What Vols special teams coach Mike Ekeler said Monday at Knoxville Quarterback Club

Mike Ekeler has known Josh Heupel for nearly two decades. Back in 2004, both Heupel and Ekeler were graduate-assistants on staff at Oklahoma. 

Ekeler, in his second season as Tennessee’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach, hasn’t forgotten what Heupel did as a player with the Sooners.

“You guys know the story a little bit,” Ekeler said Monday while speaking at the Knoxville Quarterback Club, “but I’m telling you what, you look at him as a player, the man put the University of Oklahoma on his back. People forget about that. 

“They had won five games before he got there. First season he was there, they won eight. Next one, 13-0. Were they the best, most talented team in America at that time? Heck no. They weren’t. They played a Florida State team that was an NFL team. They kicked their butt. But that’s because that’s who the guy is.” 

It’s who Heupel has been since getting to Tennessee, according to Ekeler. The Vols won seven games a year ago, before starting 8-0 this season and climbing to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Top 25.

“Coach Heupel, what I love about the man, he made no excuses,” Ekeler said, going back to Heupel getting the Tennessee job in January 2021. “He didn’t talk about recruiting. He didn’t talk about this, talk about that. He talked about what he had. 

“And our kids, and his whole message from Day 1 was we’re good enough to win and good enough to win right now, but our margin of error is not real big. And that’s what our kids rallied behind.”

Here’s what Ekeler said during his appearance at the QB Club:

“Really appreciate you guys having me today. Tell you what, this has been a heck of a ride here. And it all starts with the fact that we got here about a year and a half ago. Coach Heupel, what I love about the man, he made no excuses. He didn’t talk about recruiting. He didn’t talk about this, talk about that. He talked about what he had. And our kids, and his whole message from Day 1 was we’re good enough to win and good enough to win right now, but our margin of error is not real big. And that’s what our kids rallied behind. And it it started last year. We were close in a lot of those games. This year, in the majority of them, we found a way, we made that extra play. He talks about it all the time, it doesn’t matter if it starts fast. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t start fast. What matters is when that clock hits zero, to be plus-one. Or a whole heck of a lot more. And that’s kind of the mentality of our team. They’ve taken that from him. And again, just our guys, each day they come in and they pack their lunch pail and they go to work. And it’s been a lot of fun. They’ve got great chemistry. They’ve got great leadership.

“You look at Hook (Hendon Hooker), I mean, Hook is probably one of my favorite players I’ve ever been around in my entire career. This guy, not only is he a tremendous football player, but he’s one of the best young men you’ll ever meet in your life. Best leader. First one in the building, last one out. He’s absolutely everything you want in a Tennessee Vol. The man is an absolute stud. 

“It starts with Coach Heupel … you look at what he’s done as a coach. Everywhere he’s ever been, what’s he done? He’s produced first-round, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks. It’s what the man does. You can be in Pee Wee football. You can be in the NFL, college football. If you don’t have one of them … you can’t win. You’re not going to win at a high level. And we got one. We got a couple of them. We’re always going to have one. And it’s a beautiful thing.

“This is an unbelievable time to be a Tennessee Vol. The support we get when we get when we walk out in Neyland Stadium, are you kidding me? That’s worth 14 points. It’s big time. Expect to see a whole lot of people in orange in South Carolina next week. And we ought to paint that sucker orange. I’m telling you, guys. I could not be more excited about what’s going on here. About the future of this program, about the leadership from the AD, the president. Everything about it, it’s right. It’s the right time, the right place, the right people and I appreciate you guys having me.”

‘The future is bright’: Vols focusing on developing young players

NOT USING THE WORD HOPE IN THE TENNESSEE PROGRAM

“We don’t use that word, sir. Hope. W-T-H. Wishing, trying, hoping. We just do stuff around here. We’re here for the long haul. We’re not going anywhere.”

TENNESSEE PREPARING FOR SOUTH CAROLINA’S SPECIAL TEAMS 

“I didn’t realize (Shane Beamer) had that (special teams) background, to be honest with you … that was a joke. I just came from my office right now, we were watching film. We’re going to prepare our tails off. We’re going to be ready to rock and roll. We’re going to do what we do. They have to stop us, now. And Dee Williams, he is a fart in a skillet.”

FRESHMEN GETTING PLAYING TIME ON TENNESSEE’S SPECIAL TEAMS

“Players, that’s just part of the business. Part of the deal. Players move on, new players come in. There are a lot of freshmen developing out there on special teams, getting a bunch of snaps, and on defense and offense. So you can see the great programs develop players. And it starts with their fundamentals and techniques. That’s all that Coach Heupel preaches and what we teach, starting with special teams. And it carries over on offense and defense. We refer to it as transferrable skills. So these guys are out there getting a ton of experience right now. Guys like Kalib Perry, guys like Elijah Herring, playing 30 snaps a game on special teams and on defense. So the future is bright.”

TENNESSEE FRESHMEN JAMES PEARCE AND JOSHUA JOSEPHS

“James Pearce and Josh Josephs, again, those guys, their ceiling is as high as they want it to be. You’re talking about James weighing in. He weighed in at 232 the other day. And we time our 40s on kickoff. He’s our L-5 on kickoff. We call them flying 40s. So you get a five-yard start. By the time you get up to 35 — you start the clock when you get to the 25 — he’s running a 4.2. That’s illegal in most states. Josh Josephs has been playing a ton on defense as well. So those guys, extremely excited about them. Just working their tails off, developing. Coach (Tim) Banks has done a great job utilizing their skill sets.”

No. 5 Tennessee at South Carolina, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

LOSING SENIOR KICKERS NEXT YEAR

“Can I enjoy (this season)? Both of them have a few more games left. We’ll worry about that when that happens. We’ve got some great young guys, too. We’ve got some young guys you’re really going to enjoy.”

IF THEY HAVE TO CONSTANTLY RECRUIT TENNESSEE PLAYERS TO KEEP THEM OUT OF THE PORTAL

“No, we’re talking to them about South Carolina. Really, truly, you’re so laser focused in the moment. And that stuff right there, a lot of that stuff is out of your control. All you can do as a coach is treat players right, develop them, love on them and you coach your tail off. Then at the end of the day, shoot, the right ones stay. And if you don’t like it, maybe it’s not the right place for you. I don’t know what’s not to like about this place.”