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Despite a wealth of experience, Wiggins still must earn stripes with Vols

Shaq Wiggins has more experience than any cornerback on Tennessee’s roster heading into the 2017 season, leading the unit with 21 career starts.

The fifth-year grad transfer has recorded a pick-six in an SEC game as a freshman at Georgia and earned All-ACC honorable mention honors at Louisville in 2015.

Still, Wiggins faces a real learning curve before contributing at Tennessee. The newcomer even has a black stripe on his helmet — the same as another other freshman.

“I love Shaq, but Shaq’s got a long ways to go in terms of intangibles and our practice habits,” coach Butch Jones said Saturday after the Vols’ first preseason practice.

“Our style of play, working through some things. I know this about Shaq: He’s very prideful. He’s very willing and he wants to do it. I think he’ll benefit from our older players leading the way.”

Wiggins was a productive playmaker on Louisville’s defense in 2015, starting every game and leading the team with 11 pass breakups. But last fall, the 5-foot-9, 169-pound defensive back was hampered by injuries and had a frustrating senior season. He sought a fresh start elsewhere, ultimately choosing Tennessee over following his former Cardinals coaches — Todd Grantham and Terrell Buckley — to Mississippi State.

"We’re glad that Shaq is here. He’s played in big games at Georgia and Louisvile. He’s coming off an injiury, but he’s a veteran," defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said.

"We haven't thrown him in there and anointed him the next Darrelle Revis or anything like that, but he’s learning how we operate and how Charlton (Warren) wants things on defense."

Wiggins arrived on campus in June eager to assimilate with his new teammates, and while the mercurial corner has meshed well with the Vols, Jones said Wiggins still has a lot to learn about the Vols’ culture and practice habits.

“Even though he is a grad transfer, it’s getting into our culture and our style of play and expectations within practice. I expect him to make great strides from practice one to practice two and (so on). Just like everyone else,” Jones explained.

“He wants to do it. He wants to be successful. But we have a unique style of play here. We have a unique way we practice with the intensity. He’ll be fine. He’s just like any typical newcomer. That’s the thing, even though he’s played a lot of football and is a fifth-year player, he’s still new to our program like all these freshmen.”

Unlike many of those freshmen, though, Wiggins is expected to make an immediate impact for the Vols this fall. He’s set to compete for a starting spot and boost a secondary that allowed more explosive passing plays (24 over 30 yards) than any team in the SEC last year.

Fortunately, Wiggins is "a really talented football player" and has a month to get up to speed.

"He’s just got to continue to do things that are synonymous with Tennessee football and our culture," Shoop said.

"But Shaq’s a really talented kid."

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