Tag: fall training camp

Watch: Josh Heupel discusses Vols’ first fall training camp practice

Watch: Josh Heupel discusses Tennessee’s first 2022 fall training camp practice

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp at Haslam Field Monday.

The Vols will kick off its 2022 season Sept. 1 against Ball State at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the season-opening matchup.

Tennessee went 7-6 during Josh Heupel’s first season as the Vols’ head coach in 2021. Tennessee appeared in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Purdue.

PHOTOS: Bru McCoy debuts with Tennessee during fall training camp

Following Tennessee’s first practice during fall training camp Monday, Heupel met with media.

Heupel recapped Tennessee’s first fall training camp practice ahead of the 2022 season and can be watched below.

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Cameron Miller practices at defensive back in fall training camp

Cameron Miller practices at defensive back in fall training camp.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp at Haslam Field Monday.

Freshman Cameron Miller took part in his first fall training camp practice at Tennessee.

The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Miller came to Tennessee as a wide receiver.

Second-year head coach Josh Heupel discussed Miller following Monday’s practice.

“From the time that we recruited him, viewed him as a football player,” Heupel said of Miller’s ability to play multiple positions. “That’s how he views himself, too. He doesn’t really care what he’s playing. As we got through spring ball, it just felt like him, his skillset, opportunity to compete and make an impact was probably on the other side of the football here the earliest.

“His attitude and want to are unquestioned by anybody, players in the locker room and our staff. We’re excited to see him grow here during the course of training camp. It’s his first time playing that position. A lot of things are happening. It’s different, but he has been really diligent in the building. He spent a bunch of extra time this summer learning what we’re doing schematically.”

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Josh Heupel recaps Tennessee’s first fall camp practice

Josh Heupel recaps Tennessee’s first fall camp practice.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp at Haslam Field Monday.

Second-year head coach Josh Heupel recapped Tennessee’s first fall training camp practice ahead of the 2022 season.

“It was great to get out on the field today,” Heupel said. “It ended up being a beautiful day. The weather held out, so it was great for us to get outside. We’re really excited about being able to get out there. The challenge for us, as players and coaches, is don’t make the same mistake twice and continue to grow.

“I love the energy and enthusiasm. On day one, that’s really easy. We have to continue to have that type of focus and energy every single day. I believe this group has the ability to do that. Our practice habits are so much cleaner. Communication, efficiency and just moving around the practice field were all really good. I’m looking forward to watching it this afternoon with the guys and our staff.”

The Vols will kick off its 2022 season Sept. 1 against Ball State at Neyland Stadium (7 p.m. EDT, SEC Network).

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Josh Heupel details Vols’ program shifting mindset in expecting to win

Josh Heupel details Tennessee’s program shifting its mindset from hoping, to believing, and expecting to win.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday under second-year head coach Josh Heupel.

Heupel met with media Sunday ahead of the Vols’ first practice.

He discussed Tennessee’s program shifting its mindset from hoping, to believing, and expecting to win.

“It’s based off of the investment that you have inside of your program,” Heupel said. “Not by one person, but everybody. Being connected in a way where you believe in the person to the left and to the right of you. It’s something that doesn’t happen immediately. It’s not something you can just talk about and it happens. It happens because of what you’ve done in the investment process.

“Our guys have done a great job. Been dramatically different since they got back in January. They continue to push forward. I believe we’re in a position, if we handle training camp the right way, that we’ll be in that type of position this fall.”

Tennessee will kick off its 2022 season Sept. 1 against Ball State at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the season-opening matchup.

The Vols went 7-6 and appeared in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl during Heupel’s first season in 2021.

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Christian Charles’ positional reps detailed at start of fall camp

Defensive back Christian Charles’ positional reps detailed at the start of fall training camp.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday at Haslam Field.

Ahead of the Vols’ first practice, second-year Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks discussed sophomore defensive back Christian Charles’ positional reps at the beginning of camp.

“I think he will start off at corner with the understanding that he has the ability to move back inside,” Banks said of Charles. “He is the poster child for what we are looking for, guys that are very interchangeable. Having the corner skills, but the mentality and the physicality to be able to play inside.

“He will get an opportunity to win one of those jobs at corner, but he will also get a chance to win one of the jobs at safety. It just depends. Right now, based on how we left spring is how we will start it and we will go from there.”

The 6-foot-1, 186-pound Charles appeared in eight games as a freshman in 2021, totaling eight tackles, one tackle for a loss, one pass deflection and one block.

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Tim Banks discusses linebacker Juwan Mitchell during fall camp

Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks discusses linebacker Juwan Mitchell during fall training camp.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday at Haslam Field.

Ahead of the Vols’ first fall training camp practice, second-year defensive coordinator Tim Banks discussed expectations for redshirt senior linebacker Juwan Mitchell ahead of the season.

“Juwan was a guy who had some really significant reps for us last fall before he got injured,” Banks said. “He started to work his way back a little bit in the spring. The health issue is obviously the first thing, we’ve got to make sure he is feeling healthy, which I think we’ve turned the corner there. Then, we’ve got to see what he does as he competes for the job.

“You’ve got Jeremy Banks and Aaron Beasley coming back, we brought in Elijah Herring and you feel really good about Solon Page III, Pakk (Kwauze Garland) – we feel like we have pretty good depth that we are starting to build at that position. We felt really good about Juwan Mitchell, so it’s really up to him as we continue to see what kind of development he has made over the summer and see if that leads to him being able to contribute again, which we would hope it does.”

Mitchell appeared in three games for the Vols last season, totaling eight tackles and one pass deflection.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in 2021.

Juwan Mitchell. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Mitchell transferred to Tennessee from Texas, appearing in 21 games from 2019-20. He totaled 101 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, three sacks, five pass deflections and recovered one fumble for the Longhorns.

Mitchell transferred to Texas from Butler Community College where he played in 12 games as a freshman, totaling 55 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, one interception and one pass breakup.

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Fall camp: Tim Banks discusses transfers Andre Turrentine, Wesley Walker

Fall camp: Tim Banks discusses transfers Andre Turrentine and Wesley Walker

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday at Haslam Field.

Ahead of the Vols’ first fall training camp practice, second-year defensive coordinator Tim Banks discussed defensive back transfers Andre Turrentine (Ohio State) and Wesley Walker (Georgia Tech).

“I couldn’t tell you that we know exactly what we’ve got,” Banks said. “Obviously, I remember both young men coming out of high school and Wesley had a body of work at the other place, but until you actually get them in your system and have an opportunity to coach them the way you want them to be coached, you’re not quite sure, but I will tell you they have been nothing but spectacular in terms of their approach, work ethic, desire to be great.

“They’ve been great in our room. I know their teammates have really adjusted to them well and are excited to have them in our family. We are just excited to see what they can do in these practices that we’ve got coming up. I’m hoping they’re as good as advertised because we need them, along with the other guys, to help us take that next step.”

Walker played at Georgia Tech from 2019-21, appearing in 23 games. He played nickel back for the Yellow Jackets.

The 6-foot-1, 204-pound redshirt junior totaled 96 tackles, 56 solo tackles, 40 assists, two tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and six pass deflections at Georgia Tech.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Turrentine signed with Ohio State in the 2021 recruiting class. Turrentine enrolled at Ohio State in June 2021 and played in four games last season.

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Tim Banks discusses excitement with Vols’ defense ahead of 2022 season

Tim Banks discusses excitement with the Vols’ defense ahead of the 2022 season.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday at Haslam Field.

Ahead of the Vols’ first fall training camp practice, second-year defensive coordinator Tim Banks discussed his comfort level and confidence with individuals on Tennessee’s defense.

“Always confident,” Banks said. “Comfortable? I don’t know about that. We’ve obviously still got a lot of work to do, but we are definitely excited just with the number of student-athletes we have in the program at this point.

“When we first got here, we were struggling with depth, now we at least feel like we have more scholarship bodies. Obviously, it’s our job to figure out what they can do and put those guys in the best possible position, so I don’t know if I’m comfortable, but we are definitely excited to have those guys here.”

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Alex Golesh details Vols’ competition at tackle during fall camp

Alex Golesh details Tennessee’s competition at tackle during fall camp.

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday.

Ahead of the Vols’ first practice during fall training camp, second-year offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Alex Golesh discussed Tennessee’s competition at tackle on the offensive line.

“This is such a big question mark for us,” Golesh said. “Who is it going to be, is there a rotation there, or what’s it really going to look like? In a list of questions we have going into camp, that would be right up there. I think it’ll be exciting to see. Moving Darnell (Wright) over to right (tackle) kind of solidifies that side of it, and you feel pretty good, and then, letting Dayne (Davis), Gerald (Mincey) and JJ (Jeremiah Crawford) figure out who the second guy is and who can play over at left.

“We went through spring, left there feeling pretty good. I think just as important as who starts out there is who’s the third and the fourth. Last year, we got to the third and fourth pretty quick. You hope you don’t, but you have to have a third, a fourth and really even a fifth, and figuring out the depth there. Whoever’s going to be there on the left side, hasn’t played a whole lot of football. Dayne’s played the most. He gives us a veteran presence and some flexibility with being able to play inside, but JJ and Mincey are going to be guys that (contribute). Obviously, Mince hasn’t played any there for us, and JJ’s played really limited snaps. It’ll be a really good competition. We’re going to make it hard. We’re going to go. I think from a mental standpoint, both those guys are ready to roll. I think it’ll just be a matter of who can be the most consistent. We just got done talking through as a whole offense about who can string days together, that spot especially. Who can string days together, that’s who we’re going to roll with. We’ve rotated there before. Gosh, you’d feel good leaving camp if you said we have four at tackle that we can go play with. It’ll be a really interesting competition. It’ll be graded daily. They’ll both roll with the ones, Dayne will get some with the ones. Hopefully by that second scrimmage, by practice 12, you feel like okay, this is who it is. I would feel a lot better if we left saying we have seven or eight than saying, that’s our starting left tackle.”

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PHOTOS: Bru McCoy debuts with Tennessee during fall training camp

PHOTOS: Transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy debuts with Tennessee during fall training camp

Tennessee kicked off fall training camp Monday at Haslam Field under second-year head coach Josh Heupel.

Redshirt junior wide receiver Bru McCoy took part in Tennessee’s practice Monday.

McCoy transferred from USC to Tennessee in May.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCoy appeared in six games for USC in 2020. McCoy totaled 21 receptions, 236 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Heupel discussed McCoy’s eligibility ahead of fall training camp.

“I have been in dialogue with the people that we need to,” Heupel said. “Our administration has been on the other side of the coin. We feel good about where that is going. Bru is healthy and ready to compete this training camp, so he will be involved in everything we are doing.”

Below are photos of McCoy during his first practice with the Vols.