When Tennessee brought in Anthony Poindexter as safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator, they weren’t just adding a name-they were bringing in a tone-setter. A former three-time First Team All-ACC safety and ACC Defensive Player of the Year at Virginia, Poindexter knows what elite play at the position looks like. And he’s made it clear: toughness isn’t optional in his room.
Speaking with Voice of the Vols Mike Keith, Poindexter laid out his blueprint for what he wants in a safety. It starts with instincts-the kind you can’t teach, the kind that separates the good from the great.
“You’re looking for a guy with instincts and a guy that kind of got a natural feel for playing this position,” Poindexter said. “He’s gotta be able to see things that a lot of times you really can’t coach.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by coaches across the country, but coming from Poindexter, it carries weight. He’s not just talking about film study or scheme recognition-he’s talking about an innate football sense, the ability to diagnose plays before they unfold. It’s the difference between reacting and anticipating, and in today’s game, that margin is razor-thin.
But instincts alone won’t cut it in Knoxville. Poindexter’s demanding a certain mentality from his group-one built in the grind of practice, not just the lights of Saturday.
“Everybody want to play in the game, but everybody don’t want to practice and practice the right way,” he said. “You just gotta have guys that got that innate drive and energy to play football.”
And then he dropped the line that’s quickly becoming his calling card: “I can’t deal with softness.”
That mindset is being echoed across Tennessee’s revamped defensive staff. New head strength coach Derek Owings, fresh off a national title run with Indiana, delivered a similarly blunt message to the team in a behind-the-scenes video: “You cannot be soft when you’re going to war.”
For Owings, it’s about building a foundation, one rep at a time. “This is day one.
We’ll get there. We’ve got to stack ’em up… and attack this lift.”
The Vols are clearly leaning into a new identity this offseason-one rooted in physicality, competition, and accountability. And nowhere is that more evident than in the secondary.
Tennessee made major moves in the transfer portal to overhaul its safety group. While returning starter Edrees Farooq is back after grading out as the Vols’ top safety on PFF last season, he won’t be handed anything. The competition will be fierce, with former Michigan safety TJ Metcalf, Kansas State’s Qua Moss, Penn State’s Dejuan Lane, and App State’s DJ Burks all joining the mix.
Each of those names brings experience, but under Poindexter and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, experience alone won’t secure a spot. This is a clean slate, and every player will have to prove they belong in the rotation-and that they can bring the kind of edge Poindexter demands.
Knowles, who was hired in December, brings championship pedigree with him, having coordinated Ohio State’s defense during their 2024 title run. His arrival in Knoxville was quickly followed by Poindexter, who served in the same defensive coordinator and secondary coach role under Knowles at Penn State. That continuity should help streamline the defensive transition, especially for a player like Dejuan Lane, who already knows the system and has a prior relationship with both coaches.
When asked if he had any hesitation about following Knowles to Tennessee, Poindexter didn’t flinch: “Nah, no hesitation at all.”
That kind of conviction is exactly what Tennessee’s defense is being built on this offseason. No hesitation.
No softness. Just toughness, competition, and a hunger to raise the standard in Knoxville.
With a new staff, a reloaded safety room, and a clear identity forming, the Vols' secondary is entering 2026 with something to prove-and the mindset to back it up.