Postgame Quotes: Orange 54, White 44

April 25, 2015

(Opening Statement)
"Great to see everyone. How about the weather? Hats off to Mother Nature and being able to get a great day in. It was really a great weekend. It started with our first annual Big Orange Golf Classic for our former players. We actually had a hole in one. We got an opportunity to give a Mercedes Benz away. That was great. All of our former players being in town was outstanding. It makes for a great environment. Today, our fan base continues to prove why they're the best fan base in the country, a little over 63,000. With the threat of severe weather they still come out. The autograph session prior, again, thank you Vol Nation because you continue to show the entire country the power of Tennessee. I also thank Rick Barnes and Beth Sullivan, our honorary coaches, and being around our football team this week. That was great to be able to involve them into our football family and our football program. As a coach you go into a spring game and a thing you want to see is you want to see a clean game. You want to see a clean scrimmage, not a lot of penalties. I thought from the discipline standpoint that was great to see. We didn't really turn the football over on offense, which is great to see. On the flip side again, it's been a point of contention all spring. We need to force ball disruptions. I thought our defensive backs did a great job in knocking the ball out. We've got to find some receivers that can catch the football and advance the football. I was not particularly pleased with that area but they'll get it right. A lot of things to teach on and a lot of things to move forward into spring football. Again, for the most part I thought a very, very productive spring, especially when you add the 13 individuals that had to sit out spring. But as I've said and I'll continuously say, this summer is absolutely critical for the development of this football team."

(On naming Joshua Dobbs and Cameron Sutton the Peyton Manning and Al Wilson award winners)
"First of all, Peyton Manning and Al Wilson, they're Tennessee football. It's very fitting that Josh Dobbs would win it on offense and Cam Sutton on defense. Those two individuals have a consistency in their play each and every day. They're great, great competitors. I think you witnessed that in the quarterback challenge. I think very worthy of winning those awards."

(On Von Pearson)
"I don't want that to take away from all the great things that are going on in this football program. It is an ongoing situation. He's suspended indefinitely. There are consequences for your choices and actions and we constantly educate our players. It's not an illustration of our football program. We have tremendous, tremendous kids in our football program. I'm disappointed, but we have to move forward. We have a lot of great kids and a lot of things going on here. I know people try to use that against us, but we have great kids. I think that's been proven with our community service, our academic excellence, and we'll continue to move forward. There are consequences for actions."

(On Jalen Reeves-Maybin)
"He's invaluable. He knows all the linebackers spots. He brings an energy about himself. He has great instincts. That was evidenced by his play on special teams his freshman year. He's becoming one of our leaders on defense and one of our leaders on this football team."

(On players standing out)
"You try to have a great grasp of where your football team is after 15 practices but it's really hard because you take those 13 individuals off the field and we're a different football team. What we really had to concentrate on is really the individual improvement with everyone in our football program. It was a great illustration and a great opportunity for players to put their identity on video and to prove why they should be playing. We'll go back, we'll evaluate all that. I'll meet with every player in our program. They'll know exactly where they're at. But I thought we had some individuals really step up because of those opportunities this spring, particularly Kendal Vickers on defense. I thought he had a very, very good spring. I thought Dillon Bates did some good things today in the scrimmage. It was good to see him do some things. Jashon Robertson continues to do a great job in the offensive front. Brett Kendrick did some good things. You still don't know where you're at as a football team because of it. That's why this offseason the strength and conditioning, the sessions that we get with them from a meeting stand point. Every meeting, every workout session is very, very important for this football team."

(On his expectations for the summer)
"Right now we'll have a team meeting at 4:30. We'll lay out the plans for the summer. We'll talk about where we need to go as a football team, especially in the leadership. Being a great leader is hard. You make everyone around you accountable. First of all, you're accountable to yourself but when you spoke about the leadership awards. We need an Al Wilson. We need a Peyton Manning. We need an individual who is going to hold everyone accountable. That's what the summer is for. That's really where your team is born from a leadership standpoint. It really becomes a player driven football team. Then you welcome 20 new individuals come June. We'll lay out the foundation for summer. The first goal is we need to finish strong academically with exams coming up. Then the players will have a few weeks off. They'll be able to rest their bodies, rejuvenate themselves, so to speak. Some will stay up here for mini-term. Then when we come back it's full go. They'll have a week off throughout the course of the summer but it's very structured in terms of weight lifting, skill development, and video studies as well."

(On the Josh Dobbs' ownership and leadership of the offense)
"Confidence, that was evidenced in the quarterback challenge. You know, those are things it's not just for entertainment, those are evaluation tools. To do a quarterback challenge in front of 63,000 people, and it being noisy, and the calm and collectiveness, and I'm saying "Are you gonna introduce me?". That would have never happened before. That's just the confidence that he has, and the confidence in the players around him. They have great confidence in him. You know, the mark of great players is that they elevate other players around him, and they bring them along, and Josh is staring to do that. Is he a finished product? Absolutely not. Does he still need consistency? Yes. But I like where he's going."

(On the comfort of having a clear-cut starting quarterback in a division with a lot of uncertainty on other teams)
"You can't put a price tag on experience. Experience is everything, especially in this conference. Understanding the day-to-day, week-to-week riggers of playing in the SEC. Where my sleepless nights are is, 'Who's gonna be number 2, and who's gonna be number 3?' In the world of college football you need more than one quarterback on your roster. You need a number of them, because you're one play away. And that's kinda where one of my thought processes is as we move forward. Who's gonna develop into those positions. Having Josh, I think it's heathy for our football team too. They view him as their leader. He'll be in charge of throwing this summer and doing some things. Like you asked about the summer, that's where even his growth and maturation continue to grow over the summer months."

(On the growth of the offensive line last year to this year)
"Night and day. Again experience. They worked really hard in the weight room, but again we have a long ways to go. It's all about embracing the process. Like we talk about, `Everyone wants the prize but nobody wants the process.' This football team, particularly on the lines of scrimmage, is still going through a process. But I see those individuals continue to develop. We talk about power of the position in everything that we do. Taking ownership in your position group. Leading your position group. Being the best position group academically, on the, in the community. And those individuals continue to work exceptionally hard."

(On Quinten Dormady's improvement)
"Marked improvement. I thought for Quentin, from practice one to practice fifteen, continued to develop. Somedays larger steps than others, but there was still an incline of moving up. I thought he did a very good job today of managing the offense, showing some collective calmness about himself, some poise playing in that type of situation, with 63,000, I thought he handled himself well."

(On difference in spring game now from two years ago)
 "It's like night and day. It's completely different. Again, the more you win, the more that's at stake. We have a very high standard and expectation here. We are still nowhere close to where we need to be. I am going to challenge our second and third string individuals. They need to step up. We have to have depth. We had individuals that didn't have the spring that we had anticipated. We have to figure out why that happened. They have to become motivated, and it starts with yourself. There are other individuals that exceeded our expectations. We have to continue to have everyone accountable for their own self-determination. It's like I told our football team, everyone uses the term chasing greatness. What really is chasing greatness? You talk about great is always faster than you. You have to get up and chase greatness everyday. The day you take a day off, and you don't chase it, it becomes further and further from you. That is the mindset and mentality that we have to have with this football team. We still have a long ways to go. It's a long season, and we don't have the competitive depth that the premier teams have. Are we getting there? Yes, but we still have a long ways to go, and that is why a lot of our individuals have to have a great summer to move forward."

(On Ethan Wolf's spring performances)
"I thought Ethan made strides in blocking game, his body position. Again, what Ethan has to concentrate on is his overall high level of consistency. All-conference players perform at very high levels in terms of catching the football, finishing the blocks. The want to is there, the competitive character is there, the character is there and he is as big of a student of the game as we have. Ethan will be fine. He is a great kid, and he is one of those individuals that this summer--from the weight room to conditioning levels--he will take the next step."

(On mentioning the raised expectations)
"We have, but that is what you want. You want to be a part of a football program, now, that everyone respects. Like I told them, there are no off days. It's a complete different change, a role reversal for them. That is what you want. That is why you work hard to put yourself in those situations. That is part of the excitement. That is why you come to the University of Tennessee. You get the opportunity to bring the Tennessee football back to its rightful place. That's what we talk about in recruiting, and it's real. You don't have to sell it. It's real. The competitive individuals want that. They want it. They want to be a part of a program that has high standards, high expectations. This is the best place in college football. Yeah, we have ben down a little bit, but every program goes through that. We have to be patient. It's part of the process. You look at our fan turnout with severe weather conditions. I think it speaks volumes."

(On Von Pearson suspension)
"[Suspension] is indefinitely. We're not going to tolerate it. It's inexcusable. I think you guys know how we run our football program. We have tremendous kids in this football program, and it's not an indication of what we have. It's unfortunate, and that's all I'm saying."

(On surprise of WR's performances today)
"They have had some good days, and we've asked a lot of them because of we are limited at the receiver position. For instance, Josh Smith. Josh Smith will be fine. He is competitive young man. He shouldn't really even be out there with the inordinate amount of reps he had to take. He had no real winter conditioning. So many of the wins come from being in great physical condition. Coach Azzanni does a great job. We have great kids out on the perimeter, so I know they'll come back exceptionally well. But, it's my job as the caretaker of Tennessee football to challenge everyone in our football program. It starts with myself, starts with our coaching staff and it works down to our players as well."

(On Cameron Sutton's ability to disrupt)
"Great players find a way to make plays. Great players are always around the football. We always talk to our players, `When you play with great effort, you get the bounces.' For some reason, the ball bounces your way. The ball finds you when you play with great effort. Cam has great instincts, he anticipates very well and he is a student of the game. We have not run that play in practice, either. To me, he read it, and it was great to see."

(On the evolution of Jones and staff at Tennessee)
"I think you always continue to evolve. If life, you're always evolving. You're always getting better each and every day. I think change is good. I think Coach DeBord coming in has added some energy to our football program, not just from our players but from our coaching staff. He brings a level of expertise. He brings a level of experience going out and visiting places. You look at the individuals we now have involved in our football organization from recruiting to sport science to nutrition--it's the whole gamut from A to Z. It's a large, daunting task when you run an organization like this, but I'm very proud of the people we have in place. We have tremendous people, but we continue to evolve. You are searching for great things. We want to lead the country in innovation, and everything we do from spring games to gameday environment. One of the things we have to do an even better job of is selling Neyland Stadium. You're talking about the one of the greatest college football venues in the country--102,455--coupled with the greatest fanbase. You don't need to stay at home and watch on TV. You need to experience Tennessee football firsthand because it's obviously very, very special. To answer your question, we're constantly evolving. Tonight, I'll sit down and go back to work. I'll evaluate the spring game. I'll evaluate spring from a coaching standpoint, a player standpoint, from a support staff standpoint, everything that we did, and how can we better it come August camp."

(On the middle linebacker competition)
"It's wide open. I thought Elliott Berry really progressed throughout the spring. Cortez McDowell did some good things. I mentioned Dillion Bates. When we get Kirkland and Johnson back, that is really going to help us. That will add the competitive depth that we talk about. Then, we will add our signees here as well, but we needs individuals at that position to have good summers and step up for us in August camp to help Jalen Reeves-Maybin."

(On injuries)
"We had no injuries that I know of. That is always a positive, and that is really your worst fear as a football coach. In particularly in the ending spring game, you don't want to come out and have an injury or two that really sets back a young man's growth and development. We didn't have any injuries, which is great. With all of the individuals that are injured, they are all on or ahead of schedule. That has been great to see. When you talk about evolving, that is one of the evolutions of our football team. Our players are in the training room all the time. They understand the importance of taking care of their bodies and being in there. They do a great job."

(On LaDarrell McNeil's injury)
"He had a hamstring pull and some different things nagging him. We wanted to hold him. If it was a game, could he have gone out? Yeah, probably, but there was no reason to risk further damage for a spring game."

(On Jauan Jennings' performance)
"To his credit, he wants to be live. That is his skill set. We all saw that he is an explosive player, and he can make plays when the ball is in his hands. Obviously, we have to work on his throw game, which he knows that. He can make some plays with the ball in his hands."

(On not leading the team out of the tunnel)
"The reason why I didn't was because I had to do the SEC Network interview on the 10-yard line, and I was back talking with Peyton Manning. I wanted to see things from a different perspective. I am always up front. I wanted to watch our players at the end running out, but there was no significance there. It was a combination of interviews and being with Peyton."

(On spring game being a recruiting showcase)
"It is all about recruiting and putting your best foot forward each day. I think around the country spring games have been a platform for recruiting. That is part of the constant acceleration of recruiting. I thought our administration did a great job with the spring game. Any great environment is fan-activated, and we could't have a great environment without our fan base. They were outstanding. Sterl does a great job of getting everyone involved. I want to challenge Volnation. The one thing we are missing with our gameday environment is a quick first down chant when our offense gets a first down. It keeps our students and fans actively involved in the game."

Junior Quarterback Joshua Dobbs

(On quarterback challenge) "It was fun. We got the crowd into it, and that's always good. We had fun with it. The guys competed, and we had a good little finale to it. It was fun."

(On where team stands heading into the summer)
"I'm very excited moving forward, both on offense and defense. We took a lot of steps forward this spring. We installed a lot of good things and are playing with a lot more tempo and control of the offense and defense. You can just see it. Everyone's playing with a lot more confidence. The guys are definitely excited heading into the summer and heading into the season."

(On second spring game and offense moving forward)
"I had a good showing both years. Obviously, it feels good to be the starting quarterback moving forward. I'm more worried about how the offense feels. We feel we have a lot of confidence moving forward. We had a very productive spring, all 15 practices. There wasn't a day that anyone didn't show up to practice. It was great to see. Everyone cares. Everyone's excited moving forward. Everyone's fired up to get better this summer and get ready for fall camp."

Running Back Alvin Kamara

(On his improvements this spring)
"The smaller things, techniques, just footwork, ball security, my eyes as far as reading coverages and defenses. Just the small things. All the small things add up to the big things. I was really focusing on that this spring."

(On scoring his first touchdown)
"It was humbling, it felt good in front our of fans. Just to score that first touchdown and do it in front of Vol Nation and in front of my family, friends, teammates, it felt really good."

(On if he is satisfied after this spring)
"We are always trying to get better so I am not going to say I am satisfied. I am pleased with the results but never satisfied. We have to keep working."

(On who is a leader in this offense other than Joshua Dobbs)
"Mack Crowder, he has it. People respect when he says something, everyone kind of pins their ears back and says, `alright, we have to get right.' So Mack Crowder definitely."

(On goals for the spring)
"Getting more film, becoming a smarter player. Just looking at the smaller things and building on those to make the bigger things better."

(On the possibility of he and Jalen Hurd in the backfield together)
"I feel like we can be deadly. It was just a taste out there today of what we can do together. Jalen [Hurd] is not 100 percent yet but once he gets back to 100, we will give a show. We will go out there and hopefully put `CMG' on the map."

Junior Defensive Back Cameron Sutton

(On fumble recovery for touchdown) "For the most part, it was a good defensive call because the situation we were in, we happened to be in man on the coverage. I saw my guy going away and then just trying to get to the ball. When you're doing things right, things go your way often. I was able to make the play and start the defense."

(On defense's performance, despite injuries this spring)
"With guys who are a big part of our defense out, it was an opportunity for guys to step in, even younger guys stepping in and making plays. We had guys all over the field -- Stephen Griffon, Evan Berry, TK's being consistent. That's our big thing, being consistent in the secondary. And as the defense overall, knowing what you're going to do on each and every snap and going out there and making plays."

(On defensive improvement as a team)
"For the most part, there's a care factor. Guys want to be out there. Guys love this game. They don't take it for granted. You see it out on the field. They're energized. They're passionate. They're jumping around. A lot of guys are eager off the field in the weight room and even in the film room, constantly watching film late nights and early mornings, just trying to progress and get better overall.

Sophomore Defensive Back Todd Kelly Jr.

(On progress he has made this spring)
"I'm still learning. I try to learn from the older guys like Cam Sutton and LaDarrell (McNeil) and Brian Randolph. I look up to them. In these 15 practices, I'm trying to put in all the effort in and strain that I can. I'm learning every day, trying to watch film with those guys and watching them as they go ahead of me, so that when they're gone, I'll know what to do. I'm trying to get better every day."

(On learning schemes this spring)
"I've learned a lot more. This was my first spring, so during the summer, I was trying to lift and go to summer school, things of that nature. Just running around. This spring, they really sat me down. In high school, you don't really have to know certain formations or motions or things of that nature, but on the college level, it's SEC football. You have to have things clicking off and on. Coach (Martinez) did a great job of sitting all the defensive backs down and just focusing on the the beaters and the coverages. I think I learned a lot this spring."

Freshman Quarterback Quinten Dormady

(On feelings about the day)
"It was a great feeling of being in the stadium in front of all those people. It was like everything I had heard and more. It was a good feeling, and overall, I think I performed pretty well."

(On biggest progression this spring)
"Overall, just getting in the playbook and knowing it is the biggest thing. I have taken strides in my footwork and throwing on the run. I am happy with where I am at right now."

(On the quarterbacks challenge)
"It was fun to get to compete with the guys. We got to kind of go at it with each other, which was fun. I am happy with how I did."

(On working with the quarterbacks this spring)
"I think we worked well together. Obviously, Josh helps us a lot with his experience and that kind of thing. It has been a lot of fun getting to work them and helping each other throughout the spring."

Freshman Quarterback Jauan Jennings

(On live game action)
"It is a better setting. Especially right now, me being a young quarterback. When I'm live it makes me go at a faster place than usual. Just being live helps me at my game."

(On the progress from the beginning of spring to now)
"(I see a) Big difference. Just one thing I have to work, the main subject is that I have to be able to throw the ball better. The competitiveness is still there. The driving edge is still. And just the want to win is still there. Just having those key intangibles, you can have a winning quarterback."

(On the touchdown today)
"I just saw a little opening. I took it, and once I saw the end zone I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop."

(On chemistry with wide receivers)
"Really our coaches do a great job in moving our receivers in and out. All of them I feel like I'm good with. I just have to work with them individually on getting the throws better."

Sophomore Offensive Lineman Jashon Robertson

(On progression of offensive line)
"We made a lot of strides in different areas but we can always continue to get better and progress and grow. I just can't wait to see the finish product."

(On if he was excited to hear his name)
"I was surprised. There's a lot of guys that made a lot of strides and improved in a bunch of different areas in the weight room and on the field so of course I'm honored to receive those awards. I'm thankful for them."

(On improvement)
"I felt the biggest improvement for me was in my technique: hand placement, foot work and all those type of things. I really felt like what I did in the winter to try to prepare for the spring really transferred over to the field."

(On how offensive linemen get better in the summer)
"One thing we do, of course, is the weight room. That's always going to help--getting a little stronger. We do things to simulate the type of things that we do whether its driving the slip, punching the bag, the speed of your hands, getting on the ladders, just doing different things and taking sets, just relevant things that are going to help out come the season."

(On Kyler Kerbyson as a leader)
"I think Kyler [Kerbyson] is a big part of the leadership in our group. He does a tremendous job of leading us. Fifth year senior, great technique, he didn't miss any reps at all, any game reps or anything last season. He's durable and I feel like Kyler's done a good job helping set the tone for the spring and the season to come."

(On work at center and view of game)
"First of all, literally you're seeing it differently and second of all, from center everything starts from you a lot so you do kind of have to see the whole picture at times and make calls and everything. It definitely helped my knowledge to understand the game and the offense so those reps were very valuable to me this spring."

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