Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the local media Monday morning as the Vols wrapped up the training camp portion of fall practice.
With classes starting Wednesday, Tennessee’s preseason practice is winding down. There will still be good-on-good work over the next 12 days but the Vols are starting to transition their focus to game preparation.
Heupel discussed what he’s learned about his team in fall camp, the development of freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava and much more Monday morning.
Here’s everything Heupel said.
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Opening statement
“Good work today out on the grass with the guys. This is really, pretty much, the end of our true training camp. We’ll push forward and still get a lot of good-on-good work, but start moving slowly towards more preparation for Virginia. I love what these guys have done through the practices that we’ve had. Good teams continue to get better throughout the season. We’ve got to continue to push here. There’s 12 days until we kick off. Excited about that opportunity. At the same time, we’ve got a lot of ground still to cover before we kick off here in a couple weeks.”
On the importance of the final week before game week
“Good teams get better throughout the course of the season. We’re still in the very beginning stages of the season. Like I said earlier, there’s a lot of things that we’ve got to continue to clean up, a lot of situational work still that we’re going to implement and get into. Our guys got to be ready for those moments throughout the course of the season, and there’s still a lot of sharpening before we get to kickoff, so it’s critical that we handle it the right way and continue to grow.”
On whether there’s a pecking order in the competition at right tackle
“Nothing yet. That’ll continue to unfold here until kickoff. I anticipate still seeing multiple guys play, and that’s true at the right-tackle position, but true across the board.”
On whether it has already started to feel like game week
“Yeah. We finish up tonight with some things that we’re intentional about, getting some situational work tonight in our walk-through. But, after that, it’ll start feeling a lot more like game week. Like I said, there’s still a lot of good-on-good that we’re going to do to continue to sharpen and grow before we get to kickoff, but absolutely. Our players can sense it. You’re on the end of training camp, and kickoff’s right around the corner.”
On punter Jackson Ross saying he has the third-best arm on the team and specifically saying he has a stronger arm than Heupel
“Well, now we know that Jackson will lie. He may be fourth, but not third.”
On what has encouraged him the most about this team during preseason camp
“I think their energy, their consistency of their work habits and competitive nature out on the practice field. I think the camaraderie and connection that they have, too. The leadership’s been really good, really strong throughout the course of training camp. I’ve said it before, but getting into the season, it’s not going to be perfect for everybody, right? All goals individually that you set, at the end of the day, everybody’s got to sacrifice a little bit for the success of the team. Important that we continue to have that inside of our locker room and inside of our program.”
On whether having success or time played a bigger role in convincing players to buy into the culture his staff was building
“I think every situation, everything that you encounter continues to help build trust and understanding of who you are, what you’re about and what you want to be. There’s always moments of growth in everything that you’re doing at the same time. But the players have great trust in the culture that we want to have and what we’ve built. They understand the expectations on and off the field. We’ve developed stronger leadership, so I think all of those things play into, in Year Three, being in a better situation than we were Year One and, in a lot of ways, Year Two, too.”
On where Tennessee is at health wise
“For the guys that were nicked up early in camp, we’ve gotten most of those guys back. There’s still a couple guys that I think (that) as we finish up today and tomorrow and are back in the practice mode the following day that we’ll have back on the grass. We should be pretty close to being completely healthy by the time we kick off.”
On how close they are to figuring out where they’re at in the secondary
“The guys that we’ve gotten back that were out early in training camp, the last three or four days those guys have continued to increase their loads. We’ve gotten a lot of live work with those guys. I feel like we have a pretty clear understanding of who those guys are and how they’ll play and compete. We will play a lot of guys on the backend. Feel like we’re in a good spot and over the next 12 days should be ready to roll.”
On how Joe Milton III has progressed with his situational awareness
“You put quarterbacks in tough situations and in some situations during practice you put them in the hardest spots that they can be in. He’s continued to grow in his understanding of football 101 and understanding when can I hang in the pocket? When is it time to get rid of the football— make sure in a certain situation whether we’re backed up or in field goal where you’ve got three (points) and you’re trying to second seven (points). Understanding the timing and how to play smart football in those situations. He’s continued to grow and I love what he’s done. The other quarterbacks in the room have continued to grow as we put them into a lot of situations. I think that’s one of the things I’ve done as a head coach to try and create more situational awareness and trying to get more reps in those situations. That’s been a part of helping those guys but also all 125 in the locker room.”
On Bru McCoy’s leadership
“He’s somebody that this offseason— a year ago when he got here coming off the injury that he had come off of he was just trying figure out how to play and operate in practice inside of what we do offensively. Since January, he’s been on our leadership council. He’s been very intentional in how he’s grown. It’s been fun to see him take those steps. He owns it. He likes being in that role. He’s got a real positive effect on everyone around him.”
On how close a backup has to be to the starter to play meaningful snaps
“If we don’t feel like you’re going to play at a championship level than you’re not going to be on the field. It’s real easy. Coaches have to be able to trust you.”
On where they are at at receiver coming out of camp
“Three guys that have a bunch of time in our offense. Played really well. Done a great job being in sync with the quarterback. Dont’e Thornton has continued to really grow. Love what he’s done. The two younger guys inside of our building— Chas (Nimrod) and Kaleb (Webb)— have taken great strides all offseason but this training camp they were a different player than they were in spring ball too in a positive way. Love what those guys are doing. That’s on the offensive side of the ball and it’s also on special teams.”
On if Nico Iamaleava is ready to play if something happened to Milton
“I think he’s ready to play at a really high level. All young quarterbacks, it’s different when you get out there and it’s lot of bullets and you don’t have a right jersey on. But I feel really good about where he’s at. Command of our offense, being a really sound decision-maker, fundamentally being able to get himself in a good position to be consistently accurate with the ball. I like what he’s done.”
On Iamaleava’s preparation
“As a young man coming into a program, understanding the standards that we have here, but the demands of playing quarterback at this level. Being able to start to grasp and understand, what’s going on from up front, protections, defensive structure, being able to see and recognize, anticipate and see post-snap rotations from the back end. At the end of the day, controlling his job and having his eyes in the right spot. He’s a dramatically different player than he was in spring ball. Love the steps that he took in the spring, too. This football team’s got a lot of trust in him.”
On the relationship between Milton and Iamaleava and if it similar to Milton’s with Hendon Hooker
“I think it’s a little bit different in the amount of time that Nico spent here, but at the end of the day for him, being very supportive, helping him on the sidelines, being able to talk about what happened on the previous play or previous series. I think that’s important. Joe was such a great leader for us a year ago, long before anybody saw him step on the field. His growth – how intentional he was in his work – was a big part of why everybody believed he played at a really high level when he got his next chance.
“For Nico this year, right now in the back-end of training camp, getting prepared for week one and throughout the course of the season, as it’s true for every guy, it’s not the first guy out there, offense, defense or special teams. It’s about continued growth and putting yourself in a position to play at your highest level when you get your opportunities. So, Nico’s operated that way. He’s been intentional in the way that he’s worked. Joe being able to see things and communicate to Nico. Never it being personal. It’s a really positive relationship that exists between those two, but all the guys inside that quarterback room. It’s a really unique dynamic”
On if coaches enjoy the week before game week
“I think coaches have great urgency in correcting the things that aren’t where they need to be yet. And there’s a lot of those things that’s just the nature of this game and trying to be perfect in what you’re doing. Understanding that perfection in this game is not obtainable either. So, constant growth. There’s great urgency. We’ve got 12 days to get ready to go play our best football week one”
On tight end Jacob Warren’s development
“I just think fundamentally, he’s continued to grow. That room has continued to grow. Coach Abe (Alec Abeln) has done a phenomenal job. That’s in the core — pass protection, run game and it’s out on the perimeter of being involved in the pass game. Understanding leverage, being more disciplined in playing with better technique and some of their route running. Those guys have all functioned. Jacob has functioned at a really high level in the pass game.”
