship level.”
On the depth of the outside linebacker unit…
“We got two young guys in Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. Josh is really coming along and so is James, but James is a little more raw. Josh is a little more seasoned in a certain sense, but both of those guys have just an incredible amount of talent and unbelievable work ethic. Great kids just figuring it out. They’re true freshmen, they just got here. The sky is the limit for them. If they stay the course, they keep busting their tail and you are talking about two guys that are six-foot-five coming off the edge, and they can flat out go. They got great instincts and love to play the game, so beyond excited. Add in Roman Harrison and B.Y. (Byron Young) and you have a great crew.”
On freshmen that could make an impact on special teams…
“Like I said, I named a few of them. You got Elijah Herring, you got Kalib Perry, you got Dylan Sampson who is tearing it up, doing a great job. Squirrel White is doing a nice job. Jordan Thomas and Chas Nimrod. I’m leaving out a bunch, trust me. Then you got Dee Williams, not a freshman but just got here. He’s electric. There’s a ton of guys. We got a chance to be special.”
On freshmen pass rushers Joshua Josephs and James Pierce Jr.…
“Managing the expectations. Those guys, I’ve told them both, they have to think of themselves as seniors. Those seniors out here, they expect that out of them. They’re not freshmen. They got to go out and when they step on the field, they got to execute. They got to execute at a championship level and if they can’t do that, then they aren’t going to be out there. That’s a challenge. To get them to that level, to get them to that point where they can go out and coach Tim Banks feels comfortable about putting them in. They are going to play on special teams for us too, early. We’ll get them rocking and rolling out there and as the season goes you should see their development and you should see their roles probably increasing.”
On balance between aggressive and ball security-based punt returners…
“We’re kind of greedy. We want both. We want a guy who can strike up Rocky Top. That’s the objective. We get a pitch to hit, and we want to hear our fight song. We feel like we work so much with these guys in the offseason and during the season with ball security and catching the ball. We feel like we can get the best of both worlds and we are going to.”
On the LEO position…
“Shoot, as we get going there might be four of them. The sky is the limit. It’s on them, it’s on me to get them ready. I just think as the season goes on, you’re going to see more and more out of both of them (Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr.). Just remember, they just got here. I’m not making excuses for me or them or anything. Those guys are going to be incredible players when it all is said and done. It’s just getting them to that point. I think you are going to be excited with what you see.”
On getting players to understand the mentality he wants to see on special teams…
“We talk about everything we do on special teams and how it makes you a better football player, how it makes you better offensively and defensively. We have probably a different philosophy than a lot of people. We spend an unbelievable amount of time just working technique. Then, we put it together. We’ve worked stance and start on our punt team, on our punt return team, on our blocks and on everything. For our kids, we don’t move on until they perfect it. Then we move on. We don’t give them a million rules. We legitimately teach them techniques, teach them and tell them to make a full-speed decision and apply your tools. I think the kids enjoy it. Every day, coach (Josh) Heupel will get in the team meeting, and he’ll have clips. We call them transferable skills. Every technique that we work and see how it transfers over to the offensive side and to the defensive side. Ultimately, coach Heupel’s vision and our vision is that we want to be the best technique team in America, and we want to be a physical team. That’s what we really harp on, and our kids, they see it. You can talk all you want, but the film doesn’t lie. When you see it every day and you see guys improving and they see it going into making them a better player on offense and making them a better player on defense, that’s all you need. I love it.”
On what life in Knoxville has been like for him…
“I love this place. I love who I work for. All the administration, Heup (Josh Heupel), all of the coaches, the players. The community has been incredible. You look outside in the morning when you drive in and I live right on the water. Are you kidding me? That’s what the good Lord wanted for me. I know that. As far as getting out on the water as much, it’s kind of crazy. I actually had neck surgery at the beginning of July. I tell people I had surgery, got out at three o’clock, drove myself home that night, drove to work the next morning and went out on the practice field rocking and rolling. I had the same surgery that Peyton Manning had. I got on the elliptical for an hour and I’ve been rocking and rolling ever since. I couldn’t ski this year. That’s my point. I couldn’t water ski, which killed me. Next year, watch out man. It’s not going to be safe on the lakes around here.”
On how he keeps guys pushing through fall camp…
“If our kids are able to go, they’re going to go. If they’re not, they’re not. We have an unbelievable training staff. We trust those guys and our players trust them. You’re not here at the University of Tennessee if you don’t love the game. It kills those kids not being out there and not being able to go full go. We’ll get them back and ready to roll. We don’t have an issue. Guys are begging to get out of a red jersey if they’re in one.”
On techniques he uses to motivate players…
“I told them the other day. I asked them and I’ll ask you the same question. If I told you tomorrow when you wake up, I’m going to give you $30 million, would you be fired up? What if I told you tomorrow, I’m going to give you $50 million, but you’re not going to wake up. I’m asking. You wouldn’t be real fired up? Point being, our day is worth more than $40 or $50 million. When you look at it that way, as a football player and as a human, you’re either getting better or worse. If you say you want to be a pro, do your actions match your expectations? Are you talking about it or are you being about it? It’s about staying focused. I was driving to work last week, and I was thinking about it: 99% of the people in this world want to be great. Would you agree with that? They’re called ‘wannabes’. One percent work to be great.”
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – While sometimes overlooked, special teams often plays a major role in the outcome of winning and losing football games. Due in large part to the efforts of special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, Tennessee was one of the nation’s best in that facet of the game in 2021.
The Vols like look to continue to excel on specials teams this season with the return of their two primary placekickers, starting punter and starting long snapper, while a host of talented playmakers will look to fill the shoes of departed dynamic return man Velus Jones Jr.
“It is great, we got snappers back, we got two kickers back, punters,” Ekeler said when meeting with the media after Wednesday practice. “We have great continuity in that room. Those guys pull for each other, have great work ethics and come to work every day. I know it sounds like coach speak, but that is facts. I really appreciate those guys and they work their tails off, so we are excited about it.”
The biggest question mark in regard to specials teams this season is who will replace the production of Jones Jr., who was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears after leading the SEC in kickoff and punt return average in 2021. Jones’ 15.1 yards per punt return not only led the league but ranked second nationally, while his 27.3 yards per kickoff return also ranked among the top 20 nationally.
Ekeler admitted it would be hard to replace Jones with just one player and that they are looking forward to contributions from a handful of different players.
“We got a bunch of guys and a lot of guys that are capable,” Ekeler said. “We’re really excited about it. Velus Jones Jr. is a hard guy to replace, but we are going to do it by committee.”
Ekeler also talked about the value of playing special teams when it comes to aiding the development of a player’s overall game and those skills translating to other positions all over the field.
“We talk about everything we do on special teams and how it makes you a better football player, how it makes you better offensively and defensively,” Ekeler said. “Every day, coach Heupel will get in the team meeting, and he’ll have clips. We call them transferable skills. Every technique that we work and see how it transfers over to the offensive side and to the defensive side.
“You can talk all you want, but the film doesn’t lie. When you see it every day and you see guys improving and they see it going into making them a better player on offense and making them a better player on defense, that’s all you need.”
Young Talents Adding Depth to Pass Rush
Along with his duties as special teams coordinator, Ekeler also serves as UT’s outside linebackers coach, working a lot with the team’s pass rushers.
With the return of veterans Byron Young, Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison, the Vols have plenty to build around. Add in some talented freshmen with the likes of Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr., and the pass rush has the chance to cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks all year long.
“The sky is the limit. It’s on them, it’s on me to get them ready,” Ekeler said. “I just think as the season goes on, you’re going to see more and more out of both of them. Just remember, they just got here. I’m not making excuses for me or them or anything. Those guys are going to be incredible players when it all is said and done. It’s just getting them to that point. I think you are going to be excited with what you see.”
On who has been working kickoff and punt returns…
“We have had a ton of guys on punt return. We got a bunch of guys and a lot of guys that are capable. We’re really excited about it. Velus Jones Jr. is a hard guy to replace, but we are going to do it by committee.”
On having stability at the kicker and punter positions…
“It is great, we got snappers back, we got two kickers back, you know, punters. We have great continuity in that room. Those guys pull for each other, have great work ethics and come to work every day. I know it sounds like coach speak, but that is facts. I really appreciate those guys and they work their tails off, so we are excited about it.”
On having Paxton Brooks back healthy and the addition of punter Jackson Ross…
“It’s great, Paxton has been banging them on kickoffs and Toby Wilson is too. Shoot, we didn’t have any returns in the last six games on kickoff last year. Toby did a great job. Paxton has done an awesome job.
“Jackson Ross, can’t understand half of what he says, joking, but he is going to be a really good addition, he just got here late. I am anxious to see what he can do live. I have seen it on Zoom and seen it on film, but we are really excited about him and excited about all our guys.”
On using starters in coverage teams…
“What we try to do is, we try and develop our guys, too. You look at Christian Charles last year or Doneiko Slaughter, there are a bunch of guys that played. De’Shawn Rucker, T-Mac (Tamarion McDonald), those guys are starting, a lot of them. They played 30 snaps a game last year, and they did not even blink when they got in on defense and in the offseason, they are ready to rock and roll and they’re game tested. Really, you got young guys like Jourdan Thomas, Elijah Herring, Kalib Perry, you got a bunch of young guys that are hungry and ready to go. Then you got a bunch of veteran guys. It is a mixture of developing guys, getting key guys out there and keeping tread on the tires of the starters and giving guys roles on this football team. Ultimately, we want as many guys to play as possible that can go out there and play at a championship level.”
On the depth of the outside linebacker unit…
“We got two young guys in Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. Josh is really coming along and so is James, but James is a little more raw. Josh is a little more seasoned in a certain sense, but both of those guys have just an incredible amount of talent and unbelievable work ethic. Great kids just figuring it out. They’re true freshmen, they just got here. The sky is the limit for them. If they stay the course, they keep busting their tail and you are talking about two guys that are six-foot-five coming off the edge, and they can flat out go. They got great instincts and love to play the game, so beyond excited. Add in Roman Harrison and B.Y. (Byron Young) and you have a great crew.”
On freshmen that could make an impact on special teams…
“Like I said, I named a few of them. You got Elijah Herring, you got Kalib Perry, you got Dylan Sampson who is tearing it up, doing a great job. Squirrel White is doing a nice job. Jordan Thomas and Chas Nimrod. I’m leaving out a bunch, trust me. Then you got Dee Williams, not a freshman but just got here. He’s electric. There’s a ton of guys. We got a chance to be special.”
On freshmen pass rushers Joshua Josephs and James Pierce Jr.…
“Managing the expectations. Those guys, I’ve told them both, they have to think of themselves as seniors. Those seniors out here, they expect that out of them. They’re not freshmen. They got to go out and when they step on the field, they got to execute. They got to execute at a championship level and if they can’t do that, then they aren’t going to be out there. That’s a challenge. To get them to that level, to get them to that point where they can go out and coach Tim Banks feels comfortable about putting them in. They are going to play on special teams for us too, early. We’ll get them rocking and rolling out there and as the season goes you should see their development and you should see their roles probably increasing.”
On balance between aggressive and ball security-based punt returners…
“We’re kind of greedy. We want both. We want a guy who can strike up Rocky Top. That’s the objective. We get a pitch to hit, and we want to hear our fight song. We feel like we work so much with these guys in the offseason and during the season with ball security and catching the ball. We feel like we can get the best of both worlds and we are going to.”
On the LEO position…
“Shoot, as we get going there might be four of them. The sky is the limit. It’s on them, it’s on me to get them ready. I just think as the season goes on, you’re going to see more and more out of both of them (Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr.). Just remember, they just got here. I’m not making excuses for me or them or anything. Those guys are going to be incredible players when it all is said and done. It’s just getting them to that point. I think you are going to be excited with what you see.”
On getting players to understand the mentality he wants to see on special teams…
“We talk about everything we do on special teams and how it makes you a better football player, how it makes you better offensively and defensively. We have probably a different philosophy than a lot of people. We spend an unbelievable amount of time just working technique. Then, we put it together. We’ve worked stance and start on our punt team, on our punt return team, on our blocks and on everything. For our kids, we don’t move on until they perfect it. Then we move on. We don’t give them a million rules. We legitimately teach them techniques, teach them and tell them to make a full-speed decision and apply your tools. I think the kids enjoy it. Every day, coach (Josh) Heupel will get in the team meeting, and he’ll have clips. We call them transferable skills. Every technique that we work and see how it transfers over to the offensive side and to the defensive side. Ultimately, coach Heupel’s vision and our vision is that we want to be the best technique team in America, and we want to be a physical team. That’s what we really harp on, and our kids, they see it. You can talk all you want, but the film doesn’t lie. When you see it every day and you see guys improving and they see it going into making them a better player on offense and making them a better player on defense, that’s all you need. I love it.”
On what life in Knoxville has been like for him…
“I love this place. I love who I work for. All the administration, Heup (Josh Heupel), all of the coaches, the players. The community has been incredible. You look outside in the morning when you drive in and I live right on the water. Are you kidding me? That’s what the good Lord wanted for me. I know that. As far as getting out on the water as much, it’s kind of crazy. I actually had neck surgery at the beginning of July. I tell people I had surgery, got out at three o’clock, drove myself home that night, drove to work the next morning and went out on the practice field rocking and rolling. I had the same surgery that Peyton Manning had. I got on the elliptical for an hour and I’ve been rocking and rolling ever since. I couldn’t ski this year. That’s my point. I couldn’t water ski, which killed me. Next year, watch out man. It’s not going to be safe on the lakes around here.”
On how he keeps guys pushing through fall camp…
“If our kids are able to go, they’re going to go. If they’re not, they’re not. We have an unbelievable training staff. We trust those guys and our players trust them. You’re not here at the University of Tennessee if you don’t love the game. It kills those kids not being out there and not being able to go full go. We’ll get them back and ready to roll. We don’t have an issue. Guys are begging to get out of a red jersey if they’re in one.”
On techniques he uses to motivate players…
“I told them the other day. I asked them and I’ll ask you the same question. If I told you tomorrow when you wake up, I’m going to give you $30 million, would you be fired up? What if I told you tomorrow, I’m going to give you $50 million, but you’re not going to wake up. I’m asking. You wouldn’t be real fired up? Point being, our day is worth more than $40 or $50 million. When you look at it that way, as a football player and as a human, you’re either getting better or worse. If you say you want to be a pro, do your actions match your expectations? Are you talking about it or are you being about it? It’s about staying focused. I was driving to work last week, and I was thinking about it: 99% of the people in this world want to be great. Would you agree with that? They’re called ‘wannabes’. One percent work to be great.”
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Back on the grass of Haslam Field after the second scrimmage of preseason camp and an off day, the Tennessee Volunteers kicked off their third week of practices Tuesday morning.
Running backs coach Jerry Mack has been able to grow a lot with his group in his second year at Tennessee. The group has already had to battle through some adversity with a season-ending injury to Len’Neth Whitehead before fall camp started, but they have been building every day and Mack feels that each individual in the room has the capability to make an impact on the gridiron this season.
“The biggest thing is we’re always trying to do a great job of making sure we monitor those guys during the course of the game,” Mack said, meeting with the media on Tuesday afternoon. “If a guy gets the hot hand, obviously we would potentially want to stay with him. If a guy is going into a lull, we make sure we get into a rotation. I never really go into a game saying, ‘hey, this guy’s going to play 15, 20 snaps’ or whatever it may be. It’s more about how they progress throughout the course of the game. Now, we do enter the game saying, ‘this guy’s going to basically be the one, two, three, four,’ however the depth chart hits that week depending on how they practice, obviously. But you never really know until you get into the full of the game.”
With a lot of new in the room, there is a lot of value brought from returning starter Jabari Small, who ran for a team-high 796 yards and nine touchdowns last season on 141 carries. Small made his first collegiate start in the season opener and burst on the scene in a big way, going for 117 yards and a score in a win over Bowling Green. He grew a lot over the course of last season, making 11 starts, and in Year 2, Small is looking to impart the wisdom he gained over the course of the 2021 season to a group that holds the future of the program.
“They need someone to look up to and I know how important that is,” Small said. “My freshman year, I had two older guys and that was very monumental for me. I take it seriously because when I’m gone, they’re still going to be here. Tennessee is going to be here for a long time after I’m gone, so I have to push the guys that are younger than me and try to make them better.”
For Small, a lot of the offseason was spent building his strength up to limit some of the injuries that hindered his season last year. With a proper strength program and an emphasis on fueling himself for muscle growth, Small is built to last the entire season this year.
“It was more so a lot of extra work and changing my diet,” Small continued. “I ate a lot of protein and a lot of steak. I came in even when I was not asked to put in extra work up top with my shoulder. It was a lot of extra work, but the strength and conditioning staff did a great job and put a big focus on me this offseason, and it’s paid off.”
Another key returner for the offense is tight end Princeton Fant, who enters his sixth season with the program after electing to return for his extra year of eligibility brought on by the pandemic. With so many years of experience, Fant has been able to manage the grind of fall camp while ensuring there is an enjoyment for the game he loves.
“There’s a lot of adversity coming in with camp. Lot of hard work, staying home and keeping guys first. That’s the whole thing that keeps me going through all these camps. Just understanding what’s going on both on the field and off the field, in the classroom and in the tight end room. Just teaching the younger guys and bringing the younger guys along, that’s really a big goal for us.”
“It’s definitely fun, it’s a lot of fun,” Fant said. “Camp is camp, but every day we go out there and compete with the guys and go out there and have fun with the game. That’s what it’s all about. Going out there and competition and having fun and flying around.”
Tennessee returns to the practice field again on Wednesday morning. All practices are closed to the public.
On if he thinks Jabari Small can handle 20-25 carries a game…
“I really do. One thing about Jabari that he’s done a great job, he’s added armor to his body. You look at the last game of the season, he weighed in around 199 (pounds). This year he’s been weighing in consistently between 212-215, and like that is going to help him down the road. As we get into games down the stretch, like being able to finish games is what we’ve been talking about. So, the added weight should help him a ton to try to increase his carries. That’s one of the things we’ve been really focusing on with him in the offseason, and obviously in fall camp, just trying to make sure you understand how to finish the practice.”
On the importance of pass protection for the running backs…
“Well, it’s a big part of it. You know, we look at the entire big picture of it. Obviously, some weeks we’ll have better matchups, different matchups I should say, than other weeks. But the biggest part of it, you have to be a complete back in this offense. You got to be able to run the ball optimally when you have the chance. You got to be able to play without the ball – and that includes pass protection – so that goes into it without saying. Just being able to do all facets of the game. We want guys that are all-purpose backs that we don’t have to take off the field on third down for whatever the reason, whether we have to throw the ball, or the ball in hand, or whatever we have to protect, but we want to make sure we develop a complete back. During practice or even in the film room, one thing we always talk about, one thing we’re always looking at is how those guys go about taking care of business from a pass-pro prospective, and all the other little things they have to do.”
On how Jabari Small has improved and Jaylen Wright’s health status…
“The added strength is the arm tackles. Last year, you talk about the shoe string tackles, you talk about from a defensive lineman maybe getting a pad on a running back as he comes through the line of scrimmage. Those plays have been able to now be extended because Jabari has that added weight. You can see the different mentality. One thing about weight and strength is it changes your mindset as well. So, when you talk about down there in the red zone, short yardage, he just has a different mentality about how he’s going to go ahead and get that first down and go pad – and we talk about pad plus too – all those different things, the mindset has really changed for him with that added weight. Protection wise, you can see him now sticking his face on people. You know, we’re doing protection about two or three days out of the week because coach Heup (Heupel), coach Golesh, myself, we all want to make an emphasis of that going into the season. And now you can see he’s not scared of that contact, he wants to get his face in the fan, he wants to get in that contact.”
“When you talk about Jaylen Wright, progressing every day. Like, every day he gets a little bit better from a standpoint of he’s able to do more. Today he’s able to do a little bit more than he was a couple of days ago. So, I think I feel confident in saying that he’ll be ready by the time we enter the first game. You know, it’s a process with him and he’s going through every phase a little bit more.”
On freshman RB Justin Williams-Thomas…
“Well, the third block for him was probably his best set of practices since he’s been here. I mean, from a standpoint of him running with more confidence, we saw flashes of the Justin we saw in high school. We saw him have an explosive play in the scrimmage the other day. We saw him being able to catch the ball out of the backfield a little bit today in practice, doing some things like that. I think where he has to get better is, where all young guys usually have to get better, and that’s pass protection. More so than technique, I think we’ve done a good job of him understanding, at a minimum, where his eyes belong. He was here in the spring, so he had an opportunity to go through some of that spring, summer camp as well, and now into fall camp. I don’t have an issue of him knowing who to block, now it’s just about the mannerism and about how to actually get there. I think that’s the biggest thing for him right now, to continue to work his technique. We talk about hands inside, squeezing the elbows tight, keeping our butts to the quarterback. All those little things that they probably don’t talk to you as much (about) in high school because he was mainly the primary runner, is things he has to learn how to do playing without the ball. It’s going to be really important for him.”
On freshman RB Dylan Sampson’s game…
“He’s done a great job. He’s kind of a fan favorite right now in the building with his attitude, personality, which we knew when we recruited him. Every day he comes out there, it seems like he does something really good with the ball in his hands. Explosive plays. We talked about him being a guy that was going to have those sexy runs, those long, explosive runs, and he’s held true to form. He’s that guy that every day in practice, he’s been coming out there and he finds a way to get through those small creases. You know, he’s a smaller back but he gets to top end speed really fast. We’ve been really impressed with his natural vision and his natural patience as a runner. Obviously, the thing that he has to continue to grow in more than anything else is that physicality part of it and that’s going to come as he gets into games more, as he gets into practice and those live reps more. I like the way Dylan’s operating in our offense as well. He’s playing with that sense of urgency that we need in our offense because we play so fast.”
On Lyn-J Dixon’s health status and how he’s progressing…
“He tweaked his ankle, but he’s fine. He should probably be back with us tomorrow. Lyn-J, we just kind of keep him in doing some limited work on strength and conditioning, make sure he gets back 100 percent, but Lyn-J’s progressing fine.”
On how much playing time Dixon could get…
“You know, it’s really too early to say right now. We’re glad to have him right now. We’re happy that he’s here in the building and learning and progressing each day. The biggest thing, you know he’s 23 years old, he’s played a lot of college football. He’s had success on a high stage and at a high level. So, really just excited about him learning and progressing throughout the weeks. And I think that’s one thing, maybe commitment to making sure that he understands what to do and how to do it. We’ll see how he goes and how he learns and progresses throughout the rest of camp.”
On handling the rotation in the back field…
“You know, we really never know. The biggest thing is we’re always trying to do a great job of making sure we monitor those guys during the course of the game. If a guy gets the hot hand, obviously we would potentially want to stay with him. If a guy is going into a lull, we make sure we get into a rotation. I never really go into a game saying, ‘hey, this guy’s going to play 15, 20 snaps’ or whatever it may be. It’s more about how they progress throughout the course of the game. Now, we do enter the game saying, ‘this guy’s going to basically be the one, two, three, four,’ however the depth chart hits that week depending on how they practice, obviously. But you never really know until you get into the full of the game. I will tell you this, Jabari (Small) has done a good job of trying to get his body right so that he can finish games more than anything else.”
On how Jabari Small’s intentional weight gain was initiated…
“I think it was mutual. I think he saw what he needed to do to get better as a player. Obviously, our strength and conditioning staff and our nutritionist saw things that he could improve in with his eating habits and his weight room habits, so I think it was a mutual feeling. I mean, Jabari knew that he should’ve been a 1,000-yard back at the end of the year last year. He would’ve been able to play in all those games and do what he’s supposed to do. There’s no reason that he couldn’t be one of the elite players in the SEC, but he knew he was going to have to get better. One of the things that you talk to the guys about at the end of the spring or at the end of the season is, ‘what do I need to do in the offseason to get better?’ And that was the primary thing for him. The second, probably making sure that from a protection standpoint he got in the film room and understood what we were trying to do in each protection.”
On if they need to identify a third-down back…
“I don’t think so. I think all those guys have a really unique skillset. I think all of them are getting better from a pass protection standpoint and we try to do a great job of recruiting guys that can be all-purpose backs, not just guys that are big, strong guys on third and short, but also guys that can catch the ball out of the backfield, as well. So, I really would like to build up the entire back and complete back. I don’t want to just pinpoint a guy or pigeonhole a guy that he’s just a third-down back or that he’s just a goal line back. They all need to have the mindset that they can do it all.”
On confidence in the running back group as pass catchers…
“I think some are better than others right now. Obviously, we’ve got some room, and everybody has a different skillset and everybody can have some improvement in different areas. Right now, that’s what we’re developing. After practice, before practice, on the jugs machine – we make sure that everybody gets a certain amount of catches each and every day.”
On if there’s a player preference in short yardage situations…
“With the way we play and the tempo that we play at, sometimes you would love to get a guy in there that has a little bit more power or a stouter back that can push the pile forward. But sometimes with the way we play, that’s not going to always be the case. The difference is that sometimes the defense isn’t in quite aligned. So now you’re talking about, you don’t have to have that big physical back that traditionally offenses have had in the past. The biggest thing we look for is just the tempo through the mesh. How fast and how violent a guy’s going to hit it. Jabari (Small) last year, like I said he was only 199 to 200 pounds, but he probably was our most physical back through the mesh. There were several occasions last year where he pushed the pile forward where he was able to keep his feet driving on contact and still get that yardage that we needed. So, just because he was a smaller back, he played big, and that’s really the biggest thing more than anything, even if you are a smaller back.”
On evaluating players based on yards after contact…
“A ton. You hear me use the phrase and you hear coach (Alex) Golesh and coach (Josh) Heupel use the phrase, ‘pad plus two’. That means yards after contact, minimum of at least two yards we’re going to always to be able to get. That’s one thing with the weight that Jabari and the strength that Jabari has put on. That’s what has allowed him to be a much better version back of himself from last year. He’s doing some things, and all of them too – we saw from Jaylen Wright in the spring – one thing we made an emphasis on is him running behind his pads, being more physical, having the ability to reduce. That means having the ability to get your pads down, play behind your pads and then still go forward even after contact. So, it’s something that we’re always looking at in the room. We’re always charting, our many graduate assistants, our quality control people, we’re always charting exactly how many yards these guys are getting after contact.”
On what it takes to get young players up to speed during camp…
“I think the ball mechanic piece for us is truly important. How fast the guy can get his eyes back to the sideline and how fast he can process the information. It’s not just about being a smart football player, it’s about being able to process information fast, as well, because when those signals come in from the sideline you’ve got to be able to get your cleats in the ground. You’ve got to be able to execute at the highest level while still playing with the fundamentals. So, some of those things from a standpoint of just understanding plays wise, like what those guys are supposed to do. One great thing and the luxury that we have, is that all of those guys were able to be here the first and second session of summer school. So, they got a dose of the installation in the summer school session and now they’re basically getting a repeat of the installation now at fall camp, which has allowed them to really understand the system. We always tell them, ‘if you don’t understand the plays when we go into fall camp, it’s going to be very hard for you to get on the field and very hard for you to play at the level we need you to play at’. So that’s what those young guys – Justin (Williams-Thomas) was here at the end of January, Dylan (Sampson) came in May, and it’s kind of fish-to-water right now. The guys have been really playing fast, really playing hard. We spent a little time talking about what you’re supposed to do and now we can really get into the nuts and bolts and fundamental piece and smaller details of what they’ve got to do.”
On how he put on weight in the offseason…
“It was more so a lot of extra work and changing my diet. I ate a lot of protein and a lot of steak. I came in even when I was not asked to put in extra work up top with my shoulder. It was a lot of extra work, but the strength and conditioning staff did a great job and put a big focus on me this offseason, and it’s paid off.”
On how he has adjusted to becoming a leader on the team…
“I had to take those guys along. They need someone to look up to, and I know how important that is. My freshman year, I had two older guys and that was very monumental for me. I take it seriously because when I’m gone, they’re still going to be here. Tennessee is going to be here for a long time after I’m gone, so I have to push the guys that are younger than me and try to make them better.”
On coach Heupel pairing together fun with football…
“Coming into the facility this fall camp in general, the environment is very good. I come with a smile on my face every day. It’s a grind but I wake up and I’m like, ‘I get to play football with my guys and see my coaches and teammates.’ It’s fun. Coach Heupel does a great job with this culture. On and off the field, it’s just fun to compete.”
On managing fall camp as a veteran…
“There’s a lot of adversity coming in with camp. Lot of hard work, staying home and keeping guys first. That’s the whole thing that keeps me going through all these camps. Just understanding what’s going on on the field and off the field, in the classroom and in the tight end room. Just teaching the younger guys and bringing the younger guys along, that’s really a big goal for us.”
On difference in this fall camp compared to last season…
“It’s definitely fun, it’s a lot of fun. Camp is camp, but every day we go out there and compete with the guys and go out there and have fun with the game. That’s what it’s all about. Going out there and competition and having fun and flying around.”
On how his route running has improved…
“I definitely feel like I’ve grown in that area. In high school I was a receiver. Just coming here, learning what the coaches are coaching you up on. Trusting your coaches and trusting the process on that. I feel like the route running has definitely gotten smoother and cleaner.”
-UT Athletics
Luke Bryan‘s current single at country radio is “Country On.”
Talking about the song, Luke says, “When you hear, ‘Hey Farm Boy…’ I mean that certainly spoke to me right off the bat, and the fact that we were able to put so many different aspects of the way, the country American way of life out there, and I felt like this song really, really nailed it. It was something that really spoke to my heart and I feel it’s gonna speak to a lot of people out there.”
When it comes to the music video Luke shared, “It was awesome to spotlight all these great people to create such a special message.”
Check “Country On” from Luke Bryan.
Photo Courtesy of Luke Bryan
