Quick Hitters From Tennessee Media Day Press Conference

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to open fall camp tomorrow, August 1st, and prior to the start of camp, Josh Heupel, Tim Banks, and Alex Golesh met with the

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to open fall camp tomorrow, August 1st, and prior to the start of camp, Josh Heupel, Tim Banks, and Alex Golesh met with the media to discuss his football team. Below are our initial quick hitters from the outing. 

Excitement, Growth, Confidence, Competition

Much like Heupel has in many other press conferences, he dove into the excitement and growth that he has seen around his program during the off-season. The excitement entering year two should come with no surprise as the Vols exceeded expectations in year one. The growth is a testament to the work ethic that Tennessee has instilled in its players throughout the off-season. Each coach also discussed how certain players were coming into the building with different levels of confidence from last fall. You will hear competition several more times throughout this but each coach discussed how the players were challenging each other and making positive steps in terms of competition. 

NCAA Notice of Allegations 

Heupel obviously cannot say much about this publicly at this point but he emphasized the ability to be transparent with recruits since the process started when he took the job in January of 2021, and how he felt that has led to positive conversations with recruits and current players on the team. The Vols nearly have this in the rear view as they have self-imposed several penalties already and worked hand-in-hand with the NCAA through out. 

No update on Bru McCoy

Tennessee is still waiting word on Bru McCoy, and Heupel did not offer much more than that, but he did reiterate that McCoy continues to work and be a part of what the team is doing moving forward. At SEC Media Days, Heupel said there was only one remaining hurdle to clear for McCoy to be immediately eligible. 

Team Health

Elsewhere, the Vols will be without Len'Neth Whitehead this fall due to an undisclosed upper body injury, but Josh Heupel believes his team is relatively healthy across the board heading into camp. Tennessee will get several key pieces back that missed the spring, including Kamal Hadden and Brandon Turnage, who will bring a lot of added depth to the secondary. 

Freshman RBs

Whitehead being absent will likely lead the Vols to have to lean on one of their freshman running backs in the rotation, unless they are able to make a late add through the grad transfer portal, which is still an option at this point. Heupel reiterated that he feels confident in what both Justin Thomas and Dylan Sampson bring to the room, as they have been as advertised to this point, but they still have to continue to grow. 

Juwan Mitchell

Mitchell got the start at inside linebacker week one and two last fall, but he was sidelined due to an injury that required surgery. He is back this fall and healthy. Heupel and Tim Banks both spoke to his growth since returning from injury. This could be key for the Vols if they can create a true rotation at the inside linebacker position where they struggled in 2021 due to injury. 

TE usage

Heupel believes the Vols have more bodies to utilize at the tight end position this fall, but most importantly, he believes the growth at the position can help the Vols open the offensive even more in 2022 and create different looks to cause schematic issues for opposing defenses. 

Wide Receivers 

The Tennessee coaches mentioned numerous wide receivers, but the common theme was despite the loss of JaVonta Payton and Velus Jones, the Vols have enough depth to replace production to allow Cedric Tillman to still thrive in one-on-on matchups. Alex Golesh discussed the competition in the slot and emphasized how well that Jalin Hyatt has "taken monumental steps" to come on. He also had positive things to say about Jimmy Calloway and Squirrel White, but he did question Jimmy Calloway's consistency. All three of the freshmen drew praise from Tennessee's coaches during the media session. 

Pass Rushers

Heupel emphasized the need to be better on third down defense this fall. He, along with defensive coordinator Tim Banks, raved about Byron Young and his growth within the position, but they also had plenty of good things to say about Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison, in addition to the potential of the newcomers James Pearce and Joshua Josephs. This is a spot that Tennessee has solidified during the off-season and could be a key factor in the Vols success in 2022. 

Offensive Tackle Battle

Alex Golesh discussed this position and noted that Darnell Wright will start out at right tackle, while Dayne Davis, Jeremiah Crawford and Gerald Mincey battle for the left tackle spot initially. There was hesitancy to lean one way or another at the position, but he emphasized depth and the potential to utilize a by committee approach if needed.This will be a position battle that wages on for a while during fall camp and likely even into week one as Tennessee can use multiple rotations to test out how they want to attack the toughest part of their season at the position.