Willie Martinez brought it up first. When Jermod McCoy was asked about it later, he tried his best to shrug it off, but there was a hint of pride.

Tennessee’s secondary came away with four turnovers during the Vols’ 10th practice of fall camp on Monday. McCoy accounted for one of them; an interception off of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava that he returned for a touchdown.

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McCoy, who began his career at Oregon State last season before transferring to Tennessee in January, made an impression in spring practices that has continued through nearly three weeks of fall camp.

"(McCoy) is a playmaker. He's one of the guys that got one of the turnovers today," Martinez said. "When he doesn't get something or it doesn't happen for him, he's harder on himself, and teammates see that and players see that. He's not much of a talker. He's kind of more of a, 'I'm going to do what I'm saying I'm going to do' (type leader). He leads by great example. He's setting the example every day."

McCoy is part of a new-look secondary for Tennessee. The group was purged after last season, losing 12 players to either transfer or exhausted eligibility, including nine that were a part of the rotation.

After appearing in 12 games and starting five as a freshman at Oregon State in 2023, McCoy was one of three defensive backs that bolstered Tennessee's roster out of the transfer portal.

McCoy is seemingly the favorite to win one of the two starting cornerback jobs and has made a convincing case, going toe-to-toe with what is expected to be an improved and deep wide receiving room.

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"I would say it probably took me two weeks to get comfortable with (the defense)," McCoy said. "From there, I had to learn to know what was about to come from the offense and how to make plays from that."

McCoy has made plenty of plays.

He has nabbed two interceptions so far in fall camp, showing flashes of the impact he made at Oregon State in a short amount of time and what made him a sought after corner prospect after he entered the transfer portal.

The transition was helped by an intent approach over the summer to better understand fourth-year coordinator Tim Banks' system while also putting on more weight to compliment McCoy's tackling abilities.

McCoy, who totaled two interceptions and 31 tackles with the Oregon State, has put on around 10 pounds since arriving at Tennessee.

"I was focused on gaining a little bit of weight and mastering the play book," McCoy said. "Knowing where I'm at and what other people on the field are doing."

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But McCoy has been more than another attribute for the Vols defense. His presence in the locker room has counted for just as much according to his coaches.

Before fall camp started late last month, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said McCoy, along with the rest of the team's new arrivals, were the most mature group of newcomers that have come through since he took the job more than three years ago.

Martinez has seen as much from McCoy, from his evaluation of him in the transfer portal to now six months on campus.

It hasn't been so much what McCoy says as it is what he does and for Martinez and a position group looking to continue steady improvement and become more of a strength than a question mark, that bodes well.

"(McCoy) is who he says he is, high character. He's a great player, but he's a great kid and a great young man," Martinez said. "Coming into our room, he got a good feel for the room and the awareness of fitting in. He's led. He's not the loudest guy, but just little things, where guys are maybe complaining or not sure about something. He always has a positive spin to it.

"He sees that glass half full, and I have noticed that from the beginning. The consistency, every day. He's a very competitive person, both on and off the field.

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