Tennessee is looking for a few good men. Well, at least two.
The Vols, in case you haven’t heard, have been forced to replace their entire secondary and 11 defensive backs from last season. That means Tennessee lost two starting cornerbacks, which is widely regarded as one of the most important positions in football. The competition has already begun to replace them.
“We got four turnovers today,” defensive back Willie Martinez said on Monday. “The playmaking on the ball, actually catching it (was good). We had a couple of drops a couple practices ago, but they’re having fun. You could see whether it’s a young guy or it’s an older guy, the encouragement, not letting guys get down when things go wrong.
“I guess the next play mentality of their personality; kind of cool to see man. And again, it’s not perfect, but there’s a lot more of that going on than the other way. It was a really good day. Get some turnovers today and that always helps on defense. You’re changing the momentum of the game.”
Sophomore Rickey Gibson III is expected to be a strong candidate for a starting position, if he hasn’t locked down one already. The other starting cornerback position is expected to go to Jermod McCoy, who transferred to Tennessee from Oregon State following last season.
“The first thing I’ll say about Jermod, he’s such a great teammate,” Martinez said. “He comes from a different situation, obviously in the dynamics of college football now, right? Different team last year, he comes to our program man, and he is who he says he was. High character. He’s a great player…he’s a great kid.
“He’s a great young man and coming into our room he knows exactly how to feel, have a good feel for the room. The awareness of fitting in and he’s led. He’s not the loudest guy, but just little things where guys might be complaining or not sure about something.
“There’s always a positive spin to it. He sees that glass half full and I’ve noticed that from the beginning is the consistency every day. He’s a very competitive person both on and off the field. And he’s a playmaker. He’s one of those guys that just got one of the turnovers today, and when he doesn’t get something or it doesn’t happen for him— he’s harder on himself and the teammates see that. Players see that. And so he’s not much of a talker…He’s setting the example every day.”
That’s certainly a ringing endorsement. However, McCoy could still be challenged. Jalen McMurray is another transfer that is garnering some praise after transferring from Temple.
“Small details matter to him,” Martinez said of McMurray. “Locked in and focused in a meeting. Coaching the younger players that are sitting right next to him.…on the field, a lot of energy. He wears it on his sleeve. I’m telling you his personality is really cool.
“He is totally different when he’s on the field and guys feel that. I think the opponent feels that, our offense, but it’s great to have Jalen here. He’s another guy that’s very consistent…a little bump in the road here, but really come on strong here in the last couple practices.”
Tennessee is still waiting on redshirt freshman Jordan Matthews to have an impact. The Louisiana native was one of the Vols highest-rated prospects in the 2023 class but struggled to find the field last season as a true freshman.
“Jordan has done a really nice job,” Martinez said. “It really started back in the spring. You can see the improvement, the confidence. You’re seeing a lot more consistency in the play-making. But he’s had a tremendous summer.
“He’s one of the guys that were signaled out, was having a great summer in the weight room. Obviously, on the field, he’s a smart player. He’s making a bunch of plays here in camp. It has built some confidence and it’s really great to see. He’s a guy who is smart, who has got great size, ability and consistency. It’s good to see.”
Based on Martinez’ review of the Vols secondary, there are plenty of good things to see. Time will tell if that’s the case this season.
