Rodney Garner: Tennessee defensive line 'work in progress'

Rodney Garner knows what a successful defensive line in the SEC looks like. Since taking over as Georgia’s defensive line coach in 1998, he has developed top-SEC talents such as Richard Seymour and Dee Ford.

Now he is tasked with turning around Tennessee’s defensive line. Brought in by Josh Heupel, Garner takes over a unit that ranked 41st in rushing defense but only tallied 5.5 tackles for loss per game. The Volunteers open up the season on Sept. 2 against Bowling Green.

“I think for the most part the guys are trying to buy in,” he said after Saturday’s practice. “Obviously we’re a a work in progress. There’s room for improvement all across the board, including coaching. We’ve all got to hold ourselves to a higher standard and understand what that standard is.

“When you put yourself in adverse situations, are you going to find a way to fight and win? Or are you going to find a way to lose. That’s where we have to change that mentality. ‘OK, we’re going to find a way to win when the game is on the line.’ And it’s a process. They’ve got to embrace it. We’ve got to do a better job of holding everybody to those standards.”

Transfer additions brining ‘positive energy’

Tennessee added transfer Caleb Tremblay and Da’Jon Terry to the defensive line this offseason.

Terry had a relationship with Garner before transferring. When Garner was at Auburn, he recruited the 6-foot-4, 325-pound lineman. So when Terry decided to leave Kansas and enter the transfer portal, landing with Garner was high on his list.

Tremblay is a defensive tackle grad transfer from Southern California. The No. 12-overall recruit in the class of 2018, in 18 games with three starts at USC, Tremblay recorded 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks. The Volunteers see him playing defensive end.

“They’re great guys. They’ve definitely have brought some positive energy,” Garner said. “But I think they would be the first to tell you that this league is a little bit different. The intensity, the accountability, what we’re expecting out of practice, how we work every day. They’ve still got to get acclimated to the standards and the intensity and how we’re going to perform, how we’re going to attack the day.

“When they came to Tennessee, they didn’t say they came to Tennessee to be average. Not one of them. They didn’t say I want to come here and be an average player. Alright? They all had goals, dreams, aspirations. It’s my job to try to help them reach that.”

Recent Tennessee scrimmage showed room for improvement

Garner’s defensive line doesn’t have a standout player. Matthew Butler brings the most experience to the line. The 295-pound super senior with 14 career starts is looked at as the leader of the line, too.

After that Byron Young, Elijah Simmons and Omari Thomas could all play vital roles this season for Tennessee. Garner saw some of that potential in the Volunteers’ latest scrimmage, but he wasn’t happy with how they closed out.

“We got the little motto in our room that we’re always grinding for greatness,” he said. “The only way you’re going to achieve greatness is you’ve got to grind for it. You’ve got to strain. Like I tell them, we all have to become comfortable being uncomfortable. And that’s what we’re all trying to do. Started out really good, did some real, real good stuff. And then we started tailing off.”