Josh Heupel made his debut on the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday ahead of No. 15 Tennessee's season opener against Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium.
On the eve of his fourth season as the Vols' head coach, Heupel provided one of the last updates to the media before Tennessee takes the field on Saturday (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network) to begin a season fraught with storylines.
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The Vols will feature now full-time starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a run game that is seemingly more healthy than when it started fall camp last month, veteran offensive and defensive lines and a new-look secondary.
Here is everything that Heupel said on the teleconference.
Opening statement
"Obviously, everybody inside of our program is excited, anticipating kickoff the entire offseason. Really proud of the way our guys have grown throughout the entire offseason, what they've done during the course of training camp. Excited to go play with these guys on Saturday afternoon. Excited to see our fans. It's been a long time since we've been in the stadium and so, ready to see Vol Navy as we drive in and be greeted by 35,000 (fans) on Vol Walk and get a chance to run through that 'T.' Playing a quality opponent in Chattanooga. It's a program that's had a lot of success. (We) want to come out and play extremely aggressive, but play smart football as well as we grow this year."
On what coaching staff saw in DL James Pearce Jr. during the recruiting process
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"Just his length and explosiveness. His short area of quickness, his long speed, were all raw traits that we all really liked as we got to know him through the recruiting process. Just how competitive he is and his makeup. Felt like he was somebody that had the opportunity to really develop and grow into a really good football player. James has grown so much on the field, off the field. His work capacity, how he approaches everyday. What people probably don't understand about James is how smart or how high of a football IQ he has. With us, that (LEO) position moves around within the structure of our defense and he handles it really well. He's become a guy that really does a great job in helping the young guys, the new guys inside of our program, in particular, his position. (He's) grown in what it means to play within the scope of our defense. So, really proud of the steps that he's taken and need him to go play well this Saturday."
On how valuable backup QB Gaston Moore is to the offense
"Gaston's experience inside of our offense for a long time, you know, at two stops, is something that we place value on. But, his teammates can understand that, too. He's got great command over what we're doing offensively. He's played really well throughout the course of training camp and since we got back in January, has continued to really develop physically. His movements, skills and has played at a really high level in spring ball, of course, and in training camp. Everybody's got a lot of comfort with him. You know, he started to take more ownership, more of a voice within our program as well. Really excited about what he's done and we've got a lot of trust with him."
On how competitive defensive line room is
"A coach's best friend inside of his position room is competition and we have that every single day inside of our defensive line unit. You know, they're big, thick, strong, physical. They've done a really good job of growing, just in their fundamentals, technique, using their hands. I really like the development of that group within Coach (Tim) Banks structure and what Coach (Rodney) Garner and Coach (Mike) Ekeler and Coach (Levorn Harbin) have done with developing those guys. We have a lot of trust in them. On gameday, we'll be able to rotate a lot of guys and keep those guys fresh and ready to go play physical."
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: William Inge updates status of Vols' linebacker room ahead of season opener
On the spin he has put on the offense he ran as a player and assistant coach before arriving at Tennessee
"It's a combination of a lot of different things that I've been exposed to. That's going all the way back as a player, to the different offenses I've been involved with throughout the course of my career. I think one of the things that have allowed us to be consistently one of the better offenses in the country is the ability to adapt and change and involve as structures that we see from different defenses changes. You take your personnel into account, starting with your quarterback, but then you take your front five and the skill guys that you have and put them in position to go be successful. And that's why over my career there's been some things that have probably been at the core for most of it, but we've also been able to adapt and change."
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