Tennessee football: Five things we learned from Vols at 2021 SEC Media Days
![University of Tennessee Head Caoch Josh Heupel leaves the podium during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala., Tuesday, July 20, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Media Days Tennessee](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fd8f4b5bfb60f505c5c99a05aff1c2200b59941bf5a0e62db9270fda77f4aa139.jpg "University of Tennessee Head Caoch Josh Heupel leaves the podium during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala., Tuesday, July 20, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Media Days Tennessee")
![University of Tennessee athlete Velus Jones Jr. speaks during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala., Tuesday, July 20, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Media Days Tennessee](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F2122c3aef1f6c8edf083cad6e1cc555ec4222701b5914c9761319ae7e8bc5752.jpg "University of Tennessee athlete Velus Jones Jr. speaks during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala., Tuesday, July 20, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Media Days Tennessee")
2. Leaders buying into Josh Heupel
As Alontae Taylor and Velus Jones Jr. spoke at SEC Media Days Tuesday, one thing was clear. They are both all in on Josh Heupel, and as senior leaders on each side of the ball, they are reflecting what the rest of their teammates think. That’s a big deal.
More from Vols Football
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
We talked about how Jones has embraced Tennessee football’s new offensive scheme under Heupel. Well, he said more than that, touting how excited he is to play for Heupel. Here’s a bit of what he said there.
"“With Coach Heupel, he really interacts with the players a lot. He’s always around us, whether it’s like tossing the football or coming in the weight room, checking on us, asking us about our personal lives, like he’s just an amazing guy. He’s always involved, he’s always around, you’re always seeing his face, so he’s a really likable guy. I’m so proud to go to war for that man this fall.”"
For a guy who hasn’t coached a game on Rock Top, that sure is an impressive amount of loyalty to have bought. Taylor was just as high on Heupel and stressed the fact that his new head coach has walked the walk in trying to set an example. Here’s his explanation.
"“The biggest thing was whenever he came to talk to us about what he wanted for this program, what he was gonna bring to this program, but the biggest thing we took from that was how he said it took actions and not words. He would show us through his actions. Some of his actions are building a team with team activities and things like that, and building that family feeling. So that was probably the biggest impression is just him saying that.”"
Both of these guys talked about Heupel’s team building exercises, such as playing dodgeball early in the morning, and those things are clearly working. Jones and Taylor were very high on Heupel and what he is bringing to Rocky Top.
Related Story. 10 biggest winners from Vols' spring practice. light
As a graduate transfer from the USC Trojans, it probably helps Jones that Heupel has brought in USC transfers Chase McGrath and Caleb Tremblay. Both players buying in, though, speaks a lot about how dedicated the team will be in the fall, and that’s a big deal.