One of the biggest things that stood out from Tennessee’s spring game was just how good the defense looked, especially the secondary. The Vols were all over the receivers and made things tough on the quarterbacks all day. With returners like Ty Redmond and Edrees Farooq, the Vols also added some high-level players in Dejuan Lane, Qua Moss, TJ Metcalf, Kayin Lee, and plenty more.
What Tennessee quarterback took the lead in the spring game?
With new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles taking over, the Vols now have one of the top defensive minds in the country leading the unit. While there will likely be some growing pains, Tennessee added several players already familiar with Knowles’ scheme, which should help ease the transition.
Early in the scrimmage on the first drive, the Vols gave up a 75-yard touchdown on a Ryan Staub throw. After that, the Vols' defense was lockdown, creating pressure on the defensive front, and the defensive backs were playing sticky coverage. It was a major sign of relief, as last season under Tim Banks, the defense rarely got the opposing offense off the field.
When Josh Heupel was asked about the secondary and what he saw all of spring he said:
“Yeah, we busted on the one third down where we gave up a big play early in the scrimmage. In general, that has not happened throughout the course of spring ball. I think defensively overall, our guys have grasped what we’re doing defensively, communicated at a really high level, continued to get better fundamentally, continued to strain and work into a better body position in tackling, and that’s a lot of periods and periods too.
Secondary depth is becoming a strength for Tennessee
I love that Heupel pointed out the coverage busts have been limited this spring, and that the long touchdown was more of a one-off than a real issue. It’s also really refreshing to hear the defense is starting to pick up what Jim Knowles is teaching, and that’s a big deal this early. Knowles' defense is known to be tricky, and if the Vols can get a hold of it, it should pay major dividends come September.
The Vols were No. 15 in the SEC last season when it came to passing defense. The Vols gave up nearly 245 passing yards per game. This is an unacceptable number, but given the fact that Tennesse has completely flipped the personnel and the scheme, the secondary is already looking like a strength of this team.