Tennessee 'best players' to be used on special teams
Tennessee has a low-margin for error if it wants to get back to a bowl game this fall, so Jeremy Pruitt has quickly made sure that special teams will not be a forgotten phase for his first-year football squad.
To a man Thursday, Vol players sang the same special teams song, unanimously saying, “it’s just as important as offense or defense.”
“It’s that hidden yardage — y’all don’t know much about that, do you?” junior safety Nigel Warrior said, smiling.
Only Tennessee fans are quite aware of the importance of special teams — both the good and the bad recently.
Under Butch Jones, the Vols had really strong special teams from 2014 to 2016, finishing in the Top 25 in Football Outsiders’ FEI rankings all three years including touting the nation’s best “third unit” in 2015. With strong coverage units, Evan Berry returning kicks and Trevor Daniel booming punts, Tennessee’s special teams were a critical component in Tennessee’s turnaround under Jones.
On the flip side, the Vols have missed some critical field goals in recent years and also suffered some devastating injuries to key players, with linebackers Curt Maggit, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Quart’e Sapp all going down with season-ending injuries on special teams.
That hasn’t deterred a guy like Sapp from wanting to still play special teams, though. Pruitt has emphasized it’s a privilege to play on punt or kickoff return, saying, “We are going to play our best players on special teams. … The way I look at it is, if you’re not a good special teams player, then you are probably not a good offensive or defensive player.
“There have been many a times, over the years, where we punt the football and have a couple gunners out there that are hard to block, because of their ability. Maybe they’re fast or whatever. We’ve rested them on defense when they're our best players just so they could play on punt team."
We’ll see if Tennessee actually benches a starter on defense in favor of special teams snaps — especially with the team’s precarious depth as is — but the head coach’s message has at least resonated with guys like Sapp, Warrior and Kyle Phillips — three players who are slated to see a lot of snaps this fall.
“Hopefully I get an opportunity to play special teams,” Sapp said.
Tennessee’s special teams dipped in 2017, as the Vols were particularly inefficient at converting field goals or returning punts. Their coverage units, mainly kickoff return, were middling too following a rash of injuries. Pruitt hired Charles Kelly as Tennessee’s new special teams coordinator, and the longtime coach looks to make the unit more explosive. The Vols haven’t blocked more than two kicks in a season in over a decade and now tout a couple of really intriguing returner options (Bryce Thompson, Alontae Taylor, Trevon Flowers).
“Special teams is one play that can be a game-changer, so you have to play it like it’s offense or defense,” Phillips said.
“If you’re one of our best players, you should be on special teams. We believe that gives the team a sense of how is and how much it can impact the game. Special teams can win or lose games.”