Josh Heupel stresses importance of defensive line in SEC

Tennessee’s Josh Heupel may have a reputation as a more offensive-minded coach, but he knows very well that the defensive line is still a crucial position on the football field, especially in the SEC.

The Volunteers have perhaps been underrated defensively through Heupel’s first several seasons, with that high-powered and unique offense drawing most of the attention. But in 2023, that side of the ball really flashed as the Volunteer offense wasn’t quite as strong as the previous season.

Now, heading into 2024, the defensive front is a strength of the club, with James Pearce leading the way, a future likely top-10 NFL Draft pick who can wreak havoc up front. So, it’s clear the DL is an important area of the roster for Heupel, who explained at a recent press conference why the defensive front is so important in the top conferences in the country.

“Well, in this league, but in general, in football, if you want to be good, you got to be good up front, and guys that can rush the passer that can affect the game on the first level are extremely important,” Heupel put it bluntly. He knows it’s all about having the big and capable bodies up front.

“That’s your edge guys. It’s also your interior, the depth that we’ve been able to build with athletic traits that we’re looking for. You know, I said it a day ago, but it’s as deep as we’ve been at that position.”

Heupel continued, gushing on his guys and the level of talent across the defensive line in 2024.

“We got great length, athleticism, ability to bend the corner. Those guys are multiple, they can play on the first level, they can drop on some of your zone pressure packages and they’re really intelligent guys that can handle the volume of what they have to do within our scheme.”

According to Josh Heupel, it sure sounds like Tennessee has some terrific atletes who are also terrific players coming along on the defensive line, and that should scare SEC foes, especially with Pearce spearheading the unit.

In 2023, Pearce exploded onto the scene as a pass rushing force, recording 28 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 10.0 sacks even, an interception, two forced fumbles and two passes defended. Just a monstrous overall stat line that is likely to grow in 2024, perhaps behind an improved Tennessee DL overall.