Tennessee’s defensive line is rebuilding fast, and Rodney Garner isn’t interested in hearing about excuses.
With all four starters from last season gone to professional football, plus key depth pieces Jordan Ross and Caleb Herring, the Vols are staring at a major turnover up front. But Garner made it clear Wednesday that youth and inexperience won’t buy anyone a pass.
“I told them this morning in the meeting, we got to be climbing that mountain every day,” Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner said Wednesday. “We can’t take steps backwards.
Nobody’s got time to hear, nobody wants to hear it- about being young, who all we lost. All that, that’s irrelevant.
We got to be moving that needle every single day that we go out there on that field.”
That message came with a dose of criticism, too. Garner said he wants more consistency from the group in preseason practice, and while he wasn’t shocked by the uneven stretches, he still made it clear the standard has to be higher.
The bright spot so far has been a pair of transfers: Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and Tulane edge rusher Jordan Norman. Garner singled them out as Tennessee’s most productive players in camp to this point.
“If we had to assess us at this point in fall camp, they have probably been our most- two most productive guys out there consistently,” Garner said. “Those two young men have got to be able to help us.
They’ve shown flashes where they can help, and they can be very effective in this league, and we’ve got to continue working on the little things. Just to take our games to the next level because we need for those guys to be highly productive.
And they’ve shown that they’ve got a skill set. Now we’ve got to refine all the little things to go chase greatness.”
That kind of production matters even more now. Tennessee lost its top three LEOs from last season, and the original plan to help fill that hole centered on Penn State transfer Chaz Coleman. With Coleman no longer on the roster, Norman’s role becomes even more important.
Norman brought real numbers from Tulane, finishing last season with six sacks, 15 quarterback hurries and 17 tackles on a team that reached the College Football Playoffs. The Hoover, Alabama native has drawn steady praise since arriving, and that momentum has carried into fall camp.
Gilliam, meanwhile, looks positioned to start at defensive tackle next to Daevin Hobbs. The junior had 12 tackles, 10 quarterback hurries and one sack last season at Penn State, and Tennessee is counting on him to take another step forward.
Garner also pointed to leadership as a work in progress, especially with both players still new to the program.
“Both of those young men being a transfer anyway,” Garner said. “They’re just getting here.
They’ve got to become vocal and become more leaders. That’s the one thing that you know I would say, the room right now, just developing consistent leaders.
Guys that are willing to call each other out. Guys that are willing to hold each other accountable.”
In Other News...
Tennessee Already Has A Tight End Concern In Fall Camp
Tennessees tight end room is already getting a closer look in fall camp after Ethan Davis was slowed by an injury on the first day of practice. The sophomore has been out of action since then, and with the unit still sorting through recent transfers and new arrivals, the Volunteers have been forced to spread the work around while Davis watches from the sideline.
In the meantime, DaSaahn Brame, Cole Harrison and Luca Wolf have taken reps and gotten more chances to show where they fit. Tight ends coach Alec Abeln has indicated the injury is not considered serious, and Tennessee is treating Davis carefully rather than rushing him back, but the opening stretch of camp has already put some early pressure on a position group that needed clean reps. [Read more 🡒]
Rodney Garner Sent Tennessees Defensive Line A Message They Needed
As Tennessee closes in on the 2024 season, Rodney Garner has made it clear the defensive line still has work to do before it looks like a finished group. The veteran coach has seen enough in practice to know the position room cannot afford to drift through August, especially with departures already thinning out the depth chart and new faces trying to carve out roles.
The bigger challenge now is finding someone who can steady the unit and become a reliable presence up front. Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam and Tulane edge Jordan Norman are among the additions expected to help, but Garners message was broader than any one player: the line needs consistency, leadership and a clear voice before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]