Tennessee defense needing a ‘step forward’ in spring ball

It wasn’t great.

That’s a simple way to sum up the defensive experience of the 2021 campaign during Josh Heupel’s first season on Rocky Top. Sure, defensive coordinator Tim Banks could have made some better calls and the unit could have executed better, but overall; it was a tough hand of cards dealt to the brand new Tennessee staff.

The Vols allowed 421 yards a contest while giving up an average of 29 points a game. Both of those stats were third-worst in the conference. Tennessee suffered from a lack of depth everywhere and really struggled to find dependable starters in certain position groups.

Year No. 2 won’t erase all those deficiencies right away, but there’s expected improvement on that side of the ball. What the staff evaluates over the course of the next month will show just how far the unit has come while also showing just how far it needs to continue to climb in order to be a respected defense in this conference.

“We’re more solidified in personnel on the defensive side of the football than we probably were a year ago,” Heupel told Volquest in last week’s exclusive interview. “We have guys in their natural, better positions at this point and they have a lot better understanding of what we are doing.”

Here’s four storylines on the Tennessee defense entering spring football practice.

Unfortunately, there’s always some guys who will not be able to go through drills in spring due to offseason surgeries or injuries alike.

This spring, cornerbacks Kamal Hadden, Brandon Turnage and DeShawn Rucker are expected to miss drills as is linebacker William Mohan. There’s also a growing belief that cornerback Warren Burrell will be limited for most of spring.

It’s no secret that Tennessee defensive backfield needs a lot of work. Burrell really struggled down the stretch last season, both Hadden and Turnage missed time with injuries and Rucker was overwhelmed in Tennessee’s bowl loss to Purdue.

This spring was poised for those guys to decide the pecking order at cornerback entering fall camp, but it appears that won’t happen. Enter newcomer Dee Williams.

The former Junior College standout has an excellent opportunity to take advantage of all the reps he can handle over the next few weeks. He was an interception machine at the lower-level and the Vols could certainly benefit by creating more turnovers.

There’s also a possibility safeties Christian Charles and Donieko Slaughter could see some opportunities at cornerback during the spring. That’s not the end of the world as versatility is needed, especially with veteran safeties Jaylen McCollough and Trevon Flowers returning. Speaking of Flowers, the fifth-year senior could log some time at STAR this spring, along with Slaughter.

Tennessee wasn’t great defensively a season ago and it doesn’t help that key starters Matthew Butler, Alontae Taylor and Theo Jackson are all gone from the program. Those three were without a doubt the leaders on that side of the ball and those roles will be tough to replace.

Who is going to step up and lead this team, defensively?

Linebacker Jeremy Banks doesn’t jump off the page as a natural leader, but why not? He’s an upperclassman who has certainly elevated his play over the course of the past calendar year. The off-the-field issues in the past haven’t resurfaced and he’s highly thought of by his teammates inside the locker room.

Yes, the personal fouls have got to stop. You can’t lead by example doing foolish things after the whistle. But the leadership questions start with Banks as he is without a doubt this squad’s best player on that side of the ball.

Tennessee has two safeties who have played a lot of football in McCollough and Flowers. Both took back seats to Taylor and Jackson in years past and this spring would be an excellent opportunity for those guys to step up. Remember, Jackson wasn’t highly-thought of as a player this time last year, but he was always praised for his leadership.

And finally, there’s Tyler Baron. We could even throw Byron Young in this conversation as well because of his impact in a short amount of time in the program. But for Baron, he’s now entering his third year in the program and is a guy who plays a lot of snaps, when healthy. What was this team’s reaction to his less-than-24-hour dart to the transfer portal? Probably nothing major. Baron needs to step up and lead this spring, filling the shoes of Butler.

“There’s a demand, a confidence and an accountability inside your locker room that is different,” Heupel said. “That comes from leadership within the locker room. Every Wednesday before spring ball is about developing that – learning how to communicate, developing leaders and giving them opportunities to experience those roles.

“Because of that, I think we are developing more leaders inside of our program.”

Despite its overall struggles in 2021, this defense registered 102 tackles for loss. That stat was good enough for second in the conference and eighth in the country. Averaging 7.5 TFLs per game, Tennessee’s defense was tied for seventh-best in the country.

A big reason for it was the improved play of the defensive line under veteran coach Rodney Garner. But the Vols have shoes to fill with departing seniors Matthew Butler, Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely. The transfer portal will continue to get looks, but the Volunteer coaching staff must rely on the depth created to continue the improvement of the group.

For starters, Tyler Baron is likely to be a full-time defensive lineman now – playing the five-technique across the front. His versatility is encouraged, but his days as an everyday LEO are likely over. Other veterans who will contribute right away on the interior will be Omari Thomas, LaTrell Bumphus, Kurrott Garland, DJ Terry, Bryson Eason and Elijah Simmons.

It will be huge for this unit to get healthy play out of Bumphus and to once again see if Simmons can play up to his potential. The Midstate native has been impressive throughout workouts this spring, but there’s no doubt about it, he still had a long way to go from this time last year to get into adequate playing shape.

Early enrollees Jordan Phillips and Tyre West will also get their first crack at live action this spring. The former is a big-bodied athlete who projects well in multiple techniques while the latter was a monster Signing Day get for Heupel. West has a great blend of size, athleticism and quickness. How quick can these two freshmen join the two-deep? The Vols need it by week one.

“They are a real piece of this football team already,” Heupel said about the early enrollees last week. “They are so interwoven into our locker room at this point. I think that’s really unique and will be guys who will be really strong leaders for us.”

At LEO, there’s not many this spring – but help will be on the way over the summer via freshmen James Pearce and Joshua Josephs. There’s also the expectation the staff will continue to look for portal help. For now, it’s the Byron Young show. Roman Harrison will also get a ton of work. Expect some cross-training at this position over the next few weeks.

One of the best stories last season was the improved play of Jeremy Banks at linebacker. The Memphis native finished with 128 tackles, the most by at Tennessee football player since AJ Johnson’s 138 in 2012. Banks’s tackle count ranked as high as second in the SEC and seventh in the nation.

There’s still a lot of areas where the former running back can improve his play. Trusting his reads, keeping his eyes out of the backfield, not getting lost in space, going over the blockers and not under – those types of technical things. But Tennessee has a good one in Jeremy Banks. Can he take advantage of his first ‘true’ spring session as a linebacker? He needs to.

One of the biggest gets for Heupel via the porta last season was Texas transfer Juwan Mitchell, who led the Longhorns in tackles in 2020. It never materialized with the Vols last season due to injuries and there was even questions surrounding his status with the program moving forward. Regardless, he’s here and he is healthy for spring. Tennessee needs help desperately at the middle layer of the defense and Mitchell is a guy who can play right away when healthy.

Aaron Beasley and Solon Page played admirably last season alongside Banks. Due to injuries and the lack of depth at the position, those two veterans stepped up. At times, the duo played well and both improved with he uptick in game reps. But it wasn’t good enough for this level of football. Can this spring change that narrative? Tennessee will absolutely play those guys this fall and expect them to improve these 15 practices.

And finally, there’s early enrollee Elijah Herring. He’s had a good spring so far, transforming his body in the college strength and conditioning program. Tennessee would love to have him ready to contribute on special teams and to be in the two-deep come fall. He’ll get his first chance to impress Brian Jean-Mary this spring.

For Tennessee to reach the expectations surrounding the program for the 2022 season, it must improve defensively. These players are now in year No. 2 of the system and there’s been some added numbers to the roster. Spring practice won’t fix everything, but it’s imperative this unit takes a step in the right direction.

“Our goals this spring is to develop competition, develop depth, continue to grow fundamentally – and that’s at every position,” Heupel said. “You get into scheme and how we can be better – we can be way more efficient in how we function and operate.”