Josh Heupel impressed by defense in scrimmage

There is rarely much concern about a Josh Heupel offense. However, that can’t necessarily be said about his defenses. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a focus on the defensive side of the ball, though, and he’s even seen a lot of improvement in the Tennessee defense this spring.

After a recent team scrimmage, Heupel praised the defense for its effort.

“We did,” Josh Heupel said, confirming the defense was able to force turnovers. “All in all, I thought they were physical, I thought they ran to the football, and in all third downs they got themselves off the field.”

It wasn’t just the defense that Heupel was happy with, though. He thought that the entire team did a great job in the scrimmage, in particular through their energy.

“Man, what a beautiful day in Knoxville, right? Gorgeous day,” Heupel smiled.

“Loved the energy, really from the entire squad. I thought, defensively, we were relentless, played with energy, did a really nice job, in particular, the one defense. I thought they had a really good day.”

Expectations are high in Knoxville going into the 2023 season. However, nothing is certain and the Volunteers are going through a change at quarterback. So, Heupel is going to need to see his defense improve to help the new quarterback transition into their role.

Of course, Heupel always has high expectations for his players too, as he’s previously explained.

“At the end of the day, everybody that steps foot on his campus, Day 1, you better have the mentality and the approach that I’m competing to be the starter right now, here today,” Heupel said. “If you do anything less than that, you’re cheating yourself, you’re cheating the program, you’re not going to be ready when your opportunity comes.”

Josh Heupel on the team’s linebacker play

The Tennessee linebackers are going to be under a lot of scrutiny throughout the offseason, as the unit looks to replace several key performers. Despite that, it’s a position group that Josh Heupel remains excited about moving forward.

“They’re relentless, they play with energy and passion. We’ve done a good job of tackling in some of the small space, but also in the open field. That group’s got a lot of leadership traits,” Heupel said.

“I like how the young guys have kind of grown and fit into the culture. Got to have them continue to grow here as we go through spring ball, but excited about that group.”