Josh Heupel expects multiple players to contribute in Tennessee secondary

Tennessee will be retooling the secondary in 2024 with a number of key contributors from last year moving on. But head coach Josh Heupel doesn’t expect to just find a starting group and ride with them the whole year.

For one, it’s very common for defenses to rotate various secondary personnel based on formation, response to the offensive personnel, and keeping players fresh. And as Heupel explained, the Volunteers might have more defensive backs worth getting in the game than can see the field on any one play.

And so Heupel and Co. are hopeful to see plenty of bodies rotate through on the back end of the defense this fall.

“I’ve said it from the beginning of the offseason to our coaches and our players, it can’t just be one guy at one position,” Heupel said. “We’re going to have to play multiple guys. It’s just the nature of being in this league and the game that we play.”

Heupel also spoke about the group with some excitement, both for their inherent athletic and football abilities, but how they’ve progressed through camp.

“I really do like the length, athleticism,” Heupel said. “I feel like this last block since our last scrimmage, they’ve continued to be better, just in the fundamentals, technique, assignment discipline within the structure of the defense. We’ve gotta continue to get better. Good teams do. That’s during the course of the season, it’s here as we’re finishing up training camp. But really like what we’re seeing from that group.” 

One Tennessee defender assessed if the unit is slept on going into the season

Tennessee‘s offense is used to the spotlight but perhaps the Volunteers’ defense is the secret star of the show. In an interview with On3’s Andy Staples, Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas revealed whether he believes the Volunteers’ defense is being overlooked.

“There’s just pride we take in it, no matter what,” Thomas said. “Since Coach [Josh] Heupel and them have been here, everyone knows what it is. It’s offense, offense. Everyone knows that but we don’t care that people don’t talk about us.

“We just like going out there and competing every week and coming in knowing that we feel like we have one of the best defenses in the country. We just got to come in every day and really prove that to ourselves.”

Fans certainly associate offense-oriented teams with Heupel. Before taking over at Tennessee, Heupel spent time as an offensive coordinator at Missouri, Utah State and Oklahoma.

In 2022, Tennessee boasted the No. 1 offense in the nation, averaging 525.5 yards per game. For his efforts, Heupel was named the 2022 SEC Coach of the Year. While Tennessee’s offense garnered attention again last season, many viewers failed to realize how impressive the Volunteers’ defense was.

In the 2023 campaign, Tennessee’s defense only allowed 335.2 yards per game, ranking No. 32 in the country. With standouts such as James Pearce Jr. returning for the upcoming season, it’s easy to understand Thomas’ optimism.