Willie Martinez updates the spring progress for Tennessee's defensive backs

Everything Tennessee defensive backs coach Willie Martinez said while meeting with reporters after the Vols practiced on Wednesday morning, prepping for Thursday’s scrimmage at Neyland Stadium, the second spring scrimmage:

The growth of young defensive backs so far in spring camp

“With Jack Luttrell, John Slaughter, Rickey Gibson, Jordan Matthews and Cristian Conyer, they’ve been here since December. I’ve seen tremendous growth from the time they’ve got here. We actually gave them the playbook at that time. We gave them some reps during those practices. From the time that they’ve gone back to school in the latter half of January and the months of February and March, you take the nine practices and they’ve come a long way. They have matured, become very confident and have managed their time with school. The schedule is the hardest thing to understand when you’re a young player. They’ve grown a lot since December, and they’re doing a good job too. There are not ones, twos or threes. We are mixing everybody in there and giving everyone an opportunity. They’ve done a really good job.”

How the younger Tennessee defensive backs have adapted to learning new positions and becoming more versatile

“We are not doing too much with the young players. With John Slaughter and Jack Luttrell, they’ve been working the safety and star position. The three corners in Rickey (Gibson), Cristian (Conyer) and Jordan (Matthews) have just been playing the corner position. We’ve done that on purpose to let them have an opportunity to compete and know what to do. It’s worked out really well for us, and they have been able to compete with the guys that have been here.”

Willie Martinez: ‘We have to be better. We have said that from the get-go here’

The competition in Tennessee’s defensive back room

“The last year, we have had a tremendous number of injuries. Having those five guys come in here, in addition to Gabe Jeudy-Lally being here also, has made us able to compete. We have had a competition open. We don’t have a first group. We don’t have a second group. That includes everybody. Whether it’s Tamarion McDonald, Jaylen McCollough or Wesley Walker, they all are competing. We have kind of been moving everybody around to give them an opportunity. We want the competition. We have to be better. We have said that from the get-go here. It’s been really good because we have been able to evaluate more reps from everybody. We told them we were going to give them a shot, and this is the time where they will have the opportunity to know what they have. They have to prove it, and it has to show up on film.”

How much weight he puts on prior performance when deciding playing time during Tennessee’s spring practice

“Warren (Burrell) and Brandon (Turnage) have been out of this spring. They’ve been with us the whole time. There is a lot there. Doneiko (Slaughter) had some really good games. Kamal (Hadden) has had some moments, and they have experience. You’re hoping that they continue to improve with their fundamentals and techniques. They will be better, and they have been. We’ve had nine practices, and we’ve been pleased with the progress that we have going here. I think a lot of it has to do with the competition. That is always good. That’s healthy and the last great motivator.”

How Doneiko Slaughter has adjusted to the cornerback spot

“He’s doing a really good job. He’s all-in. We love versatility in our defensive backs. That is what we want. When we went down with some injuries in the middle of the week of the Kentucky game, he did not bat an eye. We told him, ‘Doneiko, go over and play corner.’ He had not played corner at all besides a couple of snaps in the spring. We all saw how he played in that game and moving forward. He’s a playmaker and is someone that has proved it. He’s had a good spring and he is locked in on playing corner right now. He’s a really good player and a playmaker. You see it in him. He just has to be more consistent.”

If recruiting taller defensive backs to Tennessee was a goal

“I don’t think anything has changed. We love length. When you’re trying to go against these wide receivers that are tall and got great size, you want the length. It’s not just the height factor, you’ve got to have the long arms, you’ve got to have the speed, you’ve got to have all the other skill sets that you need. There is no doubt that we like to see those guys. Obviously, I think we saw something from the combine with the NFL, I think the average corner was like 5’11 and a half. Not that we won’t take guys that are longer than that and guys that are not that height. Obviously, I’ve been blessed in my career that two of the best corners that I’ve ever coached were 5’8 and 5’9. They come in all shapes and sizes. Obviously, you got to be very conscious of being long when you’re playing against some really tall receivers.”

Up Next: Tennessee’s Orange & White Game, April 15, 2:30 p.m. ET, Neyland Stadium

How to make sure versatility makes Tennessee defensive backs better, opposed to putting too much on their plate

“We just want the skill set. We want to say to ourselves, if he’s the fifth best DB, then we want to make sure he’s not the backup corner that doesn’t know how to play safety. It’s kind of like that kind of mindset. It’s not trying to confuse anybody. The corners, they play left and right, they are very versatile as far as playing the boundary and the field. There’s some versatility there. The safeties are very similar for strong or free, it’s the same thing, you got to know it. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Like I said to you earlier about the young guys, we make a conscious effort. How much do they know? How much are they capable of doing? We’re not going to take away where they’re confused. So, if they can’t do it, then obviously we don’t force-feed them. That’s why, with the young guys, we’ve kept them with one stop and not moving them around. We haven’t given them an opportunity to play the nickel spot, so to speak. Let the corners play the corners right now, because obviously they are learning the defense. With the Doneiko (Slaughter) situation, again we lost some guys, he was the next best guy ready to go and he had enough knowledge to do it.”

His expectations for Tennessee transfer DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally after he played previously at BYU and Vanderbilt

“We wanted somebody that had experience (and that) obviously, would fit into our culture that we built here. Gabe is a professional. Obviously, you just said it, he’s been at two places where he’s played a lot of football. We wanted that experience. We wanted somebody to come in here with the skill set, but also could challenge for the starting spot and push these guys. Not knowing where we would be with some of these injuries, and then the youth of good players, where would they be at? We wanted to bring in somebody that had some experience, and again would fit in right with our culture. He has been accepted and he’s done a great job of buying into our program and all the players.”

Tennessee defensive backs who have stepped up to meet the level of competition

“Without singling guys out, I think they’ve all had their moments. You see flashes of some really good plays. It’s been really inconsistent. Again, I’m talking about all the young guys, those five guys along with Gabe (Jeudy-Lally). There might be a little bit more consistency with Gabe, because obviously he has the experience. He’s really picked up our defense. He’s ahead with knowledge because of his experience, you know what I mean? Some of the guys are not 100 percent, I’m talking about the young guys, with learning our package. That’ where the inconsistency comes in. They’ve all really done a really good job of making plays, whether it’s a pick or a really good tackle. We just want to see more consistency. That will come, that will come. We’re excited with these young guys, we really are, moving forward. By the time we get through OTA’s in June and July, and then Fall Camp, September rolls around for that first ballgame, it’s almost like they’ve been here for more than a year. That’s the goal and I think they will be in great shape.”