What Josh Heupel said Tuesday after Tennessee's spring practice

What Josh Heupel said during his press conference after Tennessee Football’s spring practice on Tuesday morning:

Opening Statement

“Just an awesome weekend for our athletic department, our university. Congratulations Coach Barnes, Coach Caldwell. Just lot of fun to watch those teams go compete and have a a ton of success. Look forward to watching them here this weekend as well.

“Huge week for us. We’re back off of spring break. Great to get on grass with guys today, go compete and get better. Also have the coaches clinic come this weekend. Coaches from our footprint have an opportunity to come in and be able to talk ball with us. And obviously Coach Gruden coming in and headlining the event. Will be a lot of fun to have a lot of people here on campus.” 

If Tennessee needs one wide receiver to step up and lead the group or if it can be production by committee

“Well, I think you got to be good by committee. If it’s just one guy, they’re able to roll coverage to a certain player. And end of the day we’re going to need all 11. But your wide receiver core group is going to have to function and operate at a really high level as a complete unit. (I) expect all those guys to continue to grow. They’ve been really good here the first five days. Guys that have some experience in what we’re doing, have played extremely well. They’ve grown from where they ended the season. And young guys that are getting their first taste of it have made plays, they’ve grown. There’s a long journey still ahead for the entire group, but certainly the young guys too. But expect those guys to grow into playmakers for us.”

What he likes about Tennessee’s running backs 

“Strong, physical play with all the ball in their hands through the first five days. As we continue, this is day three for us in in pads, you get to scrimmage, see how they operate on game day-like scenarios. But they’ve done a really good job pressing lines of scrimmage, making plays. The group as a whole is really connected. They compete hard in the meeting room. So it’s just about consistent growth from those guys.” 

Why he believes sophomore wide receiver Braylon Staley could be a contributor for Tennessee this season

“Just how he’s continued to grow. And that’s last, the steps that he continued to take. What he’s done the first five days of spring ball. He’s been super consistent, has great understanding within the scope of what we’re doing offensively. Has the ability to recognize, identify coverage, get to the right spot — zone, man looks. He has played really long over the middle of the football field the first part of scrimmage.”

Who has stepped up at wide receiver for Tennessee so far during the offseason 

“I don’t think there’s just one guy that’s stepped up. You look at the collective group, there’s not a lot of guys that have a ton of experience inside of what we’re doing. They’re growing individually, they’re learning what leadership looks like and (I) expect that group to continue to come together.”

What this spring looks like for sophomore Boo Carter and what he has to prove to Tennessee coaches to play on both sides of the ball

“Spring is the opportunity with your personnel, to have an opportunity to do different things with them and find out what they can, can’t do. And the same thing as schemes — offense, defense and special teams. You try to push forward. Boo has done a really good job on the defensive side of the ball. You saw him as a punt returner, electric with the ball in his hands. We’ve experimented with him on the offensive side of the football as well and he’s handled it really well up until this point.”

The progress of Alabama transfer receiver Amari Jefferson

“Limited the first couple days. Is kind of been building into contact here. Had the most work that he has had today. A guy that, it matters for him to be here. He loves the program, the culture of the program, the way we work and compete together. He’s a really smart kid. It’s going to be fun to watch him just continue to grow throughout the course of spring ball.” 

What’s the first priorities for this Tennessee team in the first spring scrimmage on Monday night

“First scrimmage, find out where our guys are at in game-like scenarios. Coaches off the field. (The players) got to go handle it, manage it, operate, signals, offense and defense. Communication on both sides of the football. Want to see guys go play extremely hard and then find out who’s going to go make plays, too, in competitive situations.”

The physicality he’s seen through three spring practices in pads 

“Been really physical. This is a mature group, just in how they’ve handled themselves up until this point as a football team. Just the culture of accountability, building trust. They work and compete extremely hard. It’s been extremely physical bunch of, as we unfold our practices, individual and the group work where you’re competing against a guy on the other side of the ball as you’re working certain fundamentals and techniques. And then when we get into 11-on-11, it’s been really competitive.” 

Past Tennessee receivers being productive in their second year in the system, if that can happen with this group

“I think a part of it is credit to them and the work that they’ve put into it. But in year two, it’s true for every player, but in what we do offensively, the understanding of what we’re doing, the decisions that they got to make and being on the same page. Fundamentals and techniques continue to improve. But they got a great understanding having played in it, what it looks like, what it feels like and how they have to operate within it.” 

Progress made by Tennessee tight end Ethan Davis 

“Ethan has done an elite job just growing through our winter. Took full advantage of the weight room. He’s done a great job with his body. He’s just continued to mature as a man. Just how he approaches every single day. He’s been really consistent. We have great understanding of what we’re getting from him every single day. And that’s a credit to him just continuing to grow as a man. 

“And then within the scope of what we’re doing offensively, he’s always had the ability to play out in space. He’s done a really nice job in that area. But he’s continued to improve just his fundamentals and his technique just inside the core. As a tight end there’s so many things that you have to be able to do. You’re playing wide receiver when you’re split out or releasing from the core. You got to be able to pass protect and obviously the run blocking. And what has done here the first five days, real credit to him.”

What he likes about Tennessee transfer offensive linemen Wendell Moe and Sam Pendleton

“Both of them have experience. They’re mature. As far as fitting into the culture of our program, the position room. They care about the guys around them. They compete extremely hard. They have the ability just, their physical makeup, to handle playing on the inside in this league. And both of them have done a nice job through the offseason and in the first five days understanding what we’re doing. There’s a lot of things going on. And when we’re playing in tempo, it’s happening really fast. And their understanding of what we’re doing at this point, really excited about it.”