Everything From DL Jaxson Moi In His Monday Media Availability

Jaxson Moi talked to the media on Monday as the Vols return after their bye to face the Arkansas Razorbacks.

On his first game back….

“Oh, it was good. It was good to get back out there, you know, knock the rust off a little bit. It was a blessing to get back out there.”

On if he was on a pitch count…

“No, not really. It was just seeing how the game progressed, playing as good as I feel. So, it felt pretty good out there.”

On how he spent the bye week…

“Really just staying at home, doing some treatment, watching the games. I don't like to do too much other than when I'm not working out or playing football. I just like to chill, have some at-home time.

On if there is a different mentality playing Arkansas this year…

“Yeah, definitely a different mentality, just preaching, having that week off. It's easy to let your foot off the gas a little bit, and you're coming off two wins. But I'm really just preaching that you gotta stay motivated. Our coaches like to say there's a little saying, more people die going down Mount Everest than going up. So that really just puts emphasis on what I just said, just not letting your foot off when things are going good.”

On his assessment of the defensive line room when he was out…

“I just thought we played really hard. I was really proud of the guys. Obviously, as a group, we've dealt with some injuries. So some young guys had to step up. Our older guys had to step up even more. So I was just really proud of how everyone picked up their new roles. Really just showed the type of heart and passion that we play the game with. So I was really proud in that sense. We got a lot of things to work on as a group, me personally as well. We're gonna progress each week, and I'm excited for that.”

On Kaleb Beasley…

“As a player, he's fast, a playmaker, decisive. As a person, KB, we like to call him, he's just a really good dude, always brings good energy, always has a smile on his face. You want those types of guys in your locker room and on your team, no doubt.”

On whether there was concern he would be out longer when he initially got hurt…

“Yeah, it was tough, no doubt. It's easy to feed negativity in your head, but I have a great foundation, a great support system, and I have found my faith. That's what helped me the most. My teammates and our training staff, I got news that wasn't, thankfully, season-ending. So once I found out that it wasn't season-ending, I just lived in that training room so I could get back as fast as I could.”

On whether the training room is a test of his patience too…

“I would say patience and God's timing. It sounds kind of cliche, but it truly is. It's not always as you plan it, but when it's meant to be, it'll happen. So that's just been my mindset this whole season, but I'm back out here first game in Neyland since UTEP last year, so I can't wait.”

On why he wears a specific bracelet….

“Yes. We got this, some of the players at our little team devotional. It really just talks about the gospel of God and all the different aspects. The heart represents how God loves us. It really just talks about how, you know, through him, through Jesus, that, you know, you know, we're just, we're divided from him because of sin. Jesus sacrificed his life for us so that we can, you know, have that relationship and, you know, live, live eternally with him. So yeah, I've been really blessed with some great faithful people around here that have helped me grow in that sense as well.”

On Joey Aguilar and what he has done this season…

“I always knew Joey was, he was gonna come out there with a chip on his shoulder. This is Joey's last year, too. He's trying to make a name for himself. He's such a great teammate, great person. It's not all for show. He really is a great locker room guy, great leader. I'm just very thankful we got him on our team.”

On how big it was to get Daevin Hobbs back this week…

“Hobbs, that's my guy right there. He's a beast, and he's just such a dynamic player, such a skilled athlete, but also very powerful as well. So getting him back will be humongous for our D line and just our team, really. We had a lot of talks about that, just lifting each other up while we're in the training room and on the sidelines together, really just speaking life to each other. So I can't wait for him to show the world what he's got. I know he's been working hard to get back out there on the field.”

On if the team has a sense of what the defensive line can achieve with players coming back…

“Yeah, a little bit. But I feel like our D line has, they've balled out. Obviously, we have stuff we gotta work on, but the guys that were thankfully healthy have done some great stuff on tape. There is a little sense of when we get our full health, it's gonna be even more exciting. So yeah, it'll be fun.”

On what he sees from the Arkansas offensive line….

“They're gonna be a well-coached group. Their former coach, Coach Pittman, was a great offensive line coach. Coach Petrino's a great offensive mind. So we know that it's not gonna be a cakewalk, it's gonna be a dog fight. We know that we can't look past anyone just because of what's happened in the past. They're gonna be a highly motivated group; their quarterback makes a lot of plays and makes a lot of things happen if you're not disciplined. So if we really just focus on the little things, that's really all we got to do this week. We know it's gonna be a good game."

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