Jim Chaney approached Jacob Warren at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville four years ago.
Moments before Tennessee played Indiana in the Gator Bowl, the then-offensive coordinator told the then-redshirt freshman tight end something that Warren has reflected on just days before his final game at Neyland Stadium.
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"My game has changed a lot. I've gotten a lot bigger, a lot stronger," Warren said. "(Chaney) just came up to me and said, 'Don't ever let anyone tell you you're soft ever again. If you really and truly believe that, you'll take that as love, you'll take that as trying to be coached.' There's been soft moments for sure.
"Getting beat off the edge, it looks bad, but I truly remember that and see that as the turning point in my career, when I started to change my mentality the way I see the game."
Warren was in his second season at the time after not seeing the field as a true freshman.
The Knoxville native and son of a former player who signed with the Vols out of nearby Farragut High School had only played sparingly to that point as a reserve player, but that conversation set in motion a career that has now spanned nearly six seasons.
Warren has put together his most productive campaign as a sixth-year senior, hauling in 12 passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns, which ties a career high he set during the 2021 season.
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee assistant coaches Rodney Garner, Kelsey Pope meet with media
It was the kind of season Warren envisioned when he had to make the decision last January whether or not to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility stemming from the COVID season in 2020.
He leaned on former quarterback Hendon Hooker during that process.
"I had this conversation with (Hooker) when I was going through it, when I was trying to make a decision," Warren said. "He just kind of referenced his decision to stay and about how it's obviously a decision that's not easy, right? But at the end of the day it's not going to be the end of the world. There's no wrong decision for anybody. I think it's just a matter of being able to stick with one and put your head down and go grind and go figure it out.
"I made that decision to stay back in early January and one of my mentors said, 'Hey, you've just got to take this and run with it...Go out there and do everything you can to make it the best. I truly am happy in my case that I stayed."
Now Warren is serving the same role for his teammates that Hooker served for him, offering advice on their pending decisions, which will have to be made in the coming weeks.
"Everybody has their own journey," Warren said. "If some guys feel like they're done here, that's awesome. If some guys feel like they can do a little bit more, that's perfect, too."
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee's Jacob Warren, Omari Thomas meet with media ahead of Vanderbilt
Warren's journey will accumulate on Saturday against Vanderbilt (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network), but as far as emotions, he's going to try to hold some of those in.
For now, he's reflecting on his path to the program he grew up revering, a path that included a coaching change, COVID, stretches of being on the sidelines and an 11-win season that put Tennessee back into the national spotlight.
"As a leader, as a competitor, we're trying to get better," Warren said. "That's the one thing we're trying to do. Whether it's give ourselves a better life financially with a good career or trying to become better men, or just try to be a better football player. That kind of falls in the same category. We're trying to make this place as good as we could possibly make it before we leave. I think we've done a good job. I think we've changed the narrative about how you compete and how you finish games and how you stick together. How you love each other on the team and how you trust coaches.
"There's a lot of things you can throw in there. I think this program is in a much better place than how I found it. I'm happy about that."
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