The Vols went through a 23-period practice indoors to culminate Week 1 with several high school coaches in attendance as part of the annual Coaches Clinic. Garner spoke to media following the practice and discussed how his unit’s depth and versatility will be key this season.
“We are going into year four in the system where guys should be more comfortable in the system,” he said. “I think they are getting a better grasp of it. They understand how the system works and understand conceptually that we ought to be able to move guys around in different positions and do different things. The bottom line is that we have to be able to go out there and execute at a high level.”
First-team All-SEC edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is back as the SEC’s returning leader in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (14.5).
“James is a competitor,” Garner said. “He is very smart and talented. He just has to make sure he is channeling all of his energy and everything in the right direction. Then, just making sure that he is going out there every day and taking championship reps, paying attention to details. Especially, he has to improve in the run game.”
Veteran interior linemen Bryson Eason and Omari Thomas elected to come back for their final seasons and are joined by Stanford transfer Jaxson Moi, who enrolled in January.
“I think the group overall has trended the right way,” Garner said. “Jaxson is a young man that transferred into us from Stanford. We’ve been very pleased with him. I think his teammates, they love him. He’s fit in really well here. He brings exactly what that room needs. He’s a team-first guy, it’s important to him. He loves being at the University of Tennessee. He’s really taken pride in this. He’s tough, athletic, smart. He’s going to be a tremendous addition to the room.
The Vols will utilize Sunday as a meeting day before returning to the practice field on Monday morning. Tennessee will scrimmage next Wednesday and then break for the Easter holiday.
Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner
On defensive coordinator Tim Banks saying Tennessee could have the best defensive line in the country…
“I didn’t know he did that. I would obviously love to be able to ordain these guys to be that, but unfortunately that’s not the way it works. For us to be that, we have to come out and put in work every day. We have to continue to grow. There are a lot of areas that we have to improve in. I think they see that on the film. It’s like I tell them: every day we go on that field, we’re chasing greatness. Either we’re getting better, or we’re getting worse. We’re not going to stay the same. I do not think that we can afford to take a day off. I do like my room. There are some really good young men in the room, and I think the energy has been great throughout the first four days of spring ball. I do like the trajectory that we’re going on, but when you start looking at us from a fundamental standpoint, there are just so many things that we have to continue to improve on.”
On Jaxson Moi, Tyree Weathersby and Bryson Eason…
“I think the group overall has trended the right way. Jaxson is a young man that transferred into us from Stanford. We’ve been very pleased with him. I think his teammates, they love him. He’s fit in really well here. He brings exactly what that room needs. He’s a team-first guy, it’s important to him. He loves being at the University of Tennessee. He’s really taken pride in this. He’s tough, athletic, smart. He’s going to be a tremendous addition to the room.
“Weathersby, we are pacing him a little bit coming off the injury (from last year). Talking to the training staff and the strength staff, they feel like he is definitely on track to be 100 percent by the time we get going with (fall) camp. He’s doing individual work with us now. We’re sort of pacing him and adding more to it every day, but I do like what I’m seeing. Obviously, he flashed before he got hurt – and he had that tragic injury that was pretty tough, so he’s fighting back.
“Bryson is starting to grow up. He’s always been a very talented individual. I think what speaks volumes, the last practice, Bryson was voted by the staff the ‘Energy Giver’ of the day. Three years ago, nobody would have ever said Bryson Eason was an energy giver. It’s not that he’s a rah-rah, cheerleader type. The way he has been practicing the first four days of camp, the energy that he’s bringing, the juice that he’s bringing, the attention to detail that he’s bringing, I’m hoping and thinking that maybe the light is coming on, and that hopefully he’s going to take that next step. It’ll be good for Tennessee, and it’ll be good for Bryson.”
On younger defensive lineman vying for playing time and the approach he wants them to take…
“Who says (the older players) are guaranteed? There are no guarantees. My guys know this is a bottom-line business. It’s about performance. The thing about what we do, and I think the kids would tell you the same thing, we want to play multiple guys. Our goal is to be able to play 10 or 12 guys a game, so we can be fresh and play the fourth quarter like we play the first quarter. Nobody is guaranteed anything. They have to come out there, and they have to earn it every day. Not just on the field, I’m talking about off the field too – going to class, going to study hall, going to tutoring, making sure they are on time, being pros long before they become pros. We’re not just going to reward mediocrity. These guys, if you’re going out there and you’re practicing the best, then you’re going to run out there and get your name called over the loud speaker first. I do think that they know we’re going to play a lot of guys. You earn that in practice by how you go about it and show that, ‘Hey, I can go out there and execute the gameplan at a championship level. My coaches, they can count on me. My teammates can count on me. I’m going to go out there and get my job done.'”
On how he has seen Bryson Eason flip the switch to turn on the energy…
“I didn’t know he was energetic in the media. I have never seen energy out of him before. So I didn’t know that. I didn’t know he could flip the switch until now. He has definitely been a different guy as far as in the meeting room, on the practice field, and how he is just going about his business. From that standpoint, I think that would be echoed from coaches to even his teammates and peers. They see a difference in him in our world. Hopefully, he will get better in your world, because he has definitely gotten better in our world. He is a great young man, but now, there would have never been an adjective to describe him as energetic or hardworking, straining and all that. Those things would have never been used to describe him in the past. Where now, these past four days, people are saying those things about him. Hopefully, he is seeing himself have success in doing really good things on film. He is going to stack good days on top of good days, on top of good days, on top of good days, and see where this thing could take him. He is a talented young man. He has always been that.”
On James Pearce Jr. finding a new ceiling after a breakout season last year…
“No one man is bigger than the program. Never ever. Alright so, James had a really good season. But when he looks at that film, there are a lot of areas he needs to improve on. I think he can see it. If you open your eyes and be realistic, for what he wants to achieve and where he wants to go, there are some things that he needs to get better at to make him that commodity, so you don’t have any red flags or any negatives about you. He has been fine. James is a competitor. He is very smart and talented. He just has to make sure he is channeling all of his energy and everything in the right direction. Then, just making sure that he is going out there every day and taking championship reps, paying attention to details. Especially, he has to improve in the run game. Just like I was telling him with BY (Byron Young). I didn’t get a chance to watch much pro ball, but when the season was over, the Rams’ last regular season game. I got a chance to watch that, and obviously BY had a great year as far as sacks, but during the game that I watched, they were running the ball right at him. He sat there and was getting knocked back and all that. I was like, man, that is grown man stuff. You have to improve and do those things so you can have the right to be able to rush the quarterback. Those are the things that we have to continue to improve on.”
On how pleased he is about having the amount of depth and culture established …
“I think the guys are buying in to what we believe and what we preach. I truly believe in my heart that we are all blessed just to have the opportunity to be at the University of Tennessee. We had some guys in the past that Tennessee was blessed to have us, and that’s not the case. These guys are believing in what we are doing and how we are doing things. They understand it’s bigger than us as individuals. It’s bigger than me as Coach G. It’s bigger than Coach (Tim) Banks. It’s bigger than Coach (Mike) Ekeler. It begins with the T and ends with the T. They are starting to see that when we play together, and we play as brothers, then we have the opportunity to achieve something good. We have the opportunity to display playing at a high level, being able to have more guys get accolades and being able to do great things. It’s been rewarding for me to have an opportunity to coach these young men. I enjoy my role. I really do, but I don’t want you to take that I am soft on them. They all need to be checked just like me. It’s those checks and balances, but I really love the guys. My role is to try to administer to them and have them grow in all areas, not just on the football field but academically, socially, spiritually and athletically. That is something that we don’t take for granted.
On the versatility of the group four years into the system …
“I am hoping that we can be better. We are going into year four in the system where guys should be more comfortable in the system. I think they are getting a better grasp of it. They understand how the system works and understand conceptually that we ought to be able to move guys around in different positions and do different things. The bottom line is that we have to be able to go out there and execute at a high level.”
On Jayson Jenkins’ development…
“Jayson is a blue-collar guy. He comes to work everyday with his lunch box. He puts in the work. You have seen that guy grow in leaps and bounds. He has truly taken steps where he can have a role on this defense. He has the respect of his peers because no one has given him anything. He has had to work for every little thing he has gotten. It’s just like spring break. I am coming off knee surgery, so I had to come back and rehab. He didn’t go anywhere. I am going in the training room, and he is out there everyday working out, working on his get off, working on bags, just putting in the work. He is just a blue-collar guy that wants to be a part of it. He is prideful about it. He loves this place. He wants to be here. I am sure he could leave and go somewhere. We are happy that he is staying, and we are excited about his expanded role that we expect from him this year.”
Redshirt Senior DL Bryson Eason
On receiving the “Energy Giver” awar d from the coaching staff…
“It’s actually my first time getting something like that since I’ve been here. It’s just a guy who’s out there being loud, pouring into his teammates, cheering everybody on and just hyping them up and having fun. That’s how I look at it, honestly. And this is my first time getting it here, but I feel like that’s always been inside of me. I’m just growing outside of my shell, trying to be a leader and trying to help the new guys and the transfers come out, help them be comfortable and just be somebody that they can lean to. I know things get hard and tough with a coach like (Coach Garner), so just being somebody that is there for them, basically.”
On feeling different going into the season…
“I do, I feel like the guys in the room just make it comfortable. It’s such a comfortable space, and everyone can just be themselves. Being a dude with a lot of energy and being a loud dude, I feel like that’s something I’ve always been, but I just haven’t been comfortable enough with it. Now it just feels like I can be myself, and being myself is going to help us out.”
On if the dynamic between the older and younger players has been a focus…
“Most definitely. I remember when we were the younger guys and the older guys used to look out for us, talk to us, and be patient with us. We just want to give out the same thing to the younger guys and new guys that just came in now, and be a good role model for them and good teammate to them.”
Redshirt Senior DL Elijah Simmons
On what approach he takes on stepping up as a veteran on the team…
“I think just becoming more of a leader and taking on a leadership role, being a mentor to a lot of the young guys that just got here. I know a lot of us understand the playbook like the back of our hand so like I said, just being a mentor to the young guys and helping them out.”
On where the defensive line group now versus when they first came in a few years ago…
“I feel like we’ve elevated a lot and like I was saying, we have a lot young guys, but they are getting the plays quickly and the older guys like myself, O (Omari Thomas), and Bryson (Eason), we’re all helping them out a lot. I feel like we’ve really progressed from the past years.”
On relationship with Coach Rodney Garner…
“He’s been the same guy through and through, but I feel like we’ve become more of a brotherhood and he’s really seen that and kind of tagged along and been cool with us. I guess the whole room has really stepped it up a little bit and now we’re all together.”
Junior DL Tyre West
On his performance at the Citrus Bowl impacting his approach to spring practice…
“I feel like it boosted my confidence a lot from knowing why I came and where I started from to now … Right after that game, I was itching to just have another one because I know the energy I had from that game is going to build and build and build. But now, from the time off I know, especially in spring, I know I’m just going to keep going up.”
On playing defensive end and rotating to the interior…
“Really, I’m just trying to be versatile. No limits. So anyway I can improve my game, I’m for it.”
On the practice dynamic and camaraderie of the defensive line group…
“Really there’s no plays off, because everybody is going to hold everybody accountable. We really do have a brotherhood. We’re getting tighter and tighter by the day.”
