All About Tennessee Football Head Coach Josh Heupel told local reporters Tuesday at SEC media day in Dallas:
What Tennessee’s offseason looks like so far
“The offseason has been really good. We’re in the third quarter of our offseason. The summer has gone extremely well. This group is really mature, competitive, consistent in the way they show up and compete every day. I’m looking forward to getting to training camp here in a couple of weeks with this group.”
What kind of growth did he see in Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava from year one to year two?
“I think the bowl experience was a great experience for him, where you feel the pressure, the feeling of knowing you’re going to be the guy. I think over the course of last season, he continued to grow in his consistency and his preparation. He’s been urgent in everything he’s done since coming back after the bowl. He had a great summer continuing to develop timing and rhythm with our receivers, getting on the same page heading into training camp. And obviously, I’m excited to see him grow throughout training camp.”
What he learned about this Tennessee team over the summer months
“I think they’re extremely focused, individually on what they want to achieve as players, but collectively as a football team. They understand the importance of every day winning. Every rep, every set, every day. They’re in their feet, they’re in the moment and we’ve got to continue to do that as we enter our next phase of preparation for the season when we get to training camp.”
Health update on Tennessee running backs Cam Seldon and Peyton Lewis
“Both of those guys are doing extremely well. Peyton is fully integrated into everything we do. Cam is really close to that. He’s going to progress as we get into training camp, but we’re excited to have both of those guys continue down that path and be ready to go when we start the season.”
What Nico Iamaleava showed that makes him believe he’s ready to be Tennessee’s starting quarterback
“Smart. Competitive. Skills. Accurate with the ball. Good decision maker. That’s his work ethic for a guy throughout the recruiting process. To come into our building, earn the trust and respect of the teammates around him, grow as a player, continue to grow in his leadership ability. I like what he’s done as a young player. He’s a young player, there’s going to be growth and evolution and progress throughout the season with him as a player. I’m looking forward to watching him compete and do that throughout the season.”
Nico Iamaleava has a professional approach and how well that fits into Tennessee’s offense at quarterback
“I think it’s important for your quarterback, as well as your players, as well as the rest of your staff, your coaches, to never get too high, never get too low. To continue to focus on what’s next, to be in the moment. He’s extremely confident. He’s that way because he works hard. He’s a great teammate, he’s becoming a great leader. I’m excited to have him in our building, leading the offense. And to kickoff in 2024.”
The next evolution he wants to see from Tennessee’s defense this season
“Yeah, if you go back to 2021, our first year here, you look at what we were up against, Coach (Tim) Banks, our defensive staff has done an incredible job from 2021 to where we are now in continued growth. And a big part of that has been the development of our roster. Some of the limitations that we had when we got here, to where we are now, is our scheme, the fundamentals that go into it. You look at us statistically, yards per play, tackles for loss, turnovers, we’re top 1, 2, 3 in the league. And there’s another step up for us. This group that we have on the defensive side of the ball, the length, the athleticism, the speed, the most athletic we’ve been on all three levels of the defense. I’m so excited to see their growth as we go into training camp.”
The unique challenges that come with being a redshirt freshman quarterback leading a veteran Tennessee team
“Yeah, our roster is unique. You look at our line of scrimmage, we have a lot of experience on both ends of the ball. We have youth. Since we came back in January, I’ve challenged our entire team, but our veterans in particular, as we go into this year, we don’t have time for any of our young players to be young. And so that urgency has to come from everybody. It starts with me, but it has to be in our locker room. And for us this year with Nico, as a young player, I got a lot of questions like, you know him as a leader, right? Well, he does. He’s phenomenal at communicating. In one-on-one situations, in small groups. He’s taking more and more responsibility throughout our offense and our football team. But the first thing you have to do is master your position. And he continued to progress in that area and in his understanding of what we do, the defensive structures, the ability to control the game. For him, the most important thing is to be himself. To be consistent in his work habits and in his daily preparation, to be in the moment, not to elevate himself too much, not to lower himself too much, just to be present.
How much leadership can be accelerated in an offseason?
“Every young quarterback I’ve had — and I’ve started a lot of freshman quarterbacks in my career — the mastery of the position, the ownership of the position, the participation in the game and the growth in leadership, when those things happen, it’s all part of the evolution of him. He’s been phenomenal in our room, in our building in those habits. His growth as a player, but also his communication and the way he leads his teammates. So I’m excited about where he’s at and where we see him going.”
Three Tennessee veterans head to Dallas for SEC Media Days with Cooper Mays, Omari Thomas and Keenan Pili
“We have a group of guys that would have done a great job. We have a lot of guys that deserve to be here. And I think it speaks to the culture that’s in our building. What we’ve built over the last three years, those three guys are great representatives of our football program, our athletic department and our university. They’re doing it the right way. These are three guys that had the opportunity to leave and go to the (NFL) draft, and chose to come back for all the right reasons. They care about the power of the ‘T,’ they care about their teammates. They’re great leaders in our building. They’re part of our leadership council and that’s why those three guys are here.”
How much of a springboard can last season be for this Tennessee football program and what it’s trying to build?
“At the end of the day, the standard in Tennessee is to win championships. We’re in a race to get there as quickly as possible. We’ve done a lot of great things over the last three years, including last season. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made. But we’ve got to keep climbing. And at the end of the day, you’ve got to win every day. And this group has been really intentional in how they’ve competed. They’ve got to finish our summer the right way. And when we get to training camp, we’ve got to keep progressing.”
How to balance Tennessee’s focus on daily improvement with the big picture and competition in the SEC
“Everyone in our building understands our expectations, our standards and our goals. Expectations will never be higher outside the building than they are inside. But to get there, you have to follow a minute-by-minute, step-by-step process. And this group has been very consistent in what they’ve done.”
The hardest part of trying to get Tennessee football to a championship level
“Sometimes it’s easier to gain feet than inches. At the end of the day, we have to continue to grow individually, collectively and as a program. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished. And I think we’re third in the league in wins over the last two seasons, but we still have a long way to go. And that’s what we’ve been doing all offseason. We have to continue that process here as we head into training camp.”
Tennessee football coaching staff continuity since 2021, how important it is
“The culture that you build with your staff and your players. The connection that you build with your staff. And to be honest, their families, the experience that they have is really important. And keeping the right people in the building, we’ve been able to do that. It’s never one person that changes the trajectory of the program. Our staff — veteran coaches, young coaches — has done an incredible job. The connection, the trust that they’ve built with our players. And when you’re able to retain your staff when you start back up in January — for us, it’s the end of January when they come back for classes — instead of having to build relationships and build trust up front in your meeting room, you’re able to jump into the areas that you need to improve and you keep moving forward.”
The addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC and people calling the league a mini NFL
“This is the best league in college football. And what you’re up against every week, from the coaching schemes to the staff, it’s the best you can find in college football. That’s why you want a coach in this league. That’s why you want to play.”
What he wants to see from Tennessee receivers this season, mixing returners with new talent
“Yeah, it’s the deepest receiver position we’ve ever had, in all the things we’ve had to go through since we got here. We’re in the best position we’ve ever had at receiver, great competition. You can see they have great work habits, they care and encourage the guys they’re sitting in the room with while fighting for opportunities on the field. (They have) athleticism, length, the ability to attack the ball. I’m really excited about the group.”
How they’ll go about creating separation during fall camp
“You build confidence in everything you do every day. Whether it’s on the field, in the meeting room or when you’re not in the building. But it all starts with confidence. You see guys that you know are going to be in the right spot. Your quarterback has confidence in them. You can count on them to make plays. You have an opportunity to make plays. I do it at every position, man, confidence-wise. I tell our team that all the time. Once you prove that you’re going to play at a championship level consistently, it’s our job as coaches to find a role and put you in a position to succeed.”