Tennessee set out to rebuild its secondary. So far, so good.
“I think we’ve got multiple guys in multiple positions that we want to feel good about and we are feeling good about being their 10th practice,” Tennessee defensive backs coach Willie Martinez said on Monday. “We want competition and we’ve got that in every position and I’m not just saying corner. I’m just talking about whether it’s two corners on each side or two guys at Star or two guys at the boundary safety or two guys at the strong safety.
“There’s more guys. And I’ve said it before, our versatility, which we recruited, allows us to be able to move guys around and play the best players, the guys that are performing and making the plays on a consistent basis. We’re in a good place right now. We’ve just got to continue to improve each and every day like we’re doing right now.”
The Vols lost 11 defensive backs from last season and are expected to field five new starters this season. Can Tennessee really hope to be cohesive with so much change in the defensive backfield? Martinez seemed to think so.
“We’ve done a really good job from the time they stepped on campus with that leadership and every day pulling them up to the standard and expectations,” Martinez said. “It’s obviously a lot easier when you have a really good room, a good culture and they’ve seen others do it. They’ve had success in the past and so the cohesiveness would just come from consistency in guys making plays.
“I love the room. I really do. I love the group. I think it’s one of the best groups I’ve ever been around in my career.”
Martinez was quick to point out that the Vols have a special chemistry in the secondary. That’s saying something considering Tennessee’s defensive backs are so inexperienced playing together.
“They care about each other,” Martinez said. “They hold each other accountable. It’s not a bunch of yelling and screaming. It’s really structured. It’s really cool…It’s running on its own gas now. It’s kind of hard for me to get my points in when somebody does make a mistake. Somebody’s correcting if somebody’s standing right there, you know, ‘I got it, coach.’ And that’s kind of cool to see. So man, if you have that with the talent and skill that we have, we just got to be consistent every day.”
The Vols are also looking for an immediate replacement for Jourdan Thomas, who was expected to start at the Vols hybrid position, Star, before suffering a season-ending injury last week during preseason practice.
“Christian Harrison and Boo Carter are taking the bulk of the reps,” Martinez said, referring to the redshirt sophomore and freshman, respectively. “We know in the back of our minds that we have others that have played the position, whether it’s Will Brooks. We have the versatility, whether it’s Andre Turrentine.
“The two guys right now that are competing at this (point are) Christian and Boo and they’re doing a really good job.”
That’s certainly a testament to Carter’s athleticism. He signed with the Vols as a four-star prospect from Chattanooga, but it’s rare to be in the mix for a starting position as a freshman this early in preseason practice.
“He’s a really good player,” Martinez said. “Guy is so talented. He’s very competitive and he’s very athletic, so he’s versatile. Boo can play a lot of positions. We’re just putting him right in a position where you have to make plays.
“You’ve got to be really good at the Star, the position in our defense that, schematically, he’s going to be involved almost in every play. Start off by his athleticism, his competitiveness, his love for the game. You can see it both on and off the field and it’s great to have it because he’s going to compete on every play.”
That’s a given. The question for Tennessee is just how does a freshman fit into an inexperienced defensive backfield and have an impact. We’ll see. Martinez doesn’t seem worried.
