Tennessee has completed three spring practices.
The Vols practiced in pads for the first time on Tuesday. Following practice, Tennessee wide receivers coach Kodi Burns met with media and discussed the Vols’ offense.
On Tennessee’s sophomore receivers
“We’ve got to really bring those guys along. They’re all very talented. Right now, I’m really focusing on developing those guys, teaching them how to practice, how we do things at Tennessee, how to play up-tempo, simple things that we call ball mechanics. We’re teaching those guys how we play. There’s no question that all four have talent. We’ve just got to truly grow them and develop them into the wide receiver position. A guy like Malachi Wideman was a dual-sport athlete as a basketball player who also played football. Then, you talk about the two Jimmy’s (Jimmy Calloway and Jimmy Holiday), both of those guys were quarterbacks in high school. Really, it’s just about translating those skills to the wide receiver position. It’s my job to develop and bring those guys along.”
On if there’s any offensive players that have stepped up early on this spring
“In the past, there have been a couple of guys. Obviously, we’ve got one right now that just went through the Pro Day and also a guy like Jauan Jennings that played a lot of football here. When you talk about leadership, those guys have a lot of time on task. Now, you’re walking into a really young group. I think by default and just by personality, time on task as far as him starting at a different school and coming here to Tennessee and doing the same thing, Velus Jones Jr. has kind of stepped up and emerged as one of those guys that can truly grow these young guys. He can teach them how to practice, teach them what the standard is and what we’re looking for. He’s really taken right after me as far as what I’m asking and teaching those young guys exactly what we’re looking for. He’s done a good job thus far.”
On 2022 recruiting and the ‘sales pitch’ for Tennessee on the recruiting trail
“To be honest, to sell Tennessee is not very hard at all. Tennessee is one of the most storied traditions in all of college football with just the amount of national titles and SEC Championships. It wasn’t that long ago that Tennessee was on the top. The sell is really, ‘Why would you not want to be a part of getting Tennessee back to the standard of Tennessee football?’ You look at the campus, the facilities, they’re second-to-none. Now, coaching the wide receivers here at Tennessee, it’s the style of offense. I think that once guys start to see what we’re doing in the spring game, in this fall coming up, how we’re going to throw the ball, what we do, the tempo with which we play with and how different we’re going to be offensively than everybody else in the SEC, I don’t think it’s going to be a hard sell once we start putting things on film that kids can see. With that being said, outside of the football aspect, Tennessee is a storied tradition. If I’m one of these young guys out there, a chance to play at Tennessee means something. To play here on Rocky Top in front of 102,455, that sells itself. It’s a blessing to be here, and I hope those kids really understand that. That’s what I’m trying to get them to do in recruiting.”
On how he feels having played both quarterback and wide receiver is has helped him as a wide receivers coach
“My story is very similar to a couple of guys that we have on our team right now. I was a quarterback my entire life. That’s what I did. That’s who I was. I had never caught a pass in my life. Once I was a junior in college, I actually ended up moving to wide receiver. That transition for me was not that difficult because I understood coverages. I understood the run game. I understood the pass game. I understood leverage. I understood what defenses were trying to take away and do. That made me more knowledgeable as a player. I had to teach myself how to catch, which I did. I ended up starting in the league, but I think the transition from quarterback to wide receiver is very simple, from the standpoint of a knowledge aspect of the game. For me with my coaching philosophy, I like to teach the wide receivers the position as a quarterback, because I think it makes you a better wide-out when you truly understand the game as a quarterback and not just what you do. Understanding the big picture makes you a better player overall.”
[vertical-gallery id=38504]