Everything Henry To'o To'o said during Thursday's Media Availabilty

On being out west in California for three months during quarantine and then being able to come back to Knoxville in June to be with the team

"These are crazy times, and these are probably not times we want to be in, but for me it was a good thing because I was able to be around my family a lot more. Being so far away from my family, I was able to spend some time with them, watch my little brothers grow up – I worked them out and I worked my sisters out a lot more – so I kind of grew a relationship with my family that I'm truly thankful for during this time of quarantine. Being out there and then coming back to Knoxville and being able to see my team after about three months, I missed them, so being able to see the boys and work out with the boys again, I was happy. I was juiced."

On how fortunate they feel to be able to practice and hopefully have a season

"It's huge. It's a blessing to be able to have such a great medical staff that supports us, that wants the best for us, that keeps us updated every single day on what's going on and how this virus can spread and how we can prevent it from reaching our team. We feel really fortunate to go out there and play some ball. It's not just us, I know the entire world misses football, so we just got to take advantage of it. We got to do the right things. We got to be responsible. Coach Pruitt tells us all the time, act like pros now, so we got to do the right things, just be responsible, and do the things so that we can have a season."

On some of the things that help the players feel safe in and around the facility

"For a lot of players, and I can count myself in this, if we were to be able to go home, who knows what we would be doing. We wouldn't be on a time schedule, we wouldn't be responsible to go to things and be held accountable to be able to do things on our own, so we would probably be out doing things, traveling, probably doing something with our family that we shouldn't be doing here. So, being able to be here, having the medical staff, and being able to have practice, knowing that your teammates are counting on you to do the right thing day-in-day-out. A lot of people would go home and not have a safe environment to be in. You guys have seen that all throughout Twitter and social media that people want to be here. They want to be here, and it feels like a safe environment and I can speak for myself that I feel safe here. I feel that the medical staff has done a tremendous job to be able to ensure my safety and I trust them with all that I've got."

On how normal this week has felt and how stressful and different the last few weeks and months have been during Covid-19

"The past three months have just been all over the place. A lot of uncertainty. So, to be able to come back this week and to be able to play ball, it gives us a sense of normalcy. We're out there ballin' like we always do on a daily basis. We're out there playing with each other, so it feels good. It's a blessing to be able to be out there. I can't really put it into words how it feels to be out there and play some ball. You just got to feel it and if you were in our shoes you would understand."

On where he feels like he and the team are mentally and physically from a football standpoint right now

"Mentally wise, we did a great job as a team, as a defensive and offensive unit to be able to hold Zoom meetings while we were all in quarantine. So, we were on Zoom getting the same film work in, holding each other accountable, making sure everybody's camera was on, making sure that everybody was answering questions. We did a tremendous job. So, mentally wise, I feel like we all did a great job. We came in and got on Day-1 installing and we rode from there.

"Physically wise, I feel like I did a good job being able to come back physically (in shape) and I think the team did a good job too. They came back stronger. We came back working out with A.J. (Artis), and we did a really good job as a team being conditioned and being physically strong."

On what it's been like without Daniel Bituli and building his chemistry with the other linebackers in the room

"Me and Daniel Bituli had a brotherhood bond, but that was last year. It's time to focus on this year. Me and Q , and it's not only just me and Q, it's our whole entire LB room. We all came together as one. We all know that we have to fill in the shoes of Daniel Bitulie so we all kind of put in that extra work, that extra time. So, it's not necessarily only two people, it's the entire LB room. The guys that we have in there are doing a tremendous job of kind of picking up the light that Bituli left off with us, so now it's on to us to be able to carry that torch."

On stepping into more of a leadership role

"Yes sir. I feel like I could do a lot more. I feel like since I've seen Bituli, I've seen the way that he did things on and off the field, he did everything right. I just want to be able to do what he did. He showed me the ways and I just want to exceed his expectations from now."

On Brian Niedermeyer

"He is a real juiced guy. He is excited about every single thing we do. It's a blessing to have him recruit me and have him as a coach. He hasn't changed. He is still the same person that I know and met since day one. He is a really smart guy, knows his schemes and knows how a linebacker is supposed to play. Being able to have Niedermeyer there has been a true blessing. One thing I love about him is he brings that juice every single day. He wants the best out of us every single day, whether it's watching film or on the field running to the ball. It's a true blessing to have a coach like him."

On who he sees playing beside him at inside linebacker this season

That's not my question to answer. I have no right to say who I want right beside me. We're all players and we're all here to play football. Our inside linebacking core has done a great job for us, from the older guys to the younger guys. We've all done a tremendous job playing and getting in that extra work. We were all here until about nine o'clock yesterday watching film as a unit. That's not something for me to say anything about, but I know whoever is in that game or in practice, they are going to give it their all. They are going to know what they are doing."

On knowing Pac-12 players and what is their mood like after having their season postponed

"A lot of the people in the Pac-12 that I know are pretty bummed, to be honest with you. I have a lot of family in the Pac-12 and being able to talk to them, they also wanted a season and they wanted to play. That wasn't their call to make. They are probably working their butts off right now so when it is their time to play, they can excel."

On the depth at the linebacker position

"We have a lot of depth. We have guys like Jeremy Banks, Bryson Eason, Martavius French, Aaron Beasley, Solon Page – guys like that to be able to incorporate into the game. We all have our different skillsets. We all have our unique types of plays that we can do, and we all know our strengths. Just to be able to have guys like that in the room makes us stronger as a unit. We know that whoever is in the game, whoever is out there is going to do what they need to do."

On Jeremy Banks return

"Jeremy Banks is my guy, that's my brother right there. We spend a lot of time together and he has grown and we're here to support him. Everything he does, we're here to support him and help him grow. Jeremy has done a great job and he is a changed man. On the field, he is helping us tremendously. It is a true blessing to have him out there with us."

On how the team is handling COVID-19 after having players test positive after the July 4th weekend

"We knew that coming back there were going to be some guys that tested positive. We told each other after the Fourth of July, be aware, be responsible, and act like pros. Be a pro. You want to play ball, so if you're going to go out there and ruin that for not only yourself but the entire team, it's not the smartest thing to do. We made a promise to each other that we're going to do the right thing and I think we've been doing a pretty good job of that."

video via Tennessee Athletics Communication

Add us as a preferred source on Google