Seniors Reflect On Careers Ahead Of Vanderbilt Matchup

Seniors Reflect On Careers Ahead Of Vanderbilt Matchup

November 21, 2023 | Football

Rodney Garner Press Conference Kelsey Pope Press Conference Omari Thomas Press Conference Jacob Warren Press Conference

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the 2023 regular season comes to a close this weekend, Tennessee football will honor more than 30 seniors before taking on in-state rival Vanderbilt inside Neyland Stadium (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network). The contest will represent one last opportunity for that group to take Shields-Watkins Field, run through the T formed by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band and represent the Big Orange inside their historic home venue.

After Tuesday's practice inside the Anderson Training Center, a pair of UT's leadership council members — redshirt-senior tight end Jacob Warren and senior defensive lineman Omari Thomas — met with the media to preview the SEC Eastern Division tilt and field questions about their careers on Rocky Top. While they remain focused on the task at hand against the Commodores, both players took time to reflect on their football journeys to this point.

Warren, a Knoxville native and product of Farragut High School, will exhaust his collegiate eligibility and round out his sixth year with the program at the end of the season. The two-time University of Tennessee graduate has played in more than 50 career games for multiple coaching staffs, and is proud to have left the program in better shape than he found it.

"It means the world just because as a leader and as a competitor too, we are trying to get better," Warren said. "That is the only thing that we are trying to do here, is get better. Whether it is to give ourselves a better life financially with a good career, just trying to become better men, or trying to be a better football player.

"We are trying to make this place as good as we can possibly make it before we leave. I think we have done a good job. I think we kind of changed the narrative about how you compete, how you finish games, how you stick together, how you love each other on a team, how you trust coaches and how you listen. There is a lot of things you can throw out there. I think this program is in a much better place than what I found it in."

Thomas is set to wrap up his fourth year with the program and has the opportunity to return next season, using his COVID-exempt fifth season of eligibility. While that decision is still pending, the Memphis native spoke to the impact he hopes to have left on the program while representing his home state.

"When you look at this program, I hope I'm just a person that they can look at and say that he always gave his best, always wanted what's best for Tennessee and not necessarily myself, and always was willing to put the team before me," Thomas said. "I'm a big person on building friendships and building relationships, and I've been able to do that here. Hopefully that is something that continues whether I'm here or not."

Thomas' position coach, defensive line guru Rodney Garner, also met with media on Tuesday and discussed the team's mission to play with a competitive edge and to finish the season the right way. The Senior Day theme continued as he shared his message to the defensive line group going into this week's in-state matchup.

"Like I told them, it's bigger than any one individual," Garner said. "It's about sending these seniors out the right way and finishing this thing off. These guys have bought into it and worked hard in the three years that we've been here, and those guys that have been here in that tenure deserve to go out the right way. I think with some of them, it really hasn't hit them. Until they get old like me, they'll look back and they don't really know the significance of that being their last time playing in Neyland Stadium and running through the T."

Full comments and video from Garner and wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope can be viewed below, along with select quotes and video from Thomas and Warren.

Tennessee Football Press Conference | Nov. 21, 2023

Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner

On where his group is at going into the last game of the regular season…
"Hopefully we'll be mentally prepared to go out there and compete our butts off. We have a lot to play for. Like I told them, it's bigger than any one individual. It's about sending these seniors out the right way and finishing this thing off. These guys have bought into it and worked hard in the three years that we've been here, and those guys that have been here in that tenure deserve to go out the right way. I think with some of them it really hasn't hit them. Until they get old like me, they'll look back and they don't really know the significance of that being their last time playing in Neyland Stadium and running through the T. Life changes, so you really want them to be able to finish this thing the right way. Hopefully, everybody is going to show up and strain their butts off. We're going to play better, we're going to coach better and we're going to try and finish better."

On how he navigates with seniors who might choose to come back for another year…
"COVID has changed the landscape of college athletics. NIL has changed the landscape of college athletics. The transfer portal has also changed the landscape. We're dealing with a lot of variables. Unfortunately, with this society, we live in a day where nobody wants to deal with any reality. Everybody wants it to be fluff, fluff, fluff. I just think that it's all fluff and we're not being honest and truthful. We set them up for future failure. I try to be honest and transparent. At times, the group has played good and at times we haven't played so good. Like I told them, there's just so much unfinished business. I'm not an advocate of that the grass is always greener. I just feel like what we've done here in the three years fertilizing and watering our grass, it has gotten greener. I feel like there are greener days ahead. Guys want to be a part of that. It has to be something bigger than them. I want them to have pride and an opportunity to play in a place like the University of Tennessee. I mean that. We're blessed with the opportunity to be here. We need to know that and cherish that. It has to mean something. I'm sitting there looking at them and with certain guys, this is their third school. Personally, I just couldn't imagine doing that. Where are you going to call home? What is going to be your school? It's difficult, but I know it's different and we all have to adapt. We just have to try to hold on to the guys that we have and pour into them, love them and show them that this is the right place. Hopefully we'll keep most of them. I'd love to keep all of them, but you have to be realistic."

On what he is grateful for this year…
"I'm grateful for my family, grateful for my faith, grateful for the opportunity to be here at the University of Tennessee, grateful to be the d-line coach, grateful for health. There's just so many things to be grateful for. There's so many people out here that are struggling, going through a lot of things that we just take it for granted how good we have things."

On how Tyler Baron has played this season…
"I think Tyler has upped his game. I think he's been more productive. I think he would tell you it it's because I think he's invested more into it, so he's getting more of a return out of it. It's been good to watch the maturity and the growth, and I hope that he thinks that we've helped him somewhat along that path. That's what you really want to do as a college coach, you want to help these young men grow in all areas. On the field, off the field, classroom, academics, social and spiritually, everything. So, hopefully he feels like we've helped him to grow in all those areas."

On what he's seen teams to do to slow down the pass rush…
"Obviously, that's part of it. We have to strain harder. Quick game, we have to do a better job of getting our hands up, we have to get push. You're going to get chipped, pre-snap you have to see things. We just have to strain better, we just have to finish and we have to be technical and fundamentally sound. We just can't go out there and start to freelance, start to stress. Some things are not going right, now you feel like, 'hey, I can abort everything that I've been taught, everything I'm teaching to try to go make a play and not do it inside the scheme.' Now, you end up giving up a big play. We just have to be more attention to detail, stress and strain. I have to coach them better, teach them better and we all have to do better."

On the balance between making sure banged up players are ready to go for the game while still practicing with the physicality expected for Saturday…
"I think everybody is banged up. It's a collision sport, so that comes with it. I do think there is a balance that you have to be able to have some gas in your tank and you have to be motivated. My thing this week, it's so much bigger than us as individuals. It's about these guys that will never have the opportunity again to run through that T and to play in Neyland Stadium. It's about playing for your brothers, it's about laying it on the line for your brothers. That's one of the things that I have tried to stress in my room is trying to be more selfless. That winning is not about us. Let's make it so much bigger than us. Hopefully, I'm hoping and praying that that's going to carry over, because we have some really good young men that deserve to go out the right way."

Wide Receivers Coach Kelsey Pope

On how he would evaluate the receivers' ability to win one-on-one matchups…
"I think it's been up and down. We've won some really good one-on-one battles, and there have been other times where it's been critical, and we haven't. I think that's continuously a part of this process. We have to stay consistent as a unit, an offense and as a team. That's the name of what we are: consistency. The more often we can win those and the more consistently, at any level, I think the better off we'll be."

On how injuries have impacted depth…
"It's tough, it is, but that's the name of the game. Coach Heupel didn't bring me in here to coach a group that's always healthy or to coach a group that's always got senior All-Americans. I think that the cool part about this challenge is each year presents challenges within itself. You have to do a really good job of finding ways to answer whatever conflict you have in the room and your unit. When it's going good, it's easy to celebrate. When it's not so good and you have conflict and adversity, it's important that those guys see us as coaches face adversity the right way and handle it the right way so they can follow suit. It's a challenge, but it's been one of those things where the guys see me answer that. They see me adjust to that and I think they're able to feed off of that. We're going to always accept challenges while I'm here. We plan on continuing to do that."

On what he has seen out of Chas Nimrod the past few weeks…
"He probably had his best practice today. He's doing a really good job of finding ways to continue to get better each week. It's not just him, Kaleb Webb in that same breath. Those guys had a really good practice today. I think that speaks volumes to this culture. We've talked about the inconsistencies and things not going our way. Those guys continue to rise to the occasion and prepare as if we're playing for the Super Bowl. That lets you know what type of culture is in this building and what type of kids we're dealing with. They're resilient, they're competitive and that's what we want to deal with."

On if he emphasizes contested catches like Chas Nimrod's at the end of the first half last Saturday…
"You emphasize it everywhere. You emphasize it in practice and film. When you have young guys like that playing, you have to do a good job of challenging them daily. When they meet those challenges, you celebrate like crazy and you create new challenges. That's how you create confidence in this game. We've had some really successful guys here that ultimately got to where they ended up at because they were challenged, that built confidence and then they were able to go make plays like that on the field. I think Chas (Nimrod) making that play was a direct result of what we're doing every week and every day in practice. We celebrate those types of plays like crazy because that's an SEC play. That's a routine catch in the SEC, and when guys are able to lift their level of play and reset the standard, it's exciting to see. The most exciting part is the growth that comes after that. He's in a really good spot. Those other young guys are in a really good spot. We have to use that momentum to stay consistent and win these matchups on the outside."

On how moving from the slot to the outside will help Dont'e Thornton Jr. build on his game this offseason…
"Sometimes, even I look for really complex answers. I think the answer for him was he got comfortable, and that came with reps. He was halted in the spring, he had a hamstring injury. He didn't really get a bunch of reps. Through camp and the season, he was actually getting those reps and supplementing those reps from the spring in real time. I think the more he was able to play, the more comfortable he got. We plan on this offseason being able to use that and help him going forward. He just needed the reps."

On what he is thankful for…
"I'm thankful for you guys. You guys come in in the rain jackets and I forgot it was raining outside. Just being able to be here in this position. I'm not sure if a bunch of you guys know, but a couple of years ago I was a D-III coach and I'm watching interviews like this of guys I look up to. Similar to what I'm talking to you guys about with our players and the battles that they're facing, you faced them in your personal life and those lessons you want to use when you're a coach. You use those lessons to help your guys get through those same type of difficulties and tough times. Being able to remember my lessons and the things that I've been through, and now able to give them to our guys is the biggest blessing in the world. Just being up here at this podium, it's kind of surreal. I'm always thankful to have this opportunity and I think that's why I put so much effort and I'm so intentional with this platform that I'm in because I know it's a bunch of people that love to be here. I want to make sure I'm pouring into these guys every second that I can, so super thankful."

On if there's a specific change for Dont'e Thornton Jr. moving from the slot to the outside or if it was just more reps in practice…
"I think with that kid, you just have to find ways to get him comfortable. Sometimes, with new guys that move in you have to try to push different buttons to see what works. He's a transfer, we were still trying to figure out how he got comfortable in certain spots. Once we got him outside, I think he was able to kind of find a fit there and it just kind of worked. I think that's the things that you always have to assess, where guys are comfortable in certain spots. It's no different than, it's a basketball analogy, guys have their spot on the floor that they get to, and they can knock those down. I think football players, you have the same thing, you just have to find where their rhythm spots are and outside just so happened to be his."

On how he manages Nathan Leacock in terms of a lack of playing time during his freshman season…
"You coach him just as hard as you coach the best guy in the room. Those guys know when they come in, nobody is different from the other. You have different temperaments, you have different ways in getting through two guys, but honestly, I'm going to coach Nathan just as hard as I'm going to coach Bru, or Jalin Hyatt, or Cedric Tillman. Everybody is going to get coached hard. I think that creates a respect in the room that once guys are playing, it's earned. It's not something that coach gave him, it's not something where this guy started on second base and we have it different. Everybody is going to go the same route and kind of create the same type of work ethic, that way when you're playing everybody in the room knows that he earned that. Nathan is doing a good job of that, he's another one. Today, he had a really good practice. Really, the last two to three weeks he's been practicing really well as he continues to get reps in practice you'll continue to see growth in him."

On what is key in the offseason for Chas Nimrod and Kaleb Webb to build off their success at the end of this season…
"I think going into the offseason with an open mind. I say that like going to the offseason with a clean slate. They have to go to the offseason feeling like they're starting from square one. I'm talking about being gritty, being competitive and fiery in their preparation. Every rep has to be like a game rep. You have to treat every rep with the mentality and the urgency like the game is on the line in the fourth quarter. When you do that, the game slows down, it slows down for you. My training, my mind's sped up, my sense of awareness is heightened, that way when I'm in the game those things slow down because I put myself in that place mentally so many times that I can't get off task or off kilter. I think that mentality for those guys will help them tremendously this offseason. They've already started to do that and it's showing up in one-on-one reps and team reps in practice. Outside of the offseason, I'm looking forward to playing this game this weekend. We know what this game means to our fan base. It means a lot to our players and we're going to come out, we're going to need all our fans. We're going to come out the right way. We plan on it being a good one this weekend."

Senior DL Omari Thomas

On what impact he hopes he has left on the program…
"When you look at this program, I hope I'm just a person that they can look at and say that he always gave his best, always wanted what's best for Tennessee and not necessarily myself, and always was willing to put the team before me. I'm a big person on building friendships and building relationships, and I've been able to do that here. Hopefully that is something that continues whether I'm here or not."

On what practice has been like this week…
"I feel like everyone is going to be ready for the opportunity on Saturday as we know that it's a big game for us. That's how we look at it. We can't do anything about the past, but we can't let the team who beat us before beat us twice. We can't think about it anymore. Let it be but learn from it. We've got to get better, now we've just got to play better."

On what challenges Vanderbilt presents for them…
"They're a team that plays hard. The majority of games they've been in, their losses, they've been in games. They're a good football team. They're going to come ready to play. In-state rivalry, so the hype around the game is going to be there, so we just have to be able to approach (things the right way), because we're going to get their best shot."

RS-Senior TE Jacob Warren

On how it feels to be a part of this program now compared to a few years ago…
"It means the world just because as a leader and as a competitor too, we are trying to get better. That is the only thing that we are trying to do here is get better. Whether it is to give ourselves a better life financially, with a good career, just trying to become better men, or trying to be a better football player. That kind of falls in the same category, right? We are trying to make this place as good as we can possibly make it before we leave. I think we have done a good job. I think we kind of changed the narrative about how you compete, how you finish games, how you stick together, how you love each other on a team, how you trust coaches and how you listen. There is a lot of things you can throw out there. I think this program is in a much better place than kind of what I found it in."

On what advice he can give to teammates who are deciding whether to stay an extra year or not…
"Something that Hendon Hooker, I had this conversation with him when I was going through it, when I was trying to make the decision. He kind of referenced his decision to stay and about how it is obviously a decision that is not easy. At the end of the day, it is not going to be the end of the world whether you make the wrong decision. There is no wrong decision for anybody. I think it is just a matter of being able to stick with one and put your head down and go grind and go figure it out. I made that decision to stay back in early January. One of my mentors just said, 'look man, you have to take this and run with it. Regardless of whether it was the right decision for you. Just make it the right decision.' Go out there and do everything you can to make it the best. I am truly happy, in my case, that I stayed. Everybody has their own journey so there are going to be guys that feel like they are done here and that's awesome. There are going to be guys that feel like they want a little bit more and that's perfect, too."

On what memory as a Tennessee Vol really resonates with him…
"I think one that really changed the way that I play the game and just on my perspective on the game in general. We were in Jacksonville at the Gator Bowl. The offensive coordinator at the time, Jim Chaney, who I actually saw this season because he works for one of the other teams in the SEC. My game has changed a lot. I have gotten a lot bigger and a lot stronger. He said, 'don't let anybody tell you that you are soft ever again.' Because he would be like, yeah you are soft. You can't hold the point. You can't do this. You can't do that. He said, 'don't let anybody tell you that you are soft ever again.' If you really truly believe that, you will take that as love. You will take that as trying to be coached. There have been soft moments for sure. I think that there have been times where you get beat off the edge or whatever. It looks bad, but I truly remember that. I see that as kind of the change, the turning point in my career and when I really started to change my mentality on the way that I play the game."