JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- Every day, practice, classroom or otherwise, Derek Barnett draws inspiration from the images that always go through his mind.

Barnett's mother, Christine, works two jobs. She doesn't complain. Just works.

So Barnett, Tennessee's record-setting Freshman All-America defensive end, does the same.

"She's a hard worker, so I think I get that from my mom. I see her working hard, and a bunch of my family members that work hard as well, and I just feed off my family, really," Barnett told VolQuest.com. "Yeah, it does [go through my mind every day]. I see them working hard, and I have to do what they do and do even better."

Arguably no Vols player before owns a better debut campaign than the 6-foot-3, 267-pound Barnett. In closing with 69 total tackles, Barnett's 20.5 tackles for losses, including 10 sacks, reflect the single-season standard for a Tennessee rookie and mark just the fifth time any Vol logged 20-plus TFLs.

"Derek Barnett has a workmanlike approach to everything he does, each and every day. It's been like that since he got here, not only on the field but it's evidenced in the classroom with a 3.16 GPA," Butch Jones said. "Those foundations have been laid by his mother, and we knew that in the recruiting process. I'm very, very proud of him and he still has much, much room for improvement. But he understands that, and he's one of those individuals who continues to get better and better because of the work ethic that's been illustrated."

Added defensive coordinator John Jancek, "Derek had a fantastic year. I think the thing that really showed is his improvement throughout the year. He came in and certainly we liked him as a player, but we had no idea he was going to turn out the season he did. That's to Derek's credit. He's a very mature young man. He's intelligent. He picks up things well. I think his level of consistency and his improvement throughout the year was really the most impressive thing."

Studying his craft on the field is something Barnett attacks the same way he already commands respect from Iowa standout offensive tackle Brandon Scherff, who this week told reporters he saw Barnett on film and didn't know the Vols' end was just a freshman.

With the Vols breaking a few days for Christmas last week, Barnett couldn't stop his preparations for Friday's Taxslayer Bowl against Scherff and the Hawkeyes.

"I kept my iPad with me," he said. "You know I had family time with my family, but also whenever I had free time I looked up notes and stuff to get a little advantage."

It is that approach, a consistency his quiet resolve, that allows Tennessee's coaches not to worry about Barnett getting overly absorbed in the postseason accolades or relenting in his self-development.

"Very refreshing. He came in and just worked. Again, I've said it all year long: he's very, very mature, mature beyond his years," Jones said. "He keeps everything in perspective, doesn't say a whole lot and has a tremendous capacity for work. He's extremely, extremely competitive. From Day 1, he earned the respect of his peers."

Jones also sees in Barnett an extra motivation that Barnett proudly carries in playing for the home-state Vols, after both Georgia Tech and Ole Miss pressed hard for Barnett's signature coming out of powerhouse Brentwood Academy in the 2014 signing class.

"That's what we talk about, when you come to the University of Tennessee all the many things that you represent, but then when you're an in-state player it's even so much more than that. It's the standard and expectation, and I do see that Tennessee pride from him each and every day," Jones said.

That's why Barnett neither wishes misfortune nor dwells on the those handful of teammates gone from the Tennessee program since season's end.

"It's tough that some of the guys leave, but they did what they could do for us and helped us and we wish them the best of luck," Barnett said. "But we're going to win ballgames here, with or without them."