KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee assistant coaches spoke to reporters on Thursday in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
Defensive coordinator John Jancek, offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, associate head coach/defensive line coach Steve Stripling and running backs coach Robert Gillespie provided updates on how bowl practices have progressed and the growth of UT’s young players.
Adding JUCO Standouts
On Wednesday, Tennessee announced the signing of JUCO stars Jeff George (WR), D.J. Henderson (CB) and Alexis Johnson (DT). Jancek is looking forward to working with his two new defensive players in the spring.
Henderson played at Dodge City Community College in Kansas and earned First Team all-region and all-KJCCC honors after a strong 2015 sophomore season. He tallied 44 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 11 pass break-ups.
“I think D.J. was a guy that we slated for the outside, to play corner,” Jancek said. “I think he’s a guy that can play off. I think he can press. He’s got really good feet, quickness, and change of direction. He showed physicality on film.”
Johnson was ranked a consensus four-star prospect and a top-15 JUCO overall prospect by three organizations after posting 41 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore this fall at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. At 6-4, 295 pounds, he brings great size to the UT interior defensive line.
“Alexis Johnson is a big-bodied defensive lineman,” Jancek said. “He’s quick. He’s sudden. He’s explosive. He can bend. On film, he looks like he can play the three technique. He can play the nose [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][tackle]. You can move him around. He’s a guy that would not only be good in the run, but also in pass rush, which is critical for us. I’m really excited about that.”
Hurd Thrives Off Competition
It has not been a secret that Jalen Hurd has enjoyed a great season rushing the ball. The sophomore running back rushed for 1,158 yards, the 12th most recorded by a UT back and the most since Arian Foster’s 1,193 in 2007. He more than doubled his touchdown production, finding the end zone 11 times.
“He’s had a good season,” said running backs coach Robert Gillespie. “He has worked hard to put himself in position to be one of the best backs in this league and in the country.”
Hurd, who has seen an increase in workload this season with 45 percent of the carries, has split time in the backfield with fellow sophomore running back Alvin Kamara and junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs running the ball as well. Kamara’s emergence has helped drive Tennessee’s rushing assault this season.
“Competition has made Jalen better,” Gillespie said. “This league is built on the best running back groups being the ones with depth and versatility. Alvin brought the best out in Jalen with the way he competes in practice. Also, with Alvin coming in the game and adding a spark to the offense, that makes you hungry the next time you touch the ball. Both of those guys have brought out the beast in each other, and our young guys are benefiting from the older guys also.
“I think Alvin is one of the best running backs in the country, and I think Jalen is one of the best running backs in the country. We are fortunate to have both of those guys on offense, as it keeps teams off balance. There are so many things we can do with each of those guys. I am glad that we have them.”
Young Quarterbacks Benefit From Bowl Practices
With December bowl practices providing extra reps, Tennessee’s freshmen benefit from more coaching and action on the field. UT offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said that he has been impressed with the strides that rookie quarterbacks Quinten Dormady and Sheriron Jones have made from the start of the year.
“I’ve said from day one that Quinten’s knowledge of the offense has really been unbelievable. DeBord said. “I think spring practice really helped him with that. He started a little bit ahead because of the knowledge part of it. He’s done a great job with staying focused and being ready all the time.”
DeBord also said that Jones has made good progress after a late start in training camp in terms of knowledge of the offense.
“He’s had some really great sessions,” DeBord said. “He’s doing well.”
Future Is Bright For Kirkland
Freshman Darrin Kirkland Jr. garnered 2015 SEC All-Freshman team honors after racking up 60 tackles over 12 games and nine starts at middle linebacker. His 60 tackles are the second-most by a freshman in the SEC this year and he has also recorded 5.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries and one interception.
Kirkland got better with each week, including a four-week stretch from Oct. 24 to Nov. 14 when he racked up 30 tackles.
“Darrin was really key because he’s right in the middle of our defense,” Jancek said. “He calls the defenses for us. He sets the fronts. He has a lot of food on his plate, and he is really mature beyond his years. The future is really bright for Darrin, and for us as a whole. He’s just going to keep getting better.”
Jancek added that Kirkland’s consistency and willingness to speak up and lead more experienced players have been standout qualities for a young middle linebacker.
“The thing that I love about Darrin is that you know what you’re getting every single day,” he said. “He’s not moody. He’s not up one day and down the next. He is very consistent. He has a workman-like approach. He’s very coachable. He’s got a great personality. He’s loud. That sounds weird, but you don’t want your Mike linebacker out there going, ‘Hey…uh..rip, rip.’ You want a guy that has some command about him. He has that, and he takes pride in that.”
SOUND BITES
- Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord(On self-scouting the things he liked and did not like this season)
“We haven’t had time to self-scout yet. We played Vanderbilt on Saturday and Sunday we were on the road recruiting. So there hasn’t been a lot of time to break film down. And then when we have it has all been bowl prep. When we go back, we’ll do things like that. We’ll look at it more in detail. We’ll look at all the players and how can we do something better for them. That’s what you always do in the offseason. You evaluate where you are and where you want to get. There and things you might want to add. Football coaches are copycats. We’ll study every film known to mankind looking for things. Maybe try and invent something ourselves, so we’ll see.”
(On what beating a top-15 ranked defense does for the offense’s confidence)
“I think it speaks volumes for our guys’ focus, just how they’ve stayed the course. Let’s go back to the start of the season and I think we’ve just gained great confidence in our techniques and just playing overall. I’ve just enjoyed coaching this group. It’s been fun, and we want to go out on a winning note.”
- Defensive Coordinator John Jancek(On younger players benefiting from the bowl practices)
“I think Darrell Taylor and Quay Picou both have started to really come on. They’re excited about getting the reps. They want the reps, and I see those guys getting better. I really do. We got Quart’e Sapp back out there. He’s doing some individual work. He missed most of the season, but he’s out there running around and doing some good things.”
(On Rashaan Gaulden’s return from injury)
“It’s been great. He’s been out there. He’s got a lot of energy. It’s been really good to see him out there running around and [seeing] what he can bring to our defense. The thing with Rashaan is not only is he a good athlete; he’s got a mentality that you want. He’s tough, he’s physical, he demands it of himself and his teammates. He’s going to be fun to work with in the spring, I’ll just say that.”
- Assoc. HC/Defensive Line Coach Steve Stripling(On who he thinks has made the most progress this season)
“I think Owen Williams has continued to probably surpass our expectations. It’s been a real journey with him, especially coming from the junior college ranks and learning to practice hard and play with effort and those kind of things. So I think [I’m] really pleased with Owen’s progress.”
(On what he has seen out of Northwestern)
“Northwestern is a team I think that wants to run the football. There’s been games where they’ve run the ball over 60 times, so I think that’s going to be their mentality. Obviously the Big Ten mentality of running the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage. I think the first thought in our minds is to stop the run. And then obviously they give you some various formations, they’ve got a real athletic tight end that can give you some formation situations, so being able to adjust in the game is going to be real important. Any bowl game you know you’re going to get some things you haven’t prepared for, so I think right now we’re playing the `what if?’ game a lot and trying to prepare for a lot of things.”
- RB Coach/Recruiting Coord. Robert Gillespie(On what he expected from Kamara in his first year)
“You learn more and more about Alvin every day. Just like from year one to year two with Jalen, I was able to know what I could do with him this year. With Alvin, it was kind of like a blank canvas. He painted a picture of who he is and opened up my eyes to what we can do with him next year. He is only going to get better with every game and every practice. He has been a great addition to our offense.”
(On what Northwestern does to stop the run)
“They’re a good football team. They play against teams that line up and try to hit them in the mouth, and they respond well to it. They’re an aggressive and fundamental team. You can tell they are coached well. It will be a big challenge for us. Luckily, we live in a league where that is what you see every week. We will go down there focused and understanding that we represent our conference. We will be excited just like they will be, and it will be a physical game.”
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