SEC Media Days: Takeaways from Josh Heupel, Tennessee at the podium

Josh Heupel is no stranger to Dallas.

As a Heisman-finalst quarterback at Oklahoma more than 20 years ago, Heupel led the Sooners twice against rival Texas at the annual Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl. On Tuesday, he returned as Tennessee's head coach.

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Ahead of his fourth season with the Vols, Heupel took the stage inside the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas for SEC Media Days, joined by veteran offensive lineman Cooper Mays, linebacker Keenan Pili and defensive lineman Omari Thomas.

They provided a preview of the season just weeks before the start of fall camp and a little more than a month before Tennessee's season opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 31.

Heupel fielded the usual offseason questions—the development of redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamalvea on the eve of his first season as the full-time starter, the improvement in the Vols' secondary and now having to face his alma mater as league foes this season.

It's hard to glean too much from the grandest stage of the "talking season," but it will the last Heupel and Tennessee players will be heard from before they report for fall camp at the end of the month.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from what they said.

The numbers show improvement in Tennessee's defense in each of the three seasons at the current staff has been at the helm, but the Vols could potentially be in the best shape they've been heading into year four.

Tennessee suffered some attrition in the secondary during the offseason, losing multiple starters and a few other contributors who were either out of eligibility, declared early for the NFL Draft or transferred out.

To remedy that, the staff brought in a couple of transfers of their own in cornerback Jermod McCoy (Oregon State) and safety Jakobe Thomas (Middle Tennessee State), both of which could be starters by the opener next month.

Tennessee will returns a crop of younger players that saw valuable playing time last season because of injuries, including Rickey Gibson III, who will compete for a starting role at corner.

That experience will be key for a secondary looking to become more of a strong suit than a question mark for the first time.

"Expecting those guys to play at a championship level," Heupel said. "I love the group as far as their length, athleticism, play-making ability, their willingness to be physical, take on destruct blocks, tackle in open space, their care factor, their knowledge and understanding of what we're doing, how they approach their practice every single day. I'm really excited about it."

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Experience isn't the only reason Tennessee should feel optimistic about where it is defensively.

Heupel touted the depth that the Vols are boasting, too, from the transfer portal pickups to the players that were forced to grow up quickly last season and a crop of newcomers that includes four-star freshman Boo Carter, who could contribute quickly.

"I mentioned a little bit earlier, but this is the deepest that we've been within our roster, and that affords you to have the opportunity to have great competition every single day," Heupel said. "That's on the practice field. That's in the meeting room. But that depth becomes important as you go throughout the course of the season as well, and I'm looking forward to that group taking a real step here this fall for us."

Keenan Pili was supposed to make an immediate impact on Tennessee's defense a year ago, but his first season in the program ended before it really began.

A transfer from BYU where he was two-time captain, Pili worked his way into a starting role at MIKE linebacker in fall camp. He suffered an injury in the Vols' opener against Virginia in Nashville and was sidelined for the rest of the season.

Pili opted to take advantage of a medical redshirt and participated in spring practices a few months ago. He nearly repeated the same line, word for word in his speaking circuit with reporters at media day, stating that he is "as healthy" as he's ever been.

It's a promising update for a Tennessee linebacking corps that lost Aaron Beasley, who exhausted his eligibility after pacing the defense in tackles two years ago, and Elijah Herring, who transferred to Memphis after starting in Pili's place last season.

Pili is expected to anchor the room, which will also feature underclassmen Jeremiah Telander and Arion Carter, who impressed as a true freshman before sustaining his own injury late in the season.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Cooper Mays, Keenan Pili, Omari Thomas said at SEC Media Days

"(Being back for a seventh season) means everything. It means everything," Pili said. "I don't take the role lightly, the things that come with middle linebacker and the things I'm expected to do. I prepare in a way that I know my teammates will trust and respect me.

"Just excited and excited to come back and play. I have been around, so I'm excited to play another year and to be here."

Coaches touted Pili's presence in the facilities despite the injury last season and his involvement with the linebackers in an off-the-field type role. For Pili, the time off was valuable, too.

He hopes what he learned watching from the sidelines will translate to a productive final season at Tennessee.

"You kind of see the game, and I've had my injuries before, but being here at a new school and being able to see it from this lens, you kind of grow mentally, and especially you see the game in a different lens," Pili said. "You're able to kind of see where things break down because you're not on the field. You can see the big picture. I feel like it's always helped me being able to zoom out a little bit, see the big picture, see what the coaches are wanting to get done. I took that year under my belt, used it to my advantage, and hopefully help me next season."

Arguably the most important piece in Tennessee's success this season was absent from SEC Media Days, but still a key talking point.

Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava is preparing for his first season as the Vols' full-time starter after dazzling in his first career start in Tennessee's 35-0 thumping of Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando on New Year's Day.

Iamaleava provided a good sample size in that performance, going 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown while rushing for three more scores, but more will be expected from him to go a full season in a new-look SEC that has only gotten tougher.

"We want (Iamaleava) to hit the ground running," Heupel said. "He's a young quarterback. Played really well in the bowl game. He's going to continue to grow. Through all of his experiences here throughout the course of the season, he's only going to continue to get better from all of those. But we expect him to play at a really high level from the very beginning, and we need that from him."

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After putting up historic numbers two years ago, Tennessee's offense took a significant step back in 2023. Part of that was due to inconsistencies both at quarterback and at wide receiver.

On paper, the Vols have upgraded at both positions with Iamaleava taking over and a healthy balance of returning production and proven incoming talent at wide receiver.

Iamaleava heightens the ceiling for Tennessee because of his pocket awareness and ability to make plays on the run--all traits that drew Heupel to him during the recruiting process and could be the difference in the Vols' season.

"(Iamaleava) has got the ability to throw the football sideline to sideline, vertically down the football field, extremely accurate, loose, quick-triggered arm," Heupel said. "He's got the ability to extend and make plays with his feet. As a runner, evading and making a play down the field...One of the best compliments you can give to a quarterback is when they go from the practice field to the game field, it slows down for them. During the course of the bowl game, it slowed down for him. (I) Thought he was in great command out there.

"Now, there's a lot of things that he learned from that game. He's had a great urgency in his preparation all off season. I'm really excited to see his growth and development as a young quarterback throughout the course of this journey."

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