Watch: Josh Heupel previews Tennessee-South Carolina during Thursday's press conference

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel met with reporters for his press conference on Thursday, his final time speaking to media before the Vols host South Carolina on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium:

The status of Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright and wide receiver Ramel Keyton

“Really all the guys that you didn’t see at the end of last week, had a really good week. It’s always game-time decisions. But feel really good about all of them.”

Tennessee’s challenge in stopping South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette

“Athletic, playmaker. We gotta do a great job. He’s a special player, so we gotta do a really good job and that takes all eleven.”

The confidence Tennessee has in redshirt freshman wide receiver Kaleb Webb

“Feel good about Kaleb, but feel good about Chas (Nimrod), you know what I mean? The young receivers continue to get better. They play important roles on special teams and made plays. Kaleb was involved in the fake punt stop and picked up a touchdown couple plays later. So feel good about all those guys in their continued development.”

If Tennessee coaches have seen transfer receiver Dont’e Thornton start to settle in

“He is absolutely. There’s consistency and in some of the things that he can continue grow in. But love his demeanor, effort, energy, focus and preparation, all that stuff.”

Having coaches and players from the 1998 Tennessee national championship team in town this weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary

“Really it is special to have an opportunity to have all those guys back here. Coach Fulmer and those guys have an opportunity to remember, tell a bunch of stories on Friday night. I think they got a social gathering and then obviously for everybody that’s in the stadium and those watching from Vol Nation. Opportunity to remember and look back on that special season. And those guys too, they’re a huge part of our history, our tradition. It’s been fun for me over the last two and a half years getting to know all of those guys. It’s a special group. They’re still extremely close. Should be a really fun weekend for those guys here on Friday and Saturday.

If he knew any of Tennessee’s players from the 1998 team before he took the job here

“I probably wasn’t as highly recruited as most of those guys were. So a little bit different. But the ’98 group, knew of them, knew a couple of them. But for me it’s been awesome just because as you’re playing college football, you know who all those guys are and so getting an opportunity to know them. You know, Al Wilson’s celebration (weekend) in the College Football Hall of Fame, a bunch of those guys were all back, had a chance to spend time with him in the spring and then get a chance to see some of those that I hadn’t met when they came back for his event during the course of the season as well. Those guys are hugely important to our program in the past and in the present too. Those guys still live in our footprint and are part of our recruiting too. And so it’s been fun to get to know those guys. 

Tennessee preparing for South Carolina’s special teams 

“I think just they’re aggressive on special teams, so you gotta anticipate, you gotta have your eyes on your keys and be ready to play ball. Those are things that you work every single week because you don’t know when it’s gonna get called from the other side of it. So for us, we need to win special teams. The field position battle will be important and (it) changes the way the game’s played offensively and defensively. We gotta do a really good job.”

Tyler Baron’s play so far this season and if it’s the best of his Tennessee career

“I just think he’s continued to grow as a person — his consistency, his work habits, being completely healthy. When we first got here, he was guy that was coming off a shoulder surgery. His continued growth fundamentally has allowed him to absolutely be playing his best football that he has in his career. He’s doing a great job getting off of the football. He’s been violent and disrupt disruptive. He’s playing with his hands extremely well. And then his versatility, his ability to play outside and then when we go rabbits, be inside and play at a really high level in both of those positions. Him embracing those types of things too has been critical in what he’s doing right now.”

A status update on Tennessee center Cooper Mays

“Practiced really well. Like those other guys that I talked about, will ensure that through tomorrow and obviously game day that they’re ready to go compete at the level that you need to in this one. South Carolina is a big, strong, physical, explosive up front. So hopefully we’ll have them locked and loaded, ready to roll.”