Josh Heupel was flanked by nearly 900 pounds on player enforcement during his fourth SEC Media Days on Tuesday in Dallas.
Tennessee brought two defensive players and one offensive player to the event this week: LB Keenan Pili, DL Omari Thomas, and OL Cooper Mays. This is Thomas’s second-straight SEC Media Days appearance while Pili and Mays made their debut at the conference’s kickoff event.
Heupel mentioned bringing these three specific players because of their veteran status on the team and their dedication to the grind leading into the season. Heupel’s statement came after a question regarding why he didn’t bring QB Nico Iamaleava.
“These are guys that are in six-year-plus that have unique stories and are great ambassadors, but great leaders inside of our program; and felt like, you know, in our track record, my track record of who we brought here, we’ve brought veteran guys, and so it’s not about Nico,” Heupel said. “It’s about these three guys, why we made that choice.”
All three players met with the local Tennessee media members in a separate location to start the day before moving into breakout spots around the main stage.
Here’s a look at the players’ local press conferences as well as Mays (with a custom Tennessee cowboy hat) from the breakout area.
More from RTI: Josh Heupel Gives Optimistic Update For Two Tennessee Running Backs
Tennessee OL Cooper Mays
Tennessee LB Keenan Pili
Tennessee DL Omari Thomas
