KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football’s roster continues to grow in size, speed and athleticism since head coach Josh Heupel took over the program in 2021. That was on full display Wednesday morning, as the Volunteers began the fourth preseason of the Heupel era with a two-hour practice in helmets and shorts inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center.

Wednesday’s first camp practice was held indoors due to heavy storms that saturated the outdoor fields overnight. Much of the 15-period workout featured a walk through, 1-on-1s and individual drills.

Nine members of the #RockyTop24 signing class saw their first action, including highly-touted five-star defensive lineman Jordan Ross of Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Ross is one of many explosive edge rosters who make up the roster recruited by Heupel’s staff.

“In this league, but in general in football, if you want to be good, you have to be good up front,” Heupel said. “Guys that can rush the passer and can affect the game on the first level are extremely important. The depth that we’ve been able to build with the athletic traits that we’re looking for, this is the deepest we’ve been at that position. We have great length, athleticism and ability to bend the corner.”

Preseason first-team All-American James Pearce Jr. leads the way at the position, but he is joined by a strong supporting cast that includes junior Joshua Josephs, junior Tyre West, redshirt freshman Tyree Weathersby, sophomore Caleb Herring and redshirt senior Dominic Bailey.

Josephs enters his third year on the field after finishing the 2023 season strong. The Kennesaw, Georgia, native finished with 20 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and three quarterback hurries.

“He’s done a great job in the weight room,” Heupel said of Josephs. “Nutrition has done a great job with him, and that’s him taking the lead on those things. You look at his frame now compared to where he was a year ago, dramatically different. His confidence and understanding of what we’re doing, allowing his athletic traits to take over (and) continued fundamental development, really excited about the offseason that he’s had.”

Tennessee will participate in its second preseason practice on Thursday morning before taking Friday off.

Head Coach Josh Heupel

Opening statement
“Good start, day one. A lot of good, a lot of things to clean up too, but all in all, organizationally really good. Good start to the training camp.”

On how essential the LEO position is…
“In this league, but in general in football, if you want to be good you have to be good up front. Guys that can rush the passer and can affect the game on the first level are extremely important. That’s your edge guy, and it’s also your interior. The depth that we’ve been able to build with the athletic traits that we’re looking for, this is the deepest we’ve been at that position. We have great length, athleticism and ability to bend the corner. Those guys are multiple. They can play on the first level, they can drop in some of your zone pressure packages. They’re really intelligent guys that can handle the volume of what they have to do within our scheme.”

On how much faster they can go over installments due to certain rule changes…
“I don’t think you’re accelerating your installs necessarily. I do think there are times when you can break out into more intentional, specific pods with your front and your interior. We’re talking about LEOs and those guys being able to break off. You have more eyes (and) more guys who are able to coach your secondary, so you can split those guys up more in some of your drills.”

On what has been the change for LEO Joshua Josephs…
“The growth of the person and that part lays itself into the growth of the player. For him, just what he’s doing every minute of the day. How he’s taking care of his body, the sleep that he is getting, who he is outside of the building and when he’s here how intentional and focused he is on just becoming a master of his craft. He’s done a great job in the weight room. Nutrition has done a great job with him and that’s him taking the lead on those things. You look at his frame now compared to where he was a year ago, dramatically different. His confidence and understanding of what we’re doing, allowing his athletic traits to take over (and) continued fundamental development, really excited about the offseason that he’s had.”

On what he wants DL Jordan Ross to learn from the veterans in the defensive line room…
“Learn what it takes to be a high-level college athlete. How you take care of your body, how you do extra inside of our building. That can be in our meeting room, it can be fundamental development on your own during the summer months. It’s what it looks like to be the consummate pro. We’re fortunate that as we’ve built this thing, we have guys who have the right accountability to the daily task. Guys that understand what it takes to do your plus one, meaning everybody in the country is lifting a certain amount of hours, (has) a certain amount of practice hours during the week during the season. How do prepare yourself? What’s your plus one to gain an edge? That’s in your position room as we’re competing for playing time, but it’s also against your opponents that you’re playing.”

On WR Chas Nimrod going into his third year with the program…
“He’s done an unbelievable job. One of the guys that we recognized during the course of our meetings yesterday. The summer that he’s had, how he’s transformed his body. It’s his body composition, it’s his muscle mass, it’s what he did in the weight room hitting PRs. He is a guy going into year three, his understanding of what we’re doing offensively and his ability to play inside or outside, play with speed and be decisive, be on the same page with the quarterback and have coverage recognition. Really excited about his growth and development in our program. Excited about what he did here on day one.”

On Joey Halzle‘s biggest growth as an offensive coordinator from last year…
“We all learn things. As you go through every year, there are things that you’re going to learn. In a leadership role, it’s your communication with your staff, your players, your organizational side of it. For us offensively, as the evolution continues to change as far as what we see from defensive structures, it’s how we continue to put our players in the best position both by personnel placement and by scheme to go attack those things.”

On what they liked about OL Jeremias Heard in the recruiting process and his potential as an offensive lineman…
“Young as a football player. You look at where he played; he played tight end, he played d-line, but he played out in space a bunch. The opportunity to see him play basketball. His athletic traits: size, length, short area quickness, ability to bend. He’s a young football player that now being on the offensive line, there’s a lot of understanding and growth for him fundamentally that’s going to take place. Really rare and unique athletic traits.”

On seeing WR Bru McCoy out on the practice field today…
“For Bru, you could tell just walking out on the football field for him today at practice, it was a big day for him. Everything that’s gone into it from the injury to the rehab, mentally and physically getting back to the point where you’re getting ready to go compete. We’re going to control his volume but build as we go through training camp. Today was a big moment for him. Really proud of what he’s done and how he’s grown. He’s a tremendous leader inside of our locker room, and really excited that he’s back with us.”

On the in-helmet communication transition…
“Quarterbacks get tired of hearing us in the headsets. It’s unique. You have a plan for it, and you have to be ready if it goes out too. At times, there are issues that occur with headsets. You have to pre-plan that too. It’s an opportunity, it’s a tool to use. We’re trying to be intentional on how we do that on both sides of the ball. At the same time, you have to be ready to operate without it.”

On balancing growth and learning with players that arrived in the summer…
“You have to learn it, earn it and go take it. It’s a player’s responsibility to prove that he’s going to play at a championship level play in and play out and day in and day out. With young guys, they have to have an opportunity to grow, make mistakes. Don’t make the same mistake twice. It’s important that they learn from the guys that are in their room as well. You have to accelerate their curve. They’re going to have to handle the installs that we have to go through with our vets as well. Based on how they’re able to take in that information and be able to go execute it, it kind of tells you what their role will be in the early parts of the season. Every player inside our program, including our young guys, you have to give them an opportunity to continue to grow from day-to-day. That’s the journey that we’re all on together.”

On the leadership dynamic in the secondary…
“We have good leadership inside of that room. Andre Turrentine is a guy who does a dynamic job in a leadership role. Will Brooks has been around for a long time. He does a nice job. Jourdan Thomas, those are all guys who are on our leadership council as well. The young guys that are in that room, or the new guys, are really mature in who they are and how they compete every day. It’s a group that feeds off of each other.”

On his expectations for DB Christian Charles this season…
“He’s a guy who is extremely athletic. Really good length. He’s played corner, he’s played safety. He has an opportunity to be a utility knife a little bit. For him, he’s missed so much time. Not the same circumstances as (Bru McCoy), but for him to be back out on the field full go, it was big for him today, too. He’s really excited. I think Charles has grown so much off the field in who he is and how he takes care of his body. Really excited to see fall camp unfold for him and see him continue to grow as a player.”

On having a player like DL Omari Thomas on the team that has grown alongside the program…
“Omari, and a lot of our veteran guys, there’s a little over a handful of guys that are sixth-year guys. They’ve seen this program change a bunch. They’ve been a huge part of the change here inside of this building in who we are and how we operate. They’re a big part of the recruiting process. At the end of the day, when recruits come on campus, your players are the biggest touch point and sales point for what it’s like to be a Vol. They’ve been a huge part of that as well. That group – Omari is one of the guys that you named – the journey that this program has been on, how we’ve navigated the success that we’ve had, there’s more out there, we understand that (and) we’re working towards that every day, but those guys have been a huge part of changing the trajectory of Tennessee football.”

On whose voice players hear with the in-helmet communication…
“Offensively, (Joey Halzle) and myself. Defensively, it will be coach (Tim Banks). We hadn’t actually had the true gameday set, but we should have that fully operational as we go to the scrimmage.”

Freshman DL Carson Gentle

On his impressions of his first practice…
“It was very awesome. It was a long time coming. I have been committed for a long time. So excited to get up here this summer. I have definitely been prepared for it. You know the offense is really fast-paced. I realized that today, but it was a great time.”

On when he knew Tennessee was the right choice for him…
“I definitely always knew I would want to be here, but I didn’t always know if it was going to be my best option or the best place for me. But when this new coaching staff came in, I was pretty quick to learn that this would be home for me.”

On if Tennessee has lived up to his expectations…
“It has ever since I got here. There have been moments where I have missed my mom, I missed my dad, I missed my little brother, but it has felt like home, and there has not been a second where I have felt out of place.”

Freshman OL Jeremias Heard

On why he was open to switching positions from defensive line to offensive line…
“Because I was willing to help the team. Anything to help the team win, I am going to take that role.”

On how settling in as an offensive lineman has felt…
“I am feeling great, and the coaches have told me I have made progress. I know I have, but it’s good to hear from the coaches, especially switching over from defense to offense.”

On his recruitment to Tennessee and why he became a Vol…
“Coming in, I didn’t expect it to be like a big family, but I can see now that it’s really just one big family away from home … Since I started getting recruited, since I came in the building, they really showed me love. I was like, okay, this might be it.”

Freshman DL Jordan Ross

On what he has learned from James Pearce Jr….
“He teaches me. I sit right beside him every day. He teaches me plays, like how he cut it down, how he learned it at first and how he uses his technique to play fast.” 

On the coaches during practice…
“They treat everyone the same, even James (Pearce Jr.). They treat Joshua, they treat Omarr (Norman-Lott) the same way. They treat everyone with the same respect. They aren’t playing favorites with anybody.”

On his one takeaway from the first day…
“Getting all the plays down in time. It’s going so fast that you have to look at them and understand what you are doing in all the play calls and formations. It was pretty solid, though, and I liked it.”