Canales brings positivity and passion to Tennessee's QB room
Mike Canales speaks, coaches and waltzes through day-to-day life with so much energy and enthusiasm it’s a wonder if Tennessee’s first-year quarterbacks coach ever catches his breath.
Canales’ days start well before the sun comes up, grabbing a quick sweat in the gym before “rolling" into his office with a cup of coffee some 90 minutes later. Canales then gives a daily nod to a picture of former Vols quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Josh Dobbs and the work begins.
“Our motto for quarterbacks is QB’s work,” Canales said, “so I think it’s important they get the best out of me, too. They’ve got to have 100 percent out of me before I can ask them to do the (same). … I get up early. I get my workout in around 5 a.m. I’m in the office by 6:30 rolling and going. I love it. I enjoy it. To me, it’s not a job. It’s a passion.”
When Butch Jones overhauled his staff for the upcoming 2017 season, many raised eyebrows at the Canales hire — wondering if other notable names should’ve prioritized instead. But both Jones and offensive coordinator Larry Scott were aware of Canales’ experience, passion and positivity, surmising it was well-suited for a young quarterbacks room that needed direction.
Thus far, they've been proven right.
Canales’ infectious personality has drawn rave reviews from the recruiting trail — where he landed two 4-star signal-callers in the 2018 class — to the quarterbacks room. Through strong relationships, he’s kept both Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano engaged in a battle that’s raged on for eight months.
“He’s been a great addition to our room,” Dormady told VolQuest. “He has a lot of experience — a lot of different areas, NFL, college, to have him in our room is a huge add. He’s definitely a positive guy. He has a lot of energy and he brings that to the meeting room and out on the field. It’s definitely been awesome to have him. He’s a heck of a coach.”
Canales has a background in a variety of offenses and has been a interim head coach, coordinator and position coach at various stops. Now at Tennessee, he calls himself “the CEO of the quarterbacks room,” bringing his colorful personality and unbridled optimism to work each day. While Tennessee is still searching for consistency at the quarterbacks position, Canales is always “a glass half full guy" and believes whoever wins the job can lead Tennessee back into championship contention.
“It’s part of who I am,” he said. “There’s never a bad day. Every day is an opportunity to do something that’s very special to me that I love doing.”
Where'd he get that attitude from?
“The way I look at it, my mom was a migrant worker when she was young. They would travel around all over the country, picking cotton, watermelons and lettuce and whatnot, and my mom never had a bad day,” Canales explained.
“She never complained. I saw the work ethic she had and I just thought, ‘That’s what’s in our blood.’ I have a passion for life. I have a passion for coaching. I have a passion for helping young men develop into great citizens and great ambassadors for our program and this community.”
Between his “QB’s work” motto and his #TheBag, Canales has found his niche early with the Vols. He still has the unenviable task of having to manage a room where both quarterbacks expect to play, but Jones is quite confident Canales is the man for the job.
“He has the ability to relate to anyone and everyone. You can see his passion and love for football everyday,” Jones said.
“He’s been a coordinator. He understands it. He’s coached great players and he has a passion for coaching quarterbacks. When you bring all those intangibles, he’s a great mentor for our players. He has a great grasp and knowledge of the game. He understands the big picture of the offense. He’s invaluable.”