Mike Ekeler talks Tennessee special teams, outside linebackers after Thursday's practice

Everything Tennessee outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler said about his units during his press conference after Thursday’s spring practice in Knoxville:

How much growth he has seen from Tennessee punter Jackson Ross

“It was awesome to give him an opportunity to redshirt. He has a chance to be a really unique and special player. We are excited about him. Kolby Morgan is doing a great job too. Those guys are out there competing, which is the way you want it. They are both doing an awesome job and having a lot of fun. From a kicking standpoint, Charles Campbell came in and has been doing a nice job. Max (Gilbert) is doing well. JT (Carver) has been kicking it well. You have three guys doing a heck of a job from a kicking standpoint. You have Bennett (Brady) snapping who is pushing Matthew (Salansky) and Alton (Stephens). In year three, you should have great competition. It’s where you should be, or else I should not be standing here. That is what we have. We have great camaraderie in there. Those guys pull for each other, and we have great competition. Which again, that’s our job.”

How different Tennessee sophomore linemen James Pearce Jr. and Joshua Josephs are in their second years on campus

“Josh has had a good camp. James needs to continue to learn how to practice, compete and strain. Roman Harrison has done a heck of a job. He’s had the best camp of all of them. Caleb (Herring) is coming on, and that guy can be a freaky talent. He loves ball. The funny thing about Caleb is after practice, he’ll come in, and I won’t even have a chance to watch the film yet, and he’s watched it all. That guy eats, sleeps and drinks ball. He loves it. That’s what the great ones do. A lot of people want to talk about I want this and I want that and their actions don’t match their expectations. You have a young guy like that who comes in, and he’s doing that on his own. He just goes in there, locks the door in the meeting room and gets after it. I am really excited about him as well.”

Roman Harrison taking a step forward this offseason

“He should. He’s a senior. That’s what he should be doing. He’s been consistent overall and consistent in meetings. He has stacked 12 great practices together, but that’s his job. He’s taken ownership in that, and he’s doing nothing other than what he is supposed to be doing, which is what we want.”

If Roman Harrison has stepped into a bigger leadership role for Tennessee’s defense with Byron Young gone

“It’s still a work in progress if I’m being honest and transparent. He would tell you the same thing. In order to lead, you have to set the standard and uphold it. You have to make sure that other guys in the room are upholding it. That’s what we are working towards right now, but it’s still a work in progress.”

Mike Ekeler on Charles Campbell: ‘He’s from Tennessee, and he wants to be here. It’s important to him’.

What he has seen from Indiana transfer and new Tennessee placekicker Charles Campbell

“He has a tremendous competitive spirit. He has a great mind as far as he’s able to snap and clear, focus and refocus. He might hit a bad one, but it does not affect his next one. He really has a pro mindset, works hard in the weight room, works hard in the film room and works hard on the practice field. He’s from Tennessee, and he wants to be here. It’s important to him. When we offered him a spot here, I called his mom and played a joke on her. I said, ‘It’s great to meet you, and I just wanted to let you know we will do anything we can to help Charles find a ride to Knoxville. You better pack up his stuff and get it ready ASAP.’ She was crying, so it’s important to him, and it’s neat to have someone from Tennessee who has this lifelong dream of playing here.”

The recruitment of Jackson Ross out of Australia

“Probably about 20 years ago when I was coaching at another SEC school, I started dealing with some Australian punters. Over the years at different stops, have had different Australian punters. I have a great relationship with the guys over there who run the Prokick Australia program. John (Smith) and I go back 20 years ago. That is the guy who runs it, and he’s awesome. Just watching their guys and understanding what we wanted in a skillset, we got what we wanted. As far as acclimating goes, he’s a tremendous leader. It’s interesting that when you’re in Australia and you’re in high school, you aspire to get drafted out of high school to play Australian rules football. There are two levels; there’s an NFL level and there is a minor league level. He got drafted by the NFL level and played for three years. He’s been a professional, and he’s been in that arena playing in front of 100 thousand people. He goes out in Neyland, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty cool. That is kind of what I’m used to.’ It’s a great fit, and he’s a great guy. He is funnier than heck, just want until you get to know him.”

Up Next: Tennessee’s Orange & White Game, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET, Neyland Stadium

The expectations for his special teams group and how they’ve handled it

“The expectation, and Coach Heupel said it when we got here, is to be the best. That is the standard. Last year, we were ranked second in the SEC. That is not good enough. We have the talent in that room to do it, and it’s just a matter of, you have to go earn it. That is what our focus has been on, is finding those ways to continue to push the envelope, get better and continue to teach it and drill it better so our guys understand the concepts. We have worked our tails off, but that is our job. We are not going to stop until we are the best.”

How influential the Orange & White Game can be for recruits visiting this weekend

“It is huge. Everybody in the country talks about Neyland Stadium. Everybody in the country is talking about the games that were played there last year and in the past. All the recruits, they feel that. They have not only been here and have seen it firsthand, but they know. They want to play in that type of environment. As a player, you want to play somewhere where it’s important. As a coach, you want to coach somewhere where it’s important. That is pretty important over there. Peyton Manning said it best in year one when we got here. He looked at Coach Heupel and goes, ‘If the Colts lose, I’m alright. If the Broncos lose, I’m good. If the Vols lose on Saturday, it hurts my soul.’ There are 103,000 people every Saturday who will say the same thing, and there are probably a million more watching it at home. It is important here, and those guys feel that.”