The first spring practice of Josh Heupel’s tenure as Tennessee’s head football coach has consisted of implementing his way of doing things. Offensively, that has consisted of a new tempo, new verbiage and a new scheme.
Alex Golesh served as Heupel’s offensive coordinator at UCF and joined him in Knoxville when he got the job in February. Golesh has since played an instrumental role in helping Heupel install the offense this spring.
“We probably are right where we thought we would be,” Golesh told the media on Thursday following Tennessee’s final practice of the spring. “I think the situational side of it, we have to continue to grow. Just guys understanding the game better, understanding what we’re trying to get done in certain situations. That’s the part where we need to grow in a big way, that would be it. And that just takes time. Not that we have a built-in excuse of when we got here, but that’s where you always feel behind as the coordinator. That you’re not getting enough situational work.”
Not only does Golesh have to install an offense that is foreign to Tennessee’s returning players, he must do so without a returning starter at the quarterback position — arguably the most important position in all of sports.
As you’d expect, the quarterbacks have “been up, been down” white installing the new offense. Each of the three available scholarship quarterbacks — Hendon Hooker, Brian Maurer and Harrison Bailey — have rotated through, mixing in with the one’s, the two’s and the three’s.
“That’s the one spot you start with as you come in as a new staff and put in a new system,” Golesh said. “All three have shown a bunch of growth in their own ways. As we’ve gone, we’ve fine-tuned things to each guys skillset as we’ve gotten into situation football.
“It all goes through that position. There have been days where we’ve been really excited. There have been days where we’ve wanted to see more growth. Individually, all three of those guys have done a really, really good of soaking it in, getting better every day, not making the same mistake twice — which we’ve really, really hit home at every spot. (Quarterback) specifically. Commanding the offense, commanding that group. I’ve been really proud of what those guys have done and where they’re headed.”
Quarterback isn’t the only position that needs to be replenished for the Vols. Golesh also has to create a new running back rotation, a wide receiver rotation and replace several key offensive lineman from last year’s team.
Despite the attrition and the significant task at hand, Golesh has learned this spring that he’s working with a prideful unit that wants to get better.
“The more you pour into them, the more you’re going to get back,” Golesh said. “They’re a bunch of guys that are still feeling us out as coaches. We’re three months into this. There’s still situations that come up where they want to see how we’ll react. The biggest thing for us has been to be the same every day. Come in, be incredible teachers, hold them to a high standard, hold them accountable in everything that they’re doing. And then let the end result be what the end result will be.
“We have attacked every single part of their life and as we continue to build trust with them, and they continue to build trust with us, we’re only going to continue to grow. I’ve learned that they’re a hungry group, that they need us to continue to push the confidence factor with them and that they’re hungry to learn. They’re hungry to be really good, hungry to be great. It’s just learning how to get there and the process it takes to be an elite offense, an elite human being, an elite student-athlete.”
The process to being an elite offense continues this Saturday when Heupel’s first spring comes to an end with Tennessee’s annual Orange and White Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
