KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, defensive coordinator Tim Banks and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, as well as select players met with members of the media Tuesday on the eve of preseason football camp practice.
The Volunteers will practice three times over the next four days beginning Wednesday morning. Practice is closed to the public. Heupel praised the team’s leadership council on a journey that began in January and continued through summer workouts.
“I love the leadership and the accountability piece of what we have inside of our building,” Heupel said. “The challenge is to continue to grow that throughout the course of the season. You get into day-to-day, inside of football, sometimes that can take a step back if you’re not intentional on it. I think it’s really important as young guys come into your program, the older guys are essentially being a big brother to those guys and helping them grow and understand what it takes to be successful at this level, what it takes to be a Tennessee Volunteer.”
Heupel and Halzle have been through numerous quarterback battles throughout the different stages of their careers. They both spoke on the one that will take place during camp featuring Jake Merklinger, George MacIntyre and transfer Joey Aguilar.
“I think that’s important for your team to see, but ultimately the strength of one position could never be one guy,” Heupel said. “We’ve sat in rooms with three guys that ultimately went on to the NFL all at one time that were all at one point competing for a job. I think it’s important that they handle it the right way. All three of those guys have done an elite job of competing and pushing each other throughout the course of the summer. They’ve helped each other through the journey of the summer, and I think that’s going to be important as we get into training camp too.”
“Whoever steps on the field with them will have earned that job,” Halzle added. “That is why you never hear Coach Heupel or myself saying, ‘By this date, we will announce a guy.’ Someone has to take it. Someone has to step up and take it and prove it.”
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening statement…
“Great to be back. (I’m) excited to get to training camp with these guys, the next phase of us preparing ourselves for football. I can’t wait to get out on the field with these guys tomorrow. (I’m) excited and proud of the work that they’ve put in. You start this journey as they come back in January through your winter, spring and summer. I’m proud of what we have done and what our players have done, the leadership that we have inside of our locker room and now it’s about taking the next step and taking steps every single day – competing to be our best individually and collectively as a group. We’ve got great leadership on this team. I know at some point I’m going to get a question about Boo [Carter], so I’m going to address that right now. Boo is a part of our team here. There are some things that he has to accomplish to get back on the field with us. I don’t have a set timeline on that. Our leadership council has been a part of those things, those discussions with me and with Boo. I’m proud of what they have done. They care for and love Boo and want him to be his best, too. Through this, I think Boo sees that as well. At the end of the day, us collectively continuing to grow here through the course of training camp. I will be the one who will handle and take questions on Boo, and that’s today and here throughout the beginning part of training camp as well. I’m proud of how our team has handled those things and ultimately will handle those things internally. I’m not going to get into details on everything. So, I’m excited to roll. You guys are going to get a chance to hear from some of our staff and players today, but everybody in the building is ready to go for tomorrow.”
On how much he’s communicated with Boo Carter this month and his policy with players and voluntary summer workouts…
“At the end of the day, it’s a requirement to be here and be a part of what we’re doing. There’s a lot of information out there in the world, some of it’s correct, some of it’s not. I’m not going to address everything. Over the last week, we were disappointed with how some things were handled. At the end of the day, you have a conversation, ‘what does it look like moving forward?’, and that’s all parties. That’s our leadership council, Boo [Carter] and our staff. It’s not about what yesterday was. it’s about today and we’ll see as we continue to progress where that leads us.”
On if he always consults with his leadership council regarding decisions that involve disciplining a player…
“I think always is probably a stronger word than I would say. ‘Always’, my wife would tell you, would get me into trouble. I think each situation is unique. I think in leadership it’s important that you step back and try to look at it from different angles, as well. Ultimately, in this case, we had conversations with multiple parties.”
On what gives him confidence that his leadership council will welcome back Boo Carter with open arms…
“The guys on leadership council, I know it’s true in the locker room too, they care about the person. They care and love for him and want him to be his best. I think that starts in life through the conversations we’ve had with him and then that parlays itself onto the football side of it as well. So, I’m not worried about the chemistry. At the end of the day, there are standards that we all have to meet and that’s everybody in the building. When somebody fails in that, whether they get another chance or not, each situation is different, but ultimately Boo [Carter] has to meet those standards here as we move forward.”
On one thing he wants to see out of the team throughout fall camp as they head into the season opener vs. Syracuse in Atlanta…
“I’m not sure how many days it is until kickoff, but it’s going to approach fast. Being where your feet are at I think is really important here through training camp. Through that, if you are where your feet are at, you’re going to drain everything out of it. That’s on the practice field, it’s in the meeting room, it’s recovery – all the things that ultimately go into them being their best. Collectively, if you do that, you’re going to take big steps forward. Every team in the country at this point has got to take big steps. I’m excited to start that on-field part of that tomorrow with our guys.”
On the quarterback competition and if he prefers for the potential starter to arise sooner than later…
“Yeah, sure. Absolutely. It gives you more time to build continuity or whatever it might be. At the end of the day, I think it’s really important, you guys heard me say that at (SEC) Media Days that somebody has to go earn it. It’s not in one throw. It’s not on one day. The consistency of who you are, the growth of who you are and how you continue to grow from practice to practice. I think it’s important the staff sees that, but most importantly your players see that as well.”
On Boo Carter’s current status and what he has to do to get back on the field…
“I’m not getting into all the details of everything. He’s here. He’s with us. Each day we’ll figure out what comes next.”
On if his playing experience at quarterback impacts how he handles the quarterback competition…
“I think the communication side of it, it impacts it a great deal whether that’s me as a player going through different quarterback battles and at different stages of my career having quarterback battles. The playing experience, the transparency of it, communicating together with all of those guys when they got back from the summer, they understood this isn’t something that’s going to be decided in June. It’s not going to be decided in July. You have to go earn it and take it during the course of training camp. Everything that you do is a part of who you are as a player, but also how you’re impacting and ultimately making 10 guys around you better too. As we go through training camp those conversations will be had collectively with the group as well so that they can see that it’s transparent, it’s real and there’s no misinformation.”
On the last time he had a quarterback competition and center competition going on at the same time…
“I think it’s important that they are competitive with themselves first and foremost. Are you competing with the guys in the room? Absolutely. How that drives you on a day-to-day basis I think is the most important thing. That’s true in June and July. It will be true in the course of training camp. I think it’s really important that collectively you do it in the right manner where you’re helping, encouraging and supporting each other too, in a positive way. I think that’s important for your team to see, but ultimately the strength of one position could never be one guy. We’ve sat in rooms with three guys that ultimately went on to the NFL all at one time that were all at one point competing for a job. I think it’s important that they handle it the right way. These few guys, with George [MacIntyre], Joey [Aguilar] and [Merk] Jake Merklinger, all three of those guys have done an elite job of competing and pushing each other throughout the course of the summer. They’ve grown. They’re at different stages in their careers as far as eligibility, years on task, inside of our program, what we’re doing offensively. They’ve helped each other through the journey of the summer, and I think that’s going to be important as we get into training camp too.”
On how Jake Merklinger and George MacIntrye are approaching the quarterback competition compared to their mindset previously…
“Well, George [MacIntrye] just getting in here in December for playoff prep, leading into spring ball – I thought of those guys collectively as a group, as a pair, supported each other through the learning curve, and that can be mistakes that you made when you first got to campus, it can be on the detail of a play. You can see those guys helping each other inside of the meeting room, asking a lot of questions. So, I think that’s been really positive, and I just want to continue to see that as we go through training camp.”
On junior cornerback Jermod McCoy’s injury status…
“There’s no timetable on him. There’s benchmark things that he’s got to accomplish within our training room to move on to the next phase of it. He’s handled it really well from the very beginning, just his mindset and how he’s approached every single day. He’s done a really good job throughout the course of the summer. Periodically, you can see his drills, movement, explosive type drills that he’s doing change based on his rehab protocol. He’s handled it extremely well, and as we go through training camp, there will be progression. How his body responds to some of those things will kind of dictate the time period of when he’s available for us.”
On the role that experience plays in the center competition…
“Yeah, I don’t think you can solely look at the experience of the player. Otherwise, your young guys are never going to get an opportunity to get any experience. The ability to communicate at a really high level, get all five guys on the same page, pass protection, run game, the ability to snap it accurately and efficiently, the ability to play with fundamentals and technique. End of the day, (for the) offensive line, you have to get to the best five guys on the field that are going to go operate as one. That’s what we have an opportunity to do. We have competition, and I’m looking forward to see that unfold as we get started.”
On the importance of junior OL Lance Heard heading into fall camp…
“He’s a lot different physically, just in what his body looks like, his ability to move. A year ago, he got nicked up multiple times early in the season – training camp and early part of the season. I think that limited his ability to grow as a really young player who only had one fall before he had gotten here. He wasn’t a mid-year enrollee either. I think all of that has led to him really growing throughout the course of spring. He’s done a great job during the course of the summer and now we got to go take it to the field here in fall.”
On the jump that cornerback Rickey Gibson III has made this offseason…
“Rickey did a lot of really good things last year at a really high level. Physically, he has done a good job at the continuing to add weight to his frame. The detail of his fundamentalsm, technique and then understanding of our scheme has continued to jump. I expect him to play at a really high level. Obviously, we’ve got some competition on the back end as well and I’m excited to see that unfold.”
On the possibility of using Boo Carter offensively…
“We’re going to take it slow here in the beginning and we’ll figure out where we’re at as we get deeper into camp.”
On the growth of the offensive line this summer…
“(We had) an influx of some high school guys into the offensive line room, a couple of transfers in there. (We’re) seeing those guys connect and challenge each other inside of the meeting room. That certainly takes place as you get out on the practice field or in the weight room, too. So, I think the group has continued to grow close, the connection and continuity that they have in that room, that allows you to challenge and demand things of the guys around you, too, in a positive way. I think all of those you’ve seen a lot of growth from even where we were when we started spring ball, finished spring ball. (There’s) better leadership inside of that room. So, I’m excited to see those guys get on the field and compete.”
On the leadership council and program standards in the age of the transfer portal…
“Yeah, what it takes to be successful on a Saturday afternoon or evening, hasn’t changed, right? You get between the white lines, the game has not changed. Outside of it, there’s been dramatic changes over the last four or five years. The standards of who we got to be and how we compete and grow together as a team, that can’t change. Earlier on I mentioned I love the leadership and the accountability piece of what we have inside of our building. The challenge is to continue to grow that throughout the course of the season. You get into day-to-day, inside of football, sometimes that can take a step back if you’re not intentional on it. I think it’s really important as young guys come into your program, the older guys are essentially being a big brother to those guys and helping them grow and understand what it takes to be successful at this level, what it takes to be a Tennessee Volunteer. I think we’ve built a group of guys inside of that team room that care about each other.”
On the value of transfer DB Colton Hood…
“He’s smart. He’s accountable. He’s really mature. He’s got some leadership traits that I think as he’s here will continue to show up more and more each day, each block of our season and ultimately our offseason. He’s got position flexibility, and he’s got great understanding of the game. He retains information really well and he’s played, and he’s got experience. He came in here learning what it takes to be a Vol, what does a great teammate look like here? I’m excited to see him continue to grow on the field and off the field inside of this program.”
On what he hopes the identity of the team will be by the end of camp…
“Leadership, accountability and then we get to playing. The effort and attitude that we approach every day with. The consistency of ultimately what our fans are going to see on Saturdays. But to do that, you’ve got to be consistent every single day. So, that’s where I expect from our guys and what I think I’m going to get.”
On Tennessee’s talented young wide receivers….
“Young guys don’t have time to be young. That’s been one of the things that we’ve talked about as a program since we got back in January. Our coaches are responsible for that, our players are too. Guys that are vets inside those position rooms. I really like the guys that we have inside of the wide receiver room. That’s athletic traits, playmaking ability, their attention to detail. (I’m) excited to see that room continue to grow throughout the course of training camp and really through the season as young guys continue to get better.”
