Tennessee defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus spoke to the media Saturday after Vols preseason football practice #9 in Knoxville.
Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner spoke to the media Saturday after Vols preseason football practice #9 in Knoxville.
Here’s some video our staff shot from Tennessee Volunteers football fall practice #9 in Knoxville.
The University of Tennessee will unveil a new and permanent tribute to four trailblazers from throughout the storied history of Tennessee football as a kickoff to Neyland Stadium’s year-long centennial celebration.
Tennessee proudly led the way in providing opportunities for Black student-athletes to excel on the Southeastern Conference gridiron. Beginning in the 1960s, Tennessee’s progressive posture on racial equity led to legendary Volunteers recording several history-making firsts.
On Thursday, Sept. 2, larger-than-life bronze statues commemorating Lester McClain, Jackie Walker, Condredge Holloway and Tee Martin will be unveiled in the plaza outside Gate 21 at Neyland Stadium.
In the first weeks of Danny White’s tenure as Director of Athletics, he set in motion a plan to honor the contributions of these four lettermen who represent significant “firsts” and forged a path for generations of minority student-athletes to follow in their footsteps on Rocky Top.
Tennessee commissioned noted master sculptor Brian Hanlon, who—over the past several months at his New Jersey studio—meticulously crafted each Vol legend in a unique, game-action pose.
“It’s an honor for this university to be able to permanently recognize the impact of these men in such a powerful way,” White said. “We are proud of what their names represent, and I believe this is a fitting tribute. They carried themselves with strength and grace as they led the way for so many others. I love that our football student-athletes will pass by this installation during every Vol Walk. I hope it serves as a reminder of those who came before them and paved the way for progress.”
A nod to Tennessee Athletics’ innovative and progressive history—which it aims to restore under White’s leadership—the project is one of the first initiatives funded through the My All Campaign.
A dedication ceremony during which the statues will be unveiled will take place on Sept. 2 before Tennessee’s football season-opener against Bowling Green. Due to space limitations related to campus transit services in the Gate 21 area (classes are in session that day), attendance for the ceremony will be limited, but the event will be streamed live on UTsports.com and the Tennessee Athletics YouTube channel.
Lester McClain | 1968-70
Wingback | Antioch, Tenn.
1968 – Tennessee sophomore wingback Lester McClain—who in 1967 became the program’s first Black player—also made history as the first Black SEC player to score a touchdown when he hauled in his first of two scoring receptions during UT’s 24-7 win at Georgia Tech on Oct. 12, 1968.
“It’s certainly an honor to be remembered and placed into history at the University of Tennessee like this,” McClain said. “It’s a wonderful thing. I hope I can influence many others to come forth and give their very best to the university and continue to make a difference in the world.
“I do regret that my parents are no longer around to be part of the dedication. Dr. Bill Garrett is someone else who would have been very proud. He played a major role in me coming to the university and earning a scholarship. He felt like I could do well, so he stood up and fought for me. I can’t take any credit without remembering him and all he did for me.”
Jackie Walker | 1969-71
Linebacker | Knoxville, Tenn.
1970 – Knoxville native Jackie Walker earned distinction as the SEC’s first Black football All-American after leading a formidable Tennessee defense as an explosive junior linebacker with a knack for snagging interceptions.
Walker passed away in 2002. He will be represented by members of his family, including his brother, Marshall, at the Sept. 2 dedication.
“I want to first say that I’m honored to be able to represent the Walker family when Jackie’s statue gets unveiled,” Marshall Walker said. “I believe Jackie would feel it’s a tremendous honor to have a statue on the University of Tennessee campus. None of us ever expected this. I’m ecstatic, proud and happy that (Danny White, Marcus Hilliard) and the rest of the UT staff and coaches saw this as important and found a way to honor these historic University of Tennessee athletes.”
Condredge Holloway | 1972-74
Quarterback | Huntsville, Ala.
1972 – With a national TV audience tuned in, Tennessee sophomore Condredge Holloway dazzled during a dominant, 34-3 season-opening victory at Georgia Tech on Sept. 9, 1972, while becoming the first Black player to start at quarterback on an SEC team.
“When I first heard about this, I was pretty shocked,” Holloway said. “It’s a great honor. I’m nothing but grateful. I enjoyed all the things I did there at the University of Tennessee, but a lot of the credit for this honor goes to my teammates.
“Back when I was playing, I never thought about opening doors for players in the future. I just thought about trying to play my best and get along well with my teammates. It’s a team game. There are 11 guys out there (on the football field), and all of us worked together to play well and win.”
Tee Martin | 1996-99
Quarterback | Mobile, Ala.
1999 – After guiding Tennessee to an undefeated 1998 season and an SEC Championship, junior Tee Martin made history as the first Black quarterback to lead an SEC team to a National Championship by guiding the Volunteers to a 23-16 triumph over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, 1999.
“I want to say thank you to the Tennessee athletic department—past and present—for this outstanding honor, “Martin said. “I want this statue to represent those who came before me and opened doors for me at the University of Tennessee—Lester McClain and Condredge Holloway, to name a few. I want to thank my teammates and coaches for their hard work and love during some of the most memorable years in UT football history. I will always love you all. Go Vols!”
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With exactly three weeks until Tennessee’s season-opener under head coach Josh Heupel, the Volunteers went through their first preseason camp scrimmage on Thursday morning in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee worked all three phases for two hours and the scrimmage featured live tackling.
“There’s only one way that we should compete when we walk in that stadium,” Heupel said. “I’m proud of a lot of the things we did on both sides of the ball. Defensively, I think we played with great effort, energy and strain. We competed extremely hard and tackled well in space. A lot of really positive things from them. Offensively, we showed glimpses of those things, but didn’t really string it together the way that we want to or need to.”
Heupel gave equal reps to all three quarterbacks battling for the starting spot, including Harrison Bailey, Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III.
“They kind of cycled through. If a guy had a three-and-out he might have had an extra drive just to keep the play count relatively close.”
The Vols will take Friday off before practicing three straight days beginning on Saturday morning. That leads to the squad’s next scrimmage, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Neyland Stadium. The scrimmage will be closed to the public.
Tennessee opens the 100th year of Neyland Stadium, Shield-Watkins Field on Sept. 2 against Bowling Green at 8 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com.
Josh Heupel – Preseason Camp Press Conference – 8.12.21
Opening Statement
“Great day inside Neyland Stadium. It’s awesome any time you get an opportunity to go in there. There’s only one way that we should compete when we walk in that stadium. I’m proud of a lot of the things we did on both sides of the ball. Defensively, I think we played with great effort, energy and strain. We competed extremely hard, tackled well in space. A lot of really positive things from them. Offensively, we showed glimpses of those things, but didn’t really string it together the way that we want to or need to. There are a lot of things that we’ve learned here that we’ll be able to use moving forward. You look at it and we’re halfway through training camp, so you have to keep pushing. We need this to be a great afternoon too, just showing growth as we go back and look at the tape.”
On Brian Maurer’s absence from practice on Wednesday and his status with the team …
“I had an initial conversation with him a few days ago as far as the reps and how those things were going to be divided up. There’s no further update on him. We’ll have a conversation with him during the off day.”
On the quarterbacks during Thursday’s scrimmage, specifically Joe Milton in his first time in a scrimmage setting in the offense …
“I thought he managed things really well inside the pocket. For Joe, Hendon (Hooker) and Harrison (Bailey), some of it’s tough because you’re not in a live situation, either you have to make a play or you have to get out of the pocket in those types of scenarios. But I thought all of them did a great job of taking care of the football, being efficient in calling it. For the most part, I thought their decision making in what we’re doing in the run game and controlling the pass game was pretty solid. At the end of the day, I don’t think we collectively offensively strung things together the way that we need to. Some of that is just 11 guys all doing their job at a really high level. It’s not just one position and one guy, it was a little bit of everything at all points. Through the first seven days, I thought all those guys have competed really well and been really sound decision makers.”
On the physicality throughout camp and during the scrimmage …
“I like the mentality that our players have stepped on the practice field every day with, certainly leading up to the scrimmage. I think that’s been one of the positives as we have gone through camp. Our competitive strain is completely different than it was during the course of spring ball. The ability to put back-to-back days together. I thought today, physicality-wise, just on the sideline, not getting a chance to watch the tape, I thought the defensive side of the football was extremely physical and changed and disrupted the offensive front, played on the other side of the line of scrimmage and again, they tackled extremely well. You didn’t see many missed tackles in the course of play.”
On if he can see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the offensive tempo …
“Yes, absolutely. At the end of the day with offensive football—I don’t care what tempo you’re playing at—you’ve got to be efficient. That means 11 guys have to do their job. If you don’t, you’re going to be on the wrong side of it, whether it’s a dropped ball, busted protection or creating negative plays. You’ve got to be able to string things together and we’ve seen that throughout training camp. Today, you didn’t see it consistently at the level that we certainly want it to be, but we absolutely feel like our guys our continuing to progress as we’ve gone through camp. There’s some really good things out there from today, too.”
On if the team played with his desired tempo in the scrimmage …
“Absolutely. At times, we didn’t play as efficiently in the mechanics of playing with tempo, but some of that is getting the first, first down, too. Early in the scrimmage, there were a couple of three-and-outs. Collectively as a whole, the way that we operate on the offensive side of the ball, I’m overall pleased with what we’re doing.”
On if he is pleased that his defense had a good day during Thursday’s scrimmage …
“As a coach, I don’t think you’re ever comfortable or completely satisfied with where you’re at in any phase of what you’re doing. You’re constantly trying to push and get better. Offensively, there have been days and portions of practice where you string things together and you feel really good about the efficiency, how you’re operating and 11 guys playing as one. Defensively, they’ve had those same moments during the course of it. I think as a coach, you get concerned when it’s one side of the football that is consistently dominating practices or scrimmages. There has been good back-and-forth. I think our guys on both sides of the line of scrimmage have a much better understanding of what we’re doing schematically (and) fundamentally with technique. We’ve continued to progress. Their practice habits have been really good. I think that’s what brings a sense of confidence to myself and our coaching staff, too. There’s a process that you have to go through. Our kids are straining and competing through that.”
On the play of defensive transfers …
“For all those guys, they blended in immediately. When I say that, you don’t see them consistently out-of-gap, not being able to get a call and lined up, you don’t see issues with communication. They’ve blended right in to what we’re doing on all three levels, and I really believe all those guys are going to have an impact on what we’re doing.”
On the aggressiveness of the defense and STAR position …
“I thought those guys made some plays. I don’t remember a bunch of contested balls down the field that those guys made plays on off-hand, obviously, we will go back and watch to have a better understanding of that. I think (the STAR) position as a whole has been really solid. They’ve shown up in every practice that we’ve had. I think they have a unique ability to play physical and be a factor in the run game as they become fitter, but they have unique cover skills as well.”
On the status of K’Rojhn Calbert …
“K’Rojhn did have surgery and will not be with us for an extended period of time right now. I’ve said it before, the strength of one position can’t just be one guy, certainly offensive line. Next guy has to step up and take advantage of his opportunity and, at the end of the day, compete and prove that he can play at a championship level.”
On the playing time of quarterbacks in the scrimmage …
“They kind of cycled through. If a guy had a three-and-out he might have had an extra drive just to keep the play count relatively close.”
What he has learned about the team thus far through camp …
“I just look to where we started. Our sense of team, our sense of competing for the guy who sits next to me in the team room. I think there is a sense of becoming a team and it being bigger than just me and ultimately if you’re going to have a football team that plays the right way, it’s got to be about the guys around you, not about yourself.”
On the running backs and any players that flashed in the scrimmage …
“Over the history of my tenure as a coordinator and head coach, our skill guys have gotten a ton of recognition for what we’ve done through the air. For us, it all starts with what we do in the run game, operating extremely efficiently and being physical at the point of attack. We’ve ran the ball extremely successfully through my tenure. I thought our offensive line did a really nice job of covering guys up at times. I don’t think we distorted the line of scrimmage the way we are capable of and have shown during some of the practices. I do like our running back room. I think Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans are playing at a really high level. I’m excited to see some young guys get the opportunity to play and to go back and watch the tape.”
On the offense showing retention of system …
“You see that in ball mechanics but also in the schemes we are running. Our ability to do the right thing and play with better technique are areas we have consistently improved. Where we finished spring ball is completely different than where we started. We got better throughout the course of summer. Day 1 was better than the end of spring ball. We’ve gotten better throughout the course of training camp too.”
On how the receivers have played so far …
“You can do everything else right, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t catch the ball when it comes to you. Our guys have made competitive plays during camp. Cedric Tillman is a guy that has made a bunch of competitive plays. JaVonta Payton, being a new guy, is starting to get more comfortable with what we are doing after missing those 15 practices in the spring. He’s getting his feet in the ground and starting to understand what we are doing. His history of having played in this league helps him with the competitive nature of it, lining up, getting off the press, those kinds of things. We’ve seen it consistently throughout the course of training camp. There are some young guys we will continue to push to make competitive plays, because coming down with the 50-50 balls is a huge part of playing that position and will be a huge part of our success.”
On how much of his offensive and defensive schemes have been installed …
“We have a huge portion installed on both sides of the line of scrimmage. As you go through the course of the season, you’ll continue to grow, evolve and find ways to attack people on the other side of the line of scrimmage as you game plan. There’s no set playbook that is the only thing you do. You have to continue to evolve as the game and opponent changes and you find out more about your personnel.”
On issues in the scrimmage being cleaned up by narrowing the game day rotation …
“I feel good about the direction of where we are going on the offensive side of the ball. We have enough playmakers, and our guys are competitive and have a great understanding of what we are doing. It’s a growth process. We will get where we want to get to.”
On how far the defensive front has progressed since the end of the spring …
“From the first day of pads in the spring to where we are now, it’s a different group. It’s different on the practice field with our physicality, playing up the field, disrupting and changing the line of scrimmage. Most importantly, it’s a different group inside the meeting room, who they are, accountability every single day as well as their consistency, work habits and ability to learn and want to play for the guy next to them. Accountability in that room is completely different, and that’s why they are different on the field.”
On what he saw from Darnell Wright and Cade Mays …
“I’ll get a better chance to see it as I watch the video this afternoon. I think Darnell is really natural on the left side of it. For him, he’s athletic and has the ability to bend. He has the chance to be an elite pass protector as well. Overall, we feel good about where those two guys are at on the edges.”
-UT Athletics
MOBILE, Ala. – Four Tennessee Volunteers were named to the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watchlist, which was announced on Thursday afternoon.
Princeton Fant (tight end), Velus Jones Jr. (wide receiver/kick returner), Cade Mays (offensive lineman) and Alontae Taylor (defensive back) were among the players selected for the game’s preseason watchlist.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is the nation’s most prestigious college all-star game, as it annually serves as the first step of the NFL Draft process. The Reese’s Senior Bowl had 106 total players drafted and 36 selected in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.
This year’s game will be played on Feb. 5, 2022 and will be broadcast on the NFL Network. Practices will be televised live on ESPN and the NFL Network will host a daily recap show each evening in primetime.
Should they be selected to participate in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl at season’s end, Tennessee’s four watch list selections would join an impressive group of former Vols to play in the game, including Trey Smith (2021), Josh Palmer (2021), Jauan Jennings (2020), Darrell Taylor (2020), Joshua Dobbs (2017) and Cameron Sutton (2017).
Fant is expected to have a significantly increased role in Tennessee’s new high-tempo offense this season. The athletic tight end has played in 20 games and made three starts during his career. Fant started his career as a running back and moved to tight end prior to the 2019 season. The Nashville native is coming off the best year of his career, seeing action in all 10 games while setting career highs in receptions (12), receiving yards (103) and touchdown catches (1).
A versatile receiver and dynamic return specialist, Jones Jr. enters his second season on Rocky Top and sixth at the collegiate level this fall. Jones made an immediate impact for the Vols last season, playing in all 10 games and starting the final six games of the year. His top performance came against Vanderbilt with a career-best seven catches, 125 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In addition to his production at receiver, Jones led the SEC in kickoff return yards (398) and was second in the league in kickoff return average (22.11). The Saraland, Alabama, native notably ranks first among active Division I FBS career leaders with 2,345 career kickoff return yards.
Mays, a native of Knoxville, played in and started seven games during his first season with the Vols in 2021, seeing action on 478 offensive snaps. Six of Mays’ starts came at right guard with the other start coming at right tackle. Mays began his career at Georgia and has played in 32 career games with 25 starts.
Taylor enters his fourth season at UT, having played in 33 games with 19 starts. He has totaled 102 tackles for his career, including 29 a season ago to go along with five passes defended. As a junior, Taylor saw action on 439 snaps with 234 of those coming in coverage. He did not allow a touchdown pass according to Pro Football Focus.
To learn more about the Reese’s Senior Bowl and see the complete watchlist, click HERE.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With the first scrimmage of the preseason looming, the Tennessee Volunteers took Haslam Field for the seventh practice of preseason camp on Wednesday. Wide Receivers coach Kodi Burns took the podium to discuss building a deep room of playmakers.
“We play different than anybody else in the country,” Burns started, discussing the offensive scheme. “We play up-tempo, we play fast, and at any position you want to be as deep as you can be… We would like to be two, even three-deep if possible… you’re in an SEC schedule. It’s rough right? It’s a big boy league.”
A few Vols receivers come from a quarterbacking background, which includes coach Burns who played quarterback for Auburn for two years before becoming a receiver. Burns feels that knowledge will only help his group develop.
“It does help you because you do have to see the game from a different perspective… That’s why you see Jimmy Calloway really taking big strides.”
Building depth may be a point of emphasis, but the competition among receivers for the starting role continues to help everyone’s’ growth.
“The good thing about us is it’s a healthy competition. We understand that we’re trying to make Tennessee better. We want to go out and push each other every single day, so it is really good to actually have two or three deep to where you don’t get complacent.”
The full video and transcript from Burn’s post-practice press conference can be seen below, along with quotes from select offensive players.
Thursday’s scrimmage will be closed to the public.
Single-game tickets, mini-plans and season tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com.
Tennessee Wide Receivers Coach Kodi Burns
On what he has seen from graduate transfer WR JaVonta Payton in preseason camp…
“Signing JaVonta out of (Mississippi) State, (he’s) exactly what we thought. Explosive, really good ball skills, big time competitor. And really right now, it’s about getting caught up. Obviously, he missed out on spring football, spring practice. So, at this point, it’s just getting reps and continuity with how we practice, what we do with tempo, and also getting continuity with the quarterbacks. I’ve been impressed so far by JaVonta and excited to see what he can do this fall.”
On the depth of the receiver corps required to run Tennessee’s offense…
“Really any rotation, any position, you want to be as deep as you can be. It’s clear that we run up-tempo offense, we play extremely fast. There’s not going to be a whole lot of time for substitutions. But you would like to be at least two-deep at every single position. Two, or really three or four wideouts on the field every single play. (We’d like to be) as deep as we can get. We’ve got to obviously stay healthy. That’s a big key, a big part of it, but we want to be as deep as you can be.”
On sophomore WR Jimmy Calloway’s development from the spring to preseason camp…
“Man, Jimmy Calloway. Don’t have enough good things to say about him. Really stepping up, really starting to feel his body (and) how to play wide out. Quarterback coming out of high school, really developed throughout the course of spring, as well as the summer, and it’s really showing up on tape right now in fall camp. One of the guys that has really stepped up and started to make plays. And like I said, just the continuity with him with the quarterbacks. He’s starting to really feel space, starting to feel his body, really learning how to play wideout. I’ve been really impressed by Jimmy so far.”
On the strides junior WR Cedric Tillman has made over the last six months…
“Correct. Tillman’s another guy. Really, my room right now at the wide receiver position, a lot of skill players that hadn’t played a whole lot of football. Tillman was one of those guys. When I got here in the spring, about six and a half months ago, I saw a big frame, big body who didn’t have a whole lot of confidence, really, as I came in here at Tennessee. Right now, I think he’s starting to play more confident and starting to play big. He’s a big body wideout that can go up and make plays. I had a guy similar to him (previously), that when there was a 50-50 ball, you’re covered, you’re still open. He’s that type of receiver. I think he’s got a chance to be a really good player in this league. He’s got to continue to grow, develop, understand the offense and also understand the skill set. My goal right now is really to get Tillman really confident, because he’s going to help us win ball games this year.”
On sophomore WR Andison Coby’s adjustment to the offense as an incoming transfer…
“Andison Coby, not a lot of time on task. JUCO kid who (when he) got here, really starting to feel himself in the offense, understand what it takes. How we practice, what we do. He does have some talent. Got to continue to grow and develop. He is a little bit undersized, but excited about the future. Once again, another one of these wideouts that it’s a lot of unknowns. He’s another guy on that chain that we’ve got to continue to grow and continue to develop. He is twitchy, he is explosive. He does have a skill set. And now, it’s about development as far as how to play wide receiver in this offense.”
On freshman WR Walker Merrill and what position he envisions for the young wideout…
“One thing with Walker, he does not lack confidence, so that’s good. He continues to grow and develop in this offense. Just another young player, a high school kid that was obviously pretty talented coming out of high school. It’s a different ball game down here in the SEC. Just got to continue to be healthy, got to continue to grow, understand what we’re asking him to do. Bigger body kid that can also play inside and outside. He’s really started to grow each and every practice. Excited that he got here early to get those reps in the spring as well as summertime. Overall, like I said, my room is a bunch of unknowns right now, so I’m excited to see what he can do as well.”
On his expectations and priorities for the receivers in Thursday’s intrasquad scrimmage…
“The number one job as a wideout is to catch the ball. I want us to go out there and compete, make competitive catches, make plays. And then, our operation. How we operate in this offense is very different than most everybody in the country. I want to see those guys go out and operate at a high clip, look like we know what we’re doing, be efficient in what we’re doing and make plays. That’s really what I’m looking for, is the effort. Things that require no talent, right? Effort, toughness, physicality, assignment, alignment. Those things require no talent. I want us to go out and play hard.”
On the increased depth of the wide receiver room since spring football…
“When I got here in the spring, a little scary as far as the depth chart. But now, I’ve seen these guys start to grow, start to develop. We feel a little bit better about where we are, as far as a depth perspective. I think we’ve got a chance to continue to grow and develop that depth. Like I said, we play different than anybody else in the country. We play up-tempo, we play fast, and at any position you want to be as deep as you can be. Right now, that’s what we’re trying to do, is develop depth at the wide receiver position. We would like to be two, even three-deep if possible, to make sure—because throughout the course of the year, you’re in an SEC schedule. It’s rough, right? It’s a big boy league, a lot of injuries happen, take place. You’ve got to have the next-man-up mentality, so building depth every single day.”
On the number of receivers currently available to play at a high level…
“To be honest, after the scrimmage, I think we’ll have a lot better idea of where we are depth wise. You want to see guys that haven’t been here go out and compete. You want to see guys that have been here, they got a chance to develop throughout the spring and the summer, go out and compete as well to kind of see where things fall. After the scrimmage, I think I’ll feel pretty good about putting the pieces of the puzzle (together), as far as a two-deep, maybe a three-deep, where guys fit. That’s really the goal in the first scrimmage. Who can do what, who can get open, who can make competitive catches? Who can operate at a high clip? That’s what I’m looking for in this first scrimmage coming up.”
On how interchangeable the receiver positions are in Tennessee’s offense…
“That’s really one of the values that I bring coaching wideouts is I played quarterback. I played quarterback in this league. As a quarterback, you have to understand the entire game. I want these guys to understand their position. That one position you play, whether it’s the slot or an outside guy. Once you master your position, once you master your craft, now you need to understand the entire offense. That makes you a better wideout. That makes you more valuable, right? You have value, as far as knowing inside and outside. That’s really the point where you want to get to, is where guys know slot, guys know outside, and they’re interchangeable. Hopefully, throughout the course of the year, that will continue to grow, and we can interchange guys’ pieces in and out throughout series in a game.”
On the receiving corps ability to make explosive plays…
“We’ve done a pretty good job. We’ve got to make more competitive plays. We’ve got to be more consistent. It can’t be one big play and then a couple of drops. It just got to be more consistent. That just comes with confidence. That comes with growth and just reps. A lot of these guys are unproven, haven’t played a lot of ball, not a lot of time on task from the wide receiver position. So, the more reps you get in fall camp, every single day is a big day. Like, it’s the next day, it’s the biggest day of the year for us as a young group. We’ve got to go out there and grow and develop. As far as the competitive catches, I would like to see us make more.”
On quarterbacking experience translating to the wide receiver position…
“I don’t know if you’ve watched (Jimmy Calloway and Jimmy Holiday’s) films, but they were more like run left, run right type of guys. You know what I mean? I don’t know what concepts recalled in high school. It does help you, because you do have to see the game from a different perspective. You’ve got to know what the offensive line scheme is. You’ve got to know what the running backs’ footwork is. You have to know what the outside perimeter guys are doing. It does help them see the game a little bit different. That’s why I think you see Jimmy Calloway really taking big strides. He’s grown so much over the course of the summer, and in these seven days of fall camp. It’s really impressive, and I’m excited about him. Explosive, extremely fast, loves football, great hands. He’s starting to understand how to play the position. It’s all about development, especially with guys that have played different positions. They’re not natural wide receivers, but now you’re starting to see him become more natural every single day at practice.”
On the competitiveness within the receiver group and the specific skill set he’s looking for when recruiting wide receivers for this offense…
“Yeah, competition in the room. The good thing about us is it’s a healthy competition. We understand that we’re trying to make Tennessee better. We want to go out and push each other every single day at practice so there’s no divisiveness, there’s no guys bickering. We want to go out and compete every single day, so it is really good to actually have a two, or a three deep to where you can’t get complacent. A lot of times if you have starters, those guys typically find a way to be complacent because they know the No. 2 guy has no chance to beat me out. Right now, here in the spring, also summer and now in fall camp it’s wide open, so go out there every single day, get better, don’t make the same mistake twice and go out there and win your job. That’s the point that we’re at right now is trying to win our job.
“As far as a recruiting aspect, in this offense, as fast as we play, you have to be able to process. You got to be able to think, where to line up – in the heat of the moment there’s a lot of stuff happening – you got to get your alignment, you got to know exactly what your assignment is, and you got to operate at a high clip, so you have to be competitive by nature. A lot of guys out of high school that may come from not so good programs, or maybe not so good backgrounds, it’s going to be really tough to operate in this style of offense because you have to operate at a high clip. Everything is going fast, so that’s a big thing in recruiting. You got to be competitive, you got to be smart, and you got to know how to play football. And you really got to love it, that’s what it comes down to. Do I love football? If I love football, I’m going to work at my craft and try to get better every single day.”
Freshman RB Jaylen Wright
On his thoughts regarding the offense and the run game…
“I think this offense is very high-powered and very fast. I think we’ll catch a lot of teams off guard. The run game, I love the run game. I love the plays. It gets me open in space a lot. As far as everybody running back wise, I feel like we all are going to flourish in this offense.”
On his confidence when it comes to contributing in the passing game…
“I’m extremely confident in that. I really mold my game after Alvin Kamara. I know he does a lot of going to the slot and catching the ball out of the backfield. I know that the more you catch, the more money you’re going to make in the future.”
On the importance of being a good run blocker in this offense…
“Oh, it’s extremely important to block. If you can’t protect, you can’t play, so that’s one of the biggest things that our coaches put out to us. We work protection every day and just blocking. I think I’m doing pretty good in pass protection right now.”
On what he wanted to focus on after the spring to improve his game…
“What I really wanted to work on was probably running routes. That’s what I really tried to perfect my game at. Running routes and running good in the backfield, like shooting gaps and just be quick and explosive.”
Freshman WR Walker Merrill
On what he likes about the new coaching staff…
“Coach (Kody) Burns… he’s a great coach. He lets you know how it is. I really think that’s good because when you do something wrong and he tells you, ‘that wasn’t good,’ or ‘you need to do this,’ he lets you know so in your head you’re like, ‘I’ve got to get it right this time.’ He pushes you each and every rep, even outside of football. Coach (Josh) Heupel, on the field, off the field, he is the same person.”
On the competition among the receivers…
“It’s great. We’ve got some great receivers. (Jimmy) Calloway and (Jalin) Hyatt are two really good receivers. I am just glad to be in the same spot as them, really just seeing how they play. I take away (things) from what they can do so that I can pull it to my game, but we’ve got some great receivers.”
On who he tries to mimic his game after…
“I try to mimic my game after a Justin Jefferson type player. With my play, I think I have naturally good hands. Everything has room for improvement though.”
-UT Athletics
The day that Dan + Shay fans have been waiting for is here!
Their new album Good Things is available now!
The 12 tracks on the new project will include their smash hits “I Should Probably Go To Bed” and “10,000 Hours” (with Justin Bieber) along with their current Top 3 (and climbing) hit “Glad You Exist”
Dan Smyers co-wrote all 12 songs on Good Things, with Shay Mooney writing on 8 tracks, and they shared, “We poured every bit of our hearts into this project and have never been more excited for anything in our entire lives. can’t wait for it to be yours so soon.”
GOOD THINGS TRACK LISTING
1. “Good Things” (Dan Smyers, Ross Copperman, Jason Evigan, Ashley Gorley)^
2. “Steal My Love” (Dan Smyers, Andy Albert, Ashley Gorley, Jordan Reynolds)
3. “You” (Dan Smyers, Dave Barnes, Jordan Reynolds)*
4. “Body Language” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes, Jordan Reynolds)*
5. “Give In To You” (Dan Smyers, Julia Michaels, Jordan Reynolds)+
6. “Irresponsible” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Julia Michaels, Jordan Reynolds)*
7. “Lying” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Andy Albert, Jordan Reynolds, Bill Withers)
8. “One Direction” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Andy Albert, Jordan Reynolds)
9. “Let Me Get Over Her” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Andy Albert, Kyle Fishman, Jordan Schmidt, Brad Tursi)*
10. “Glad You Exist” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Ryan Lewis, Tayla Parx, Jordan Reynolds)
11. “10,000 Hours” (with Justin Bieber) (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jordan Reynolds, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd)
12. “I Should Probably Go To Bed” (Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Sean Douglas, Jason Evigan)
All tracks produced by Dan Smyers
*Co-produced with Scott Hendricks
^Co-produced with Jason Evigan
+Co-produced with Jordan Reynolds
While they worked on the majority of Good Things during last year’s quarantine, Dan shares that the very beginning of this project started when they finished their last album in 2018. “We’re so excited about our new album Good Things, we feel like this is the best body of work we’ve ever put out. We dug really really deep on the songs and we’ve been writing ever since we turned in our last album 3 years ago.”
With their signature sound and time to work on all kinds of musical themes, Dan thinks there’s a track on Good Things that will connect with each one of their fans, and then he can’t wait to bring these songs to the fans on their Arena Tour next month. “There’s something for everybody on this album. There’s happy songs, there’s sad songs, and everything in between. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been on the road, so we can’t wait to get out and play the Good Things album front to back on our arena tour. We’re so proud of every single one of these songs, we poured our hearts and souls into them and hopefully you love them as much as we do.”
Whether it’s through their albums, the concerts, or social media, Dan + Shay say they want to connect with their fans in a meaningful way…and the key to that is just being real, “I think what people connect to the most is authenticity, and we try to be authentic in our music and in our personal lives. When someone follows us on social media, we’re not putting on a front, what you see is what you get and for better or worse sometimes. I think it’s allowed us to keep a core fanbase of loyal fans as well. I’m grateful to be a part of the country music community, like you said where we think the fans are more loyal than any other format of music.”
After what they and their fans went through during 2020, and the early part of 2021 Dan + Shay share that the title to their new album carries a message of hope, “It only felt appropriate to name the album Good Things because after the last year and a half that we’ve all had, I think we could all use some Good Things.”
Good Things is available for fans right now — just as Dan + Shay’s song “Glad You Exist” is knocking on the door to the number-one spot on country radio.
Photos Courtesy of Dan + Shay
This is A Day in the Country with Paul Koffy – August 13th
On this day in 2015 Brantley Gilbert was at number-1 with “One Hell of an Amen”
In 2011 Eric Church’s album Chief debuted at number-1
In 1991 Brooks & Dunn released their debut album, Brand New Man
And way back in 1951, Hank Williams was at number- 1 with “Hey, Good Lookin'”. His version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
Photo Courtesy of Bozeman Media
Earlier this week Tenille Arts teased on social media that “There’s a lot happening this week” – and she wasn’t kidding.
Perhaps fans first thought she was referencing that the music video for “Back Then, Right Now” was recently released, or that the song is starting to move up the country music chart, or that she had more shows coming up with Lady A on their What A Song Can Do tour.
Or maybe it was the release of her new song with Matt Stell, “Over You Is You.”
Well, it turns out that it was all of that – and more!
Tenille shared with fans, “It’s official…my third album is coming!!!”
Tenille dished on some of the album’s details, “Girl to Girl will be here on October 22nd. These 13 songs were written as letters to my current and younger self… and now they’ll be for you too.”
Along with her current single, Tenille’s song with Matt Stell is one of the new tracks fans can look forward to…
With all the things happening in her career right now, Tenille says that making the sacrifice of being so far way from her hometown in Canada, and her family and friends to try and achieve her Music City dream is all worth it, “These were the things that we were hoping would happen and I am very well aware that it doesn’t happen for everybody. So, driving into town you know you just hope that you’re one of those people that gets to that point and spending all this time away from my parents, and my grandparents, and my family, my friends it’s like if this stuff wasn’t happening right now I know that I would probably be questioning should I be here…should I be away from my family and all these people”
As Tenille’s career flourishes, her family and friends back in Canada send all the love and support they can, and while Tenille wishes the hugs were real instead of virtual, she loves knowing that she has people that will love and support her each and every step of the way…no matter what happens., “They’re just all so excited and so happy and just thinking that all the stuff is so worth it you know all of this being away from each other…it’s worth it. So when they text me and they’re so excited and they’re celebrating it’s just…it feels like a big warm hug…I know I can’t hug them in person right now but it’s just like, it feels like all of his stuff is worth it and they’re so proud and so excited.”
Everyone is sure now to be really excited with the Girl To Girl album announcement — from her upcoming third project, this is the music video for Tenille Arts’ “Back Then, Right Now.”
Photo Courtesy of Tenille Arts
