New Faces, Transfers Bolstering Tennessee Secondary This Spring
April 01, 2024 | Football
Secondary coach Willie Martinez spoke to reporters following the Volunteers' seventh practice, a 24-period full-padded workout on Monday, to kick off the third week of the spring.
"We have an athletic group," Martinez said. "The team is really fast, they're young, they're inexperienced, but they have a great attitude of the effort part, the preparation. We just have to continue to grow and mature as an inexperienced group, mixed with a couple of veterans with a guy like (Andre) Turrentine and Jourdan Thomas, to mention a few. Obviously, we have Will Brooks and there are a couple of other guys."
Turrentine, an Ohio State transfer, returns at safety and stepped up big in the Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa. He thwarted a first-quarter Hawkeye drive with his first career interception, making a diving grab in the end zone.
Rickey Gibson III made his first career start in the Iowa contest as a true freshman and leads a talented cornerback group that must replace the departure of Kamal Hadden to the professional ranks.
Tennessee brought in three significant transfers, including Jermod McCoy (Oregon State) and Jalen McMurray (Temple) at cornerback and Jakobe Thomas (Middle Tennessee) at safety. Martinez said that college experience has been beneficial to them immediately learning the system and being thrust into action.
"You look at those three players, and it's across the board, across America," Martinez said. "Not only did they get developed, but they also were producing too on their team. They had great experience. Obviously, there are different conferences, and they're all coming from different ones. It's the development part, and it's no different than one of our guys who was a third-year player who has the talent and skillset and maybe did not have the right training in the beginning prior to coming here. But then, they bought in to the culture, and they're better players."
The Vols will practice in shoulder pads on Wednesday before going under the lights for a closed scrimmage in Neyland Stadium on Thursday night.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | April 1, 2024
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Secondary Coach Willie Martinez
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On what happens between high school and when players decide to transfer that makes them better players…
"Development. It's no different than the guys that we have on our team. Regardless of what position it is, the goal is to get developed. That's the only way. They don't come in already made. More guys are a little bit more mature, stronger and physical. Other guys are just developed at a different pace at a different school, whatever school they came from. You look at those three players (Jalen McMurray, Jermod McCoy and Jakobe Thomas) and it's across the board, across America. Not only did they get developed, but they also were producing too on their team. They had great experience. Obviously, there are different conferences, and they're all coming from different ones. It's the development part, and it's no different than one of our guys who was a third-year player who has the talent and skillset and maybe did not have the right training in the beginning prior to coming here. But then, they bought in to the culture, and they're better players."
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On Jermod McCoy…
"Jermod's different than the other two transfers or really anybody; he never played defense. He was an athletic kid in high school and was recruited to the school that he chose to be a wide receiver. They actually made the flip and asked him to go play defense, and he did a great job. That conference was loaded with great players, quarterbacks and receivers that he went up against. We saw the athleticism. That's the one thing that we saw, is that he can do a lot of things. To the point that was just said, is that he's not even close to being there development-wise. He's learning the game from a defensive standpoint, but he has confidence, ball skills and all types of athleticism. He understands leverage, and I think his training as an offensive player helps him understand defense too. He knows how he is going to be attacked. Those are really good qualities to have when you get moved over. He's going against a position that he lined up against, so it's a great combination. He is nowhere near. He played a lot of match and a lot of man where he came from. We are very multiple on defense. Getting to learn all of the different types of zone coverages is a challenge for him. He's doing a good job in the first seven practices. He had a really good scrimmage."
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On what he's seen out of Cristian Conyer this spring and how much more he can develop…
"He's ahead of what he was last year at this time, obviously. He's still developing. There are flashes of Cristian obviously making plays, and then there are mistakes that he needs to clean up. He's definitely further ahead than he was last year at this time. He continues still developing. We'd like for him to be a little bit more consistent, like a lot of the guys."
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On some of the biggest benefits to being able to design the secondary the way he wants…
"We have an athletic group. The team is really fast, they're young, they're inexperienced, but they have a great attitude of the effort part, the preparation. They've done a great job of preparing for spring ball. We've had obviously a majority of them since December. Obviously, Kaleb Beasley joined us just a couple of weeks ago. For the most part, we have everybody in. It's the athleticism, it's the speed. We just have to continue to grow and mature as an inexperienced group, mixed with a couple of veterans with a guy like (Andre) Turrentine and Jourdan Thomas, to mention a few. Obviously, we have Will Brooks and there are a couple of other guys. Hanging on them as far as helping them speed up the process."
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On the balance with not putting too much on players while also preparing them to be multiple…
"That's a great question. You want to let them play. We don't think we're complicated on defense, especially if you're on the edges with your corner. The safeties have a little bit more on their plate where they have to make all their checks. I guess I'm speaking about somebody like Jakobe (Thomas). He's going to learn the system, but he does have the experience. He's coming from somewhere where he was well coached, and a good program. You can see that now, practice seven now where he's catching on. The calls mean the same to him, he's just kind of transferring that over from the terminology. You want the talent level, you do want the athleticism, you want guys who are playmakers. You just have to make sure that you don't overload them, like you're saying. I think we're doing that for the most part. Again, it's still going to be about how fast you play. You want them to play fast. Obviously, you don't want them to sit there and be processing through the whole process. I think they've done a really good job. We have a lot of time with them, we've had it since December. Not with the guys you guys mentioned, but we did get them in January. For the most part, they've really handled the package pretty good. We actually threw some more at them today and there weren't that many busts at all. To come off the break that we had, I think that was pretty impressive."
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On the development of Rickey Gibson III…
"He's a lot more confident. He's smart, but he's more comfortable in the package itself. He knows what his strengths are; he knows the things he needs to work on, and if he can work on the things that are weak right now in his game. His attention to detail is there. He's still developing, but he's very confident. He sees those guys, whether it's Dont'e (Thornton Jr.) or Squirrel [White], he's excited to go line up against them and do what he does best, and that's play man coverage. He does a good job in the zone coverages, too, but knowing the package, feels more comfortable, understands what the expectations and standards are, and he's being a really good leader."
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On early impressions of Boo Carter...
"The challenge is to learn everything for Boo. Boo is explosive; you put him in any kind of drill, and he's going to show up. He is so athletic, he's quick, he's got great instincts. It's just the part of putting it all together in a package, learning it and being consistent. Again, he has really done a nice job; the last couple practices, it has really slowed down for him. You can see it. When he plays the STAR position, he's getting us lined up better than he did in the first couple of practices, and he understands now how the tempo is. He hasn't really panicked, but he's a very competitive player, wants to win on every play. That's what you love about him. It's just trying to slow the process down for him where it's not happening too fast. It was early, but I think he's doing a really nice job the last couple practices."
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On Jalen McMurray's first practices…
"He's been, out of the new guys, the most consistent player, meaning he is making production every day. You can see it. He's got great instincts, he's smart, he actually knows the plays before the plays are being run. He has that knack about him, and he's been the most consistent player each day, so it's really great to see because we need that competition, which helps those other young guys who are developing to see that we brought some guys in here to compete for a starting job. He's doing a great job."
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Sophomore DB Rickey Gibson III
On the biggest difference between now and last year…
"I think the biggest difference is just my confidence. I feel like I can play more, play a little more physical and actually play with the guys now. When I first got here, I was kind of going too fast. I had to lock in a little bit more, but I would say my confidence."
On what he needs to do this spring to improve his role this fall…
"I think I have to be more reliable. Just know that when they throw the ball to my side of the field, it will be incomplete, everybody will know it's incomplete and they don't have to worry about that side, so Coach (Tim) Banks can be more aggressive on calling the calls because our defensive line is so good. Let us get into their faces a little bit more."Â
On what the culture of the DB room has been like so far…
"The culture has been very competitive. We don't want any balls thrown over our heads at all, so we have to push them at the practice field. We have to get into their (the receivers) faces and press. I'd say it is very competitive."
Sophomore DB Jermod McCoy
On what Tennessee is like compared to growing up in Texas and playing at Oregon State...
"I think Texas compared to Tennessee, I think they are pretty similar. Being out here just really reminds me of home [Texas] a lot. Coming from Oregon State, there wasn't much out there, because it was a smaller city. I enjoyed my time out there, but being here at Tennessee has been pretty good."
On what it was like being recognized in the transfer portal...
"It was definitely a blessing getting to go through all that, but at the same time it was very stressful. Having to answer a bunch of phone calls and having to get back to all of the coaches. But it was a blessing for sure, and it felt very good."
On if he thinks he was good enough to play at an SEC school out of high school and if he thinks coaches missed out on him...
"Yeah, I definitely think that. I ended up going to Oregon State because it was the biggest school I had at the time, but I definitely felt like I should have been in the SEC."
Redshirt Junior DB Jalen McMurray
On the various factors of why he chose Tennessee…
"Obviously, it's in the SEC. In my opinion, it's the best conference in the nation. Being able to compete against the best, not only during games, but during practice as well. I feel like that was a huge deciding factor. Being able to come here and really push myself, and being able to push the guys in my room and the receivers I go against in practice and games."
On his favorite part of being in the Tennessee football program…
"The guys. Being part of a team that's open and that's really welcoming to me when I came in. You never want to go somewhere where you're getting looked at sideways and stuff like that. Being able to come here and be welcomed with open arms and really being taken in as one of the guys. I would say the DB room as a whole, I feel like I have really grown close with them."
On being a newcomer but also having years of experience compared to incoming freshmen…
"It's funny that you say that. I was actually talking to my parents about how I've always been the young old head, so the younger guy but the old head type. This is the first time I have actually been the oldest or one of the oldest in the room. It's different, but at the same time when you've got guys that we have in our room that are extremely talented, we all push each other and it's a healthy competition. We are all there for each other. If someone messes up on a play, we try to coach them up."
Junior DB Jourdan Thomas
On how much he's grown in his few years here and how it's been going through various injuries…
"I think I try to look at the setbacks in a positive way. I know God has a plan for everyone, including me, and I just try to look at it in a positive way. I didn't want to mess up. I just wanted to lock in on whatever I could in the moment, get better at rehab. I was really training to focus on the mentality of the game, the playbook, learning the scheme and defense. Just knowing the defense in-and-out and knowing the offensive plays. I feel like I've grown as a leader and as a player as well. I've been focusing on my leadership skills. Recently, I have been more vocal and helping the younger guys. On the field, I feel like I key in on my details more as a DB. I'm a versatile DB. So, I try to learn the ins-and-outs of every position like the STAR, free safety and strong safety in the back end. So, just really being more detail-oriented and learning the game."
On some guys in the secondary who have recently stepped up…
"I think I did for sure. Andre Turrentine and Will Brooks, those guys are really stepping up. (We) really focused on helping those guys learn the scheme of the defense. Any time they need help, we are always available for them. I think the young guys have a great care factor. They are always attentive and learning. They want to get better, and they want to get great. So, we are happy for them."
On having to step into a leadership role...
"I feel like this is what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a leader. I wanted to help people and grab their hand and help them along the way. There wasn't pressure, but I felt like I owed it to the guys that helped me, (Jaylen McCollough) and (Tamarion McDonald). All those guys when they were here, I learned so much from them when I first came in. I just continued to gain the knowledge they gave me. I stored it up. I just try to pay it back to the young guys now. It's only right."
Redshirt Junior DB Andre Turrentine
On what he wants to accomplish this spring…
"I want to accomplish a lot of things for myself, as we all do, with these block periods that we have. I want to work on my man coverage and specifically, some of my zone drops and keeping my eyes on the right place. That's the standard for what we want to get accomplished positionally and as a defensive back room. As a secondary and as a group, I want to get these guys close together. We have a lot of transfers coming in. I know what it looks like. I have been here. I know what Coach Banks and Coach Martinez want out of the secondary. Getting those guys adjusted to the program, adjusted to what we are doing, also getting those guys close to us and getting close to other guys that haven't been here and then some of the younger guys who have gotten bigger roles this year."
On the most difficult thing about transferring…
"It's really hard. Thinking back personally, Ohio State, coming from another program to coming here, is one of the hardest things you have to do as a player. However it goes, it's different for every person. For me personally, just taking that transition from a place where the standard is the utmost and then also bringing that here with yourself, figuring where you fall in line in the new program, with the new players you are going to be playing with, and then trying to gain your confidence back is a really big thing some guys struggle with when they are young and they have to transfer. When you're older, I would say it is a little bit different. When you have expectations that coaches have told you that you are coming in to expect certain things, when those things don't arise, it can be frustrating. Transferring to a new place can be a hard thing to do. I think the guys that have come in have picked up the ball where we left off. Going after Iowa, a lot of them were here in the bowl prep, so just getting those guys accustomed to what we do and helping those guys feel comfortable in the best ways possible."
 On the characteristics of the new teammates in the defensive back room…
"The biggest thing I want to say is playmakers. The play-making ability has gone up in the room. It's a highly competitive room right now with guys fighting for a spot. The playmaking ability has been tremendous. Guys making plays on the ball, guys just knowing what to do, knowing football within the call, knowing how to play the game within the game, this chess game we play. I would say the playmaking ability, making plays on the ball, and then just understanding the concepts within football."
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