Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was reassuring as he addressed the media to wrap up preseason camp. He’d better be. The Vols’ fan base is depending on one, very important player, an upgrade from last year on the offensive line and an entirely new secondary.
First, let’s start with the most important player in Heupel’s tenure at Tennessee: quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Heupel said when asked about Iamaleava missing the Vols’ last scrimmage on Thursday. “Had a stomach bug and has been out with us on the field through the last couple days. He’s great.”
The Vols are also hoping left guard Andrej Karic is as “great” as Iamaleava, but that’s probably not the case. Karic participated in Tennessee’s last scrimmage, but has been slowed by an undisclosed injury this season. Redshirt freshman Shamurad Umarov and senior Jackson Lampley are also competing for playing time at left guard.
“Andrej missed a couple days but came right back,” Heupel said on Monday. “He’s played really well. Sham’s playing really well. Jackson Lampley has versatility to play multiple sides as well. So as we head into this week, there’s still a lot of competition…We’ve got to have multiple guys ready to play.”
While the Vols have stayed healthy through preseason practice, there was one injury well worth nothing. Defensive back Jourdan Thomas was expected to be the Vols’ starter at its hybrid linebacker/defensive back position, known as the star. However, the junior suffered a season-ending injury which opened the door for sophomore Christian Harris and freshman Boo Carter.
“Both of those guys have done a great job of growing in the fundamentals, playing the position, the communication that takes place there with the guys beside him, back behind him, making plays,” Heupel said. “Really excited about what both of those guys have done on the practice field up until this point. And both those guys will play a lot of ball.”
The Vols’ defensive backfield is certainly a cause for concern until the season begins. Tennessee lost all of its starters and over 10 defensive backs from last year’s team. Heupel didn’t seem to mind the turnover.
“I feel really good about where we’re at with that group,” he said. “Not just with the first guy that you might see on Saturday, but the guy that’s going to come in and play a lot of football behind them, too. They’ve had a really good camp. They continue to get better and so, (I’ve) got really good trust in those guys.”
Reassuring enough? Probably not until Aug. 31 when the Vols open the season against Chattanooga. However, that will have to do for now.
