KNOXVILLE — The safety position is an important part to Tennessee’s defensive scheme.
During fall training camp, Vols Wire has analyzed Jeremy Pruitt’s split safety coverage scheme.
Understanding CONE, STUMP, SMASH, POSTER and FIT within the split safety coverage
Understanding Jeremy Pruitt’s split safety coverage: CONNIE
Understanding Jeremy Pruitt’s split safety coverage: STUBBIE
Jeremy Pruitt, Will Muschamp’s defensive CLIP
Todd Monken’s Air Raid versus Jeremy Pruitt’s split safety coverage
Tennessee defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley discussed the coverage during the second week of fall training camp.
“We want to play football, tight close man-to-man,” Ansley said on a Zoom call with reporters. “We want to deny the football. We want to affect the quarterback with four rushers and play split safety defense as much as we can.”
Cornerbacks that can play tight man coverage, to go along with a strong rush allows for the free and strong safeties to make a play on the ball, while providing difficulties for the quarterback to have any window in completing a pass.
Safety play for Tennessee in 2020 is headlined by Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough.
“We moved Trevon from the free safety position to the strong safety, just kind of experimenting with that and trying to replace Nigel Warrior’s production there, I think that’s a good position for him,” Ansley said. “Tank (Jaylen McCollough) is still playing free safety and he’s also capable of playing the strong and the STAR.
“Theo Jackson is rotating in back there, as are Keshawn Lawrence, Cheyenne Labruzza and Tyus Fields. We have six or seven guys that are rotating back there and we’re going to need them all. We coach every guys like they’re the starters because you never know when you’re going to need that quality depth.”