Defensive players welcome shells as practice intensity grows
Tennessee put on shoulder pads Friday as the Vols move closer to full gear and their first scrimmage next week.
For the defensive linemen and linebackers it’s becoming “real” football as the physicality starts to emerge.
Rodney Garner has a lot of bodies to work with in his rotation. One player who Garner has given praise to the last few months, but is rarely talked about is Dominic Bailey. Bailey played in all 13 games last year recording 11 tackles. Heading into his fourth year as a Vol, Bailey has found his comfort level in the program.
“It’s been a journey,” Bailey said. “Last year, I started finding my rhythm playing football here. Now it’s about trying to get better every day and keep taking steps forward.
“Just learning how to accept coaching and taking coaching from coach G. Learning it’s not personal, he’s just trying to get you better.”
At linebacker, Tennessee assistant coach Brian Jean-Mary has numbers to work with that he hasn’t had and Jean-Mary has had nothing but praise for the youth in his room. Sophomore Kalib Perry found his comfort on special teams a year ago, playing in all 13 games.
“The big thing for me in the off-season especially in the winter time after the bowl game was to get more comfortable with the position coming from a high school safety to a stack linebacker position,” Perry said. “Also, spring bal was a big part of it for me getting a lot more reps and being more at a spot was huge for me.”
Sophomore defensive end Joshua Josephs is one of the edge guys with big shoes to fill as the Vols look to replace the production lost by the departure of Byron Young to the NFL. Josephs is 15 pounds heavier than he was a year ago. He is more comfortable after getting his freshmen year under his belt and knows how everyone in his position group has to step up.
“I honestly feel like everyone in the LEO room has stepped up especially Roman (Harrison),” Josephs said. “I see him progressing every day. He’s really leading me personally telling me and coaching me on stuff that I should do better or could do better. I feel like James (Pearce) and I took more responsibility in our name and stepped up for what we had to do.
“I stopped playing around so much. I stopped joking and started taking things more serious. I have focused on doing the things I have to do for myself to make this team better.”
Freshman linebacker Arion Carter has generated plenty of buzz since his Tennessee arrival back in December. Physically, Carter doesn’t look like a freshman especially after putting on nearly 20 pounds in the off-season. The expectations for Carter are high. The highly touted freshman understands that but is focused on learning and becoming more comfortable.
“Confidence is really a big factor, just knowing what to expect, understanding the game and the speed of the game,” Carter said. “Seeing how it has slowed down for me has been a big jump for me.
“I’m pleased just getting in and learning the system. Being around all the guys and the culture seeing how I fit as a whole. I love it here.”
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