KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Three years into his current tenure, Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner has molded his unit into a strength of the Volunteeers, combining a mix of veterans and talented newcomers. Garner’s group and Tennessee went full pads for the first time this preseason camp with a 21-period practice on Tuesday at Haslam Field.
Garner and a trio of defensive linemen — Roman Harrison, Elijah Simmons and Bryson Eason — met with the media following practice.
“Along the lines of changing the culture of the room, I do feel like we are moving the room in the right direction,” Garner said. “Now, we have peers holding each other accountable. That’s what you want. If you’re ever going to have a championship caliber program, you have to have the leadership coming from within. Now, you’re seeing guys starting to hold each other more accountable. It’s not just the coaches where they’re sitting there saying, ‘That’s not our standard. That’s not how we do things.’ I think if we can keep moving in that direction, then we’ll be able to achieve better results.”
Despite the departure of 2023 NFL Draft third round pick Byron Young, the Vols return Omari Thomas, Tyler Baron, Harrison, Simmons and Eason, while adding Arizona State transfer Omarr Norman-Lott and multiple talented true freshmen from a recruiting class that ranked among the best in the country. In addition, true sophomores Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. bring speed off the edge.
“I definitely think Omarr is an upgrade for us,” Garner said. “He’s a young man that has a body of work, even though it was in a different conference. He has a little bit more maturity to him. He has power, initial quickness. He knows how to maneuver his body, slip and naturally make some plays. He can really run. As he continues to really get himself into better shape, I think we will see a much better product than what he’s shown thus far.”
Garner likes what he sees in the endurance and strength from Simmons, who enters his fifth year with the program and will wear No. 10 this fall after making the switch from No. 51.
“Elijah is a powerful big man,” Garner said. “He does have initial quickness and short-area quickness. He has built-in pad level and leverage. Everybody knows that he switched his number to 10, and if you’re a defensive lineman wearing number 10, you need to be elite.”
The Vols will practice full pads on Wednesday before going through their first scrimmage of preseason camp on Thursday morning in Neyland Stadium. The scrimmage is closed to the public.
Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner
On the physicality of the defensive line group in the first day of pads…
“I thought with today being the sixth day, that they looked like it was the sixth day. Early on, I really like the energy and the way the guys have approached practice. Today, it started wearing on them a little bit. We have to continue to push the needle, continue to get mentally and physically tougher and be able to fight through those situations. Overall, I thought it was good. We did have a couple of guys get banged up, so some guys got more reps. When we started to limit some guys with reps, then other guys can increase their reps. That’s a game situation, so they have to learn how to fight through and be able to push themselves when they think they can.”
On Omarr Norman-Lott’s development since the spring…
“I definitely think Omarr is an upgrade for us. He’s a young man that has a body of work, even though it was in a different conference. He has a little bit more maturity to him. When you sit there and look at this kid, he has a skillset. He has power, initial quickness. He knows how to maneuver his body, slip and naturally make some plays. He can really run. Initially coming into camp, I thought he was just a tad bit too heavy. I think that now, he’s starting to trim down, and his athleticism is starting to show even more. As he continues to really get himself into better shape, I think we will see a much better product than what he’s shown thus far.”
On the growth of the defensive line group since he’s arrived at Tennessee…
“Along the lines of changing the culture of the room, I do feel like we are moving the room in the right direction. Now, we have peers holding each other accountable. That’s what you want. If you’re ever going to have a championship caliber program, you have to have the leadership coming from within. Now, you’re seeing guys starting to hold each other more accountable. It’s not just the coaches where they’re sitting there saying, ‘That’s not our standard. That’s not how we do things.’ I think if we can keep moving in that direction, then we’ll be able to achieve better results.”
On how unique it is to have players that enjoys his coaching style…
“I really don’t like yelling. I wish I didn’t have to yell at them. I’d like for them to just do a better job, be more physical, take the coaching and not try and kiss up to the teacher.”
On the players are that are holding each other accountable within the defensive line room…
“Omari Thomas is a good leader. I think his leadership is continuing to grow. I think Tyler Baron has had the best offseason he’s had since we’ve been here. I’ve seen maturity come from him. I think Elijah Simmons and Dominic Bailey are growing. You’re starting to see some growth from multiple people. Roman Harrison has had a good camp and is starting to do things the Tennessee way, and not so much things his way. I think it’s becoming contagious. They’re not being afraid to call one another out. That’s what real leadership is, it’s just being willing to be different, be out front and be able to take a stand. A lot of times, some guys don’t want to go the wrong way, but they just want somebody to be willing to step out and go the right way so they can follow that guy. I think we are seeing a lot more of that. Obviously, we need to see more. You don’t have to be an older guy to be a leader. It’s about how you are doing it every day. Talk is cheap, and you have to be able to walk the walk. Nobody wants to hear you talk about it when you’re not doing it. Being able to lead by example, being that pace setter, getting there early, staying late, attention to detail, those are the things that it’s going to take for us to reach the goals that we’re setting for ourselves.”
On the growth of the LEO position from spring to now…
“I think you have length and athleticism. I think we’re starting to look like how a championship caliber room is supposed to look. We all have to continue to get stronger, we all have to continue to get more explosive, we all have to be more conscientious of our fundamentals and technique. I do like the athleticism. I like the guys being willing to buy in, and the guys to this point not showing selfishness, to where they’re starting to think about their teammates, the program and putting others first. If we can do that, then I think we can achieve a lot of good things. There are going to be a lot more awards for everybody to go around if we put the team first.”
On if run-stopping and pass-rushing skills are very different from each other…
“Coming out of last season, one of the things that we said when self-scouting was that we have to become a better four-man pass rushing team. We can’t always rely on bringing five or six guys. We have to be able to affect the quarterback with a four-man rush, and we also have to be able to finish the rush. A couple of times, we had some good rushes, but then we did a poor job of knocking the quarterback down. We didn’t maintain our rush integrity, our lanes, and we didn’t do a good job of keeping them in the pocket. I understand the conference that we are in, there are some elite guys that can really run, but that’s part of the job description. We have to be able to affect the guy, get him off the spot, and then we have to be able to finish the rush. We did a really good job as far as TFLs, but we have to do a better job as far as being a four-man pass-rushing team.”
On a defensive lineman that was very good at getting tackles for losses but could improve at rushing the passer…
“I think they all have to be better pass rushers. We as a team need to be better at the four-man rush. That means all the way across the board. We lost a lot of production with losing Byron Young, so somebody has to be willing to step up and be that bell cow. When you sit there and look at LaTrell Bumphus, he had a really good year. I don’t think he got nearly the credit or the recognition for some of the things that he was able to do. When you look at the cutups, he was a guy that was very effective and just did things the right way. We have to get everybody to elevate their game. I’m talking man-for-man and coach-for-coach. It’s not just player-driven, it’s coach-driven too. We have to do a better job at teaching them, demanding it and getting that end result.”
On how the athleticism of Elijah Simmons makes him valuable to the defensive line room…
“Elijah is a powerful big man. He does have initial quickness and short-area quickness. He has built-in pad level and leverage. His biggest enemy is when fatigue sets in. Everybody knows that he switched his number to 10, and if you’re a defensive lineman wearing number 10, you need to be elite. My challenge to him — sometimes No. 10 shows up to practice, other times No. 51 shows up. He just has to figure out who he Is and what he wants to be. No. 10 and No. 51 are different guys, so if he’s going to be 10, then he has to get himself in really good shape and be able to play out the whole game like 10.”
On what he has seen from Tyler Baron and how he has gotten better this offseason…
“I think he’s matured a lot. He has grown as a young man, and I think he’s bought in more into the team concept. I think he is being more of a team guy—more of a Tennessee guy than a Tyler guy. I think he is starting to see that if Tennessee does well, then Tyler Baron is going to do well, you know what I’m saying? But if Tennessee does poorly, odds are Tyler Baron is not going to do as well. That’s everybody, that’s not just Tyler. That is everybody, just getting them to understand this is a team sport. It is the greatest team sport out there. Just them understanding how blessed they are to have an opportunity to play at a program like this, to play in this conference, to play with the type of young men that they are playing with. We are all truly blessed, and we just need to understand that these are once in a lifetime opportunities. We need to bond together. You know we work extremely hard, but we need to bond together and make it special. If we are all pulling the rope in the same direction, then we definitely have an opportunity to do some special things.”
On how beneficial it is to have a staff that has been together for almost three years now…
“I think it is a blessing for us to be together for three years. I think that shows even in the team. I think we are so much farther ahead being three years into the program. Our kids are so much farther ahead with the system as far as making the checks, making adjustments, understanding the defense, being able to fix things and know when they are not quite right. So, that’s really comforting. Obviously, I think Coach Heupel does a really good job with being a great leader in the fact that he doesn’t let you become stale or stagnant, so you don’t have to worry about that. I do think guys knowing each other, pulling the rope in the same direction, there are no hidden agendas. Coach Heupel has done a really good job of setting the compass of where we are going, and everybody is following that direction.”
On what the key has been for Elijah Simmons becoming more consistent…
“Well, I think obviously just getting into better shape, growing, maturing, maybe even feeling somewhat unfulfilled just because he is a guy that will sit there and tell you. When I came and first met him and got around him, I was like man, you remind me so much of Geno Atkins. I thought he was going to be like that. It was just that initial quickness, the short-ended quickness, that explosiveness. He just reminded me of Geno (Atkins) who I had at Georgia. For whatever reason, he would start out always with a bang but some got away. He was hit with adversity, he would always fade away. He had a really good spring, and like I told him in the evaluation after spring ball, the challenge was going to be, is he going to pick up where he left off in spring, or were we going to start all the way back over again? So, I can tell you thus far through camp, he is having a really good start in camp. I think he sees that. So hopefully he is gaining a bit more confidence. Hopefully he likes the direction he is headed in, and we all just have to keep encouraging, pushing, prodding and all that. It’s just like I told the guys the other day, obviously if you can’t push yourself, then you need to be man enough to allow others to push you. Because there are some guys who can’t push themselves, but then they have to allow their teammates to push them, allow their coaches to push them. If you can’t push yourself and won’t allow others to push you, then we have a problem. We are not going to be able to get where we want to get to. I think now, he is allowing his teammates to push him when he hits that wall. He is allowing the coaching to push him in the right direction and not let it be all a negativity thing. So, hopefully he is growing and maturing in that area right there.”
Redshirt Junior DL Bryson Eason
On the benefit of working with the same defensive assistant coaches for a third straight year…
“I feel like it’s a positive for me because I know what they’re looking for. I know what they want. I’m just trying to go out there and execute those details and intangibles in order to play the D-line position for Coach (Tim) Banks and Coach (Rodney) Garner. I feel like it’s a positive. It helps me and gives me a lot of encouragement to know that I’m working with the same guys from previous years.”
On how players have held each other accountable this fall…
“Tyler [Baron] has been a great leader. Big O [Omari Thomas] has been a great leader for us inside the room, just holding everybody in that room accountable and making sure that we’re all doing what we’re supposed to do where we’re supposed to be. It’s the little things like that. Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be a mean, tough guy. They’re leaders, but they show love. They lead the way. Their energy and their positivity just makes everybody else follow their lead and do what they ask us to do. I feel like the guys inside the room that have been asked to take that leader role are doing a great job and are bringing a lot of positive energy.”
On how much progress he has made at the defensive line position…
“It’s just about being able to be comfortable at the position, know what I’m doing, know my assignment and just learning different details to help me be better at the position. It’s just a great feeling to finally be somewhere where I know I can play, stay and my position won’t change. It’s a great feeling. I’ve been enjoying it. Having a lot of helpful guys around like O [Omari Thomas], Tyler [Baron], Dom [Dominic Bailey] and Omarr [Norman-Lott], they’ve been helping out, teaching me things, showing me things and it’s always positive. It comes out as a form of love. I’ve been enjoying it, embracing it and trying to be a great player for the team and help those guys.”
Senior DL Roman Harrison
On how much of pass rushing is natural ability compared to understanding of the defense…
“In this league, everybody is fast and everybody is strong. I would say it’s your will, obviously it’s your strain. Are you going to strain? If you get beat on this block, are you going try and beat it or are you just going to stay there. It’s just about, are you willing to finish? Are you willing? At this level, everybody is already physical, everybody is already fast, everybody is already strong. I feel like that’s what separates it.”
On what he feels like he has done well in fall camp…
“I would say my overall game and just my approach to the game as well. I’d say I’ve tried to work on my technique. I feel like I was already fast and strong and all that good stuff, but my technique in how I use my hands was the big thing that Coach Garner is always on me about. I worked on that this fall and just trying to make sure I know the playbook like the back of my hand. I already do because I’ve been here for a couple of years, but there is always going to be new plays. Just making sure I’m prepared for anything like that.”
On the confidence that the team has now compared to when he got here…
“I can’t talk about too much in the beginning, but Tennessee became what I wanted it to be without me having to say a word. That’s a big up to Coach Heupel. Obviously, with the last staff I would just sit back and watch everything. This staff, they bring you in more. It’s more of a family type of environment. We pull each other along and we bring the best out of each other because we expect the most from each other, because we ourselves are giving that. We expect to win games, we expect to win championships, but it’s going to come day-by-day. We know it’s going to come with the hard days, we’re going to have to work every day for it. Our technique, our plays, knowing what you have to do it all ties into it. We all know that as a group, under Coach Heupel we just expect to win.”
Redshirt Senior DL Elijah Simmons
On what changed for him mentally over the offseason…
“Just basically, it’s time now to change who I want to be in the future. I want to go to the next level, so I need to buy in. I feel like I need to buy in and just take the coaching just how it needs to be. That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
On the difference in mindset of being the guy wearing No. 10 compared to being No. 51 last season…
“Obviously 51, he was a guy that he strained sometimes, he took off some plays, but he always wanted to finish. No. 10 continuously fights, strains and competes every day. Come out every day ready to play, ready to fight the next opponent. Each and every day, get better. That’s the main difference to me.”
On the guys who are pushing him in the defensive line room are…
“We all push each other every day. We all want to compete for positions. Each and every person is just trying to get better and better every day as we go along in this camp. Everybody pushes each other. It’s not just anybody singled out or anything like that, we’re all just trying to compete and get better.”