Gerald Mincey hasn’t said much about it, but Hendon Hooker knows exactly what his offensive lineman’s mindset is heading into Saturday’s game.

“He hasn’t really mentioned too much about it,” Hooker said Monday. “He’s just excited to go out there and take advantage of the opportunity that he has. I’m excited for him to go against his former team and make a statement.”

Mincey transferred to Tennessee after spending the past two seasons at rival Florida. He’s now the Vols’ starting left tackle, and he’ll take the field against his former team when No. 11 Tennessee hosts No. 20 Florida on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

The situation has even led to some lighthearted ribbing between Mincey and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

“I joked with him a little bit today,” Heupel said. “He gets a chance to go compete against a few guys that he’s got a pretty good understanding of who they are and what they’re about. Give a little scouting report this evening on the front.”

All jokes aside, Mincey has quickly endeared himself to his teammates at Tennessee.

“Mincey’s a great guy. Really funny guy,” senior offensive lineman Jerome Carvin said. “He’s a South Florida kid, so those guys are always funny. He always has a good ball of energy about him. He’s a great teammate, and so I expect no different from him this week. … He’s a great player, a great player for us, and a great guy and a great teammate.”

A Fort Lauderdale native and three-star recruit by Rivals in the 2020 class, Mincey redshirted his freshman season at Florida and later appeared in 10 games for the Gators.

For Tennessee this season, he didn’t allow any pressures in the Vols’ 59-10 season-opening win over Ball State, then played all 79 offensive snaps in their 34-27 overtime victory over Pittsburgh. According to Hooker, he’s also already brought “a lot of energy to the locker room.”

When he lines up against his former teammates on Saturday, Mincey will have the confidence of his coaches and teammates behind him.

“He’s played really well,” Heupel said. “I think he’s continuing to get better and more comfortable in what we’re doing. He’s executed really well in the pass game, pass protection, continues to get better in the run game, too. Expect him to have a big ballgame on Saturday.”

“I’m pretty sure he’ll be definitely pumped up, see some of his former guys,” Carvin added. “But you’ve got to keep competitive composure."

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