University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Closing In On Orange & White Game With Final Full Pads Practice
April 11, 2024 | Football
New running backs coach De'Rail Sims, outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler, along with running backs Dylan Sampson, Khalifa Keith and punter Jackson Ross addressed the media following the final full practice before Saturday's Orange & White Game.
Sims took over a room led by Sampson, who enters his third season after rushing for 604 yards on 106 carries and a team-high seven touchdowns. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry last fall, which ranked eighth in the SEC. Sampson has served as one of the Vols' most valuable leaders in the locker room.
"He's taken a really good step in terms of bringing them along, being a leader in the room," Sims said. "I think holistically in his game, being detailed. He's a lot further along from a detail standpoint right now than he was at the beginning of spring, including starting off in winter workouts. He's taken a huge step forward in that aspect."
Special teams has proved to be one of Tennessee's strengths since Ekeler's arrival in 2021. He welcomes back Ross at punter, who was the driving force behind a unit that allowed only four total punt return yards in 2023, which ranked fifth nationally.
"You look at it, and it was his first year of football," Ekeler said of Ross' development. "He's never played other than Aussie rules football. So, Jackson, right now, we've developed a system around his skillset. He's probably the only guy in the country who can kick it equally well with his right and left foot."
The Vols will hold a "Fast Friday" practice before turning their attention to the Orange & White Game. Start time is 1 p.m. in a limited capacity Neyland Stadium.
The second annual Vol Village Music Festival outside of Neyland Stadium in Lot 9 begins at 11:15 a.m. Vol Village opens at 10:30 a.m. is free admission.
Running Backs Coach De'Rail Sims
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On how he would evaluate the running back room close to the end of spring camp…
"Hard workers. They're guys that come to work every day. I think we have a good collective group from top to bottom. I'm excited to see how we finish out this spring, and this meeting today is also critical as well. How we finish off on Saturday is going to be critical."
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On Peyton Lewis…
"He's understanding and learning from his teammates. I tell the guys all the time that the best teacher in the room is the guy next to you. Learning and watching them, learning in meetings, being able to go through and see in walkthroughs how guys operate, and being able to see in team settings how guys operate; the best teacher that you have is the guys in front of you. He's done a really good job of asking questions. The guys in the room have done a phenomenal job of being able to come in and help him as well. A lot of times in meetings when I'm getting ready to correct something when he has a question, they jump right on in and answer it."
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On DeSean Bishop's progression this spring…
"I call him the spark plug. He's done a really good job from practice one to where we are today in terms of getting better every single practice. He's intentional with coming in the meetings and asking questions. He's intentional about taking notes in the meeting room. When he gets out on the field, he does a really good job of executing at a high level. Even if he makes a mistake, he does it going 100 miles an hour. Then, he comes over to the sideline and asks a question like, "Coach, what did I do wrong?" He never makes the same mistake twice in that situation in team periods. He's done a good job."
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On what DeSean Bishop needs to become game ready…
"Like all of them, continuing to work on pass protection. Continuing to work on their whole game holistically to be honest. From seeing the running game into the pass protection game, all it comes down to is fundamentals and making sure your eyes are in the right places."
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On what he's seen from Dylan Sampson during spring practice…
"I think with Dylan, you see him, you look at him from the mental aspect of the game, in terms of now growing it from a pass protection standpoint. Also, just being a leader. I think that's a tremendous step for him now in terms of in this room where it is some young guys in the room. He's taken a really good step in terms of bringing them along, being a leader in the room. I think holistically in his game, being detailed. He's a lot further along from a detail standpoint right now than he was at the beginning of spring, including starting off in winter workouts. He's taken a huge step forward in that aspect."
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On where he's seen Khalifa Keith take the biggest jump this spring…
"I think with Khalifa, I think every day with him is another step to take forward. I think right now, the biggest jump with him is just having the confidence in himself. The confidence in himself to be out here and execute, even if he makes a mistake, not get down and let it get him in a rut for the next play. I think that portion of it has been good. I think also just continuing to learn how to run. That's the biggest key, understanding what your size is and understanding how to use that as a weapon."
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On how much emphasis there is on pass protection and if he's seen growth in that area…
"It's been huge. A majority of our time in individual has been spent on pass protection this spring. Every day is a day to get better at it. Some days are rougher than others, but you have to learn from those days. We do a really good job from a practice standpoint of structuring our time, going one-on-one versus linebackers because they need those live reps. The more that we're able to do that, the better we're going to be. They're taking steps with it, but we still have miles to go from that standpoint as well."
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On how Dylan Sampson's workload has been managed…
"You give him work in terms of the situations that he needs. He's gotten his work. It's not like he's going out there, taking days off or nothing. No, we put him in there, he gets his work from a situational aspect of it that he needs. Any specific plays that he needs as well, but he has to get in the rhythm and the flow, so he has gotten his reps. Also, you put in, just like you said, the younger guys that need a majority of the reps as well, they get their reps. So, we've been able to maintain that."
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On what DeSean Bishop's strength is…
"I think right now is his vision, honestly. His eyes and his feet are able to match together. He doesn't allow his feet to play ahead of his eyes. He understands where the hole is going to be from an anticipation standpoint, and now he's able to make that cut and be able to go. His patience, his vision, and then his eyes and his feet are married up together."
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On how he would assess the running backs' ability to catch the ball in the backfield…
"It's good, but it's something that we're always going to continue to work on and get better at. I think, right now, you see them be able to catch the ball out of the backfield and make some plays on the perimeter. That's one of the things that we're going to continue to work at. We're never ever going to sit up here and feel like we've arrived. It's always a weakness that we have to get better at."
Outside Linebackers Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Mike Ekeler
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On the competition in the return game…
"Let's go with punt returns. You have Squirrel (White), he's done it in games around here and been really electric. We probably have about five other guys that are truly legit. So, that competition is really ongoing and will go through the summer and into fall camp. I'll tell you what, whoever is back there is going to be absolutely dynamite."
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On where he thinks they are in the kickoff return game…
"Kickoff return, same thing. We have a lot of new guys. A lot of guys with different skill sets which really we've evaluated in the spring. Feel really good about where we are headed in the kickoff return unit. Again, it should be our best year yet, and not even close."
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On trusting a freshman in the return game such as Boo Carter...
"I've been other places and, in this conference too, where we had a true freshman back there, and he was an All-American. So, I don't bat an eye. If they are ready, they're ready. Boo Carter, I'm not saying he's the guy, but he's in that competition. Boo Carter, he doesn't care if he's in front of 102 thousand (fans), he doesn't care if he's in front of five people, he's Boo. He's so locked in and focused on what he does. He's just a great football player. Regardless of if he's our returner this year, he's going to play a ton of ball around here. I absolutely love that guy. He's just a great football player."
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On progression from Jackson Ross this season compared to last year going into the season…
"You look at it, and it was his first year of football. He's never played other than Aussie rules football. So, Jackson, right now, we've developed a system around his skillset. He's probably the only guy in the country who can kick it equally well with his right and left foot. He's got some other skill sets we haven't shown yet. So, we are really excited about it. Just last week, he came up and he was like, 'Hey Ek, I like this kick, and I like this.' So, we build protections, build our scheme around his skillset. So, it's a really unique relationship, and he's got a unique skill set. He's an awesome guy, great to work with. So, you should see him take his game to a whole other level. You look at it last year, 17 of his 55 punts, he killed inside the 10 (yard line). I said it after the first game, 'I screwed that up' and I told you guys he was going to be a weapon. That's what he is."
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On how beneficial it is for young players to get reps on special teams...
"There's way too many to list, but what's really cool about this whole system - you go into our special teams meetings and Coach Heupel is in the front row. He'll jump in and talk all about the technique, he'll coach it like, 'Hey, I've got this one.' So, you've got a head ball coach who, every single day after practice, comes in my office and we sit down. We've worked tirelessly to develop a system that starts with stance, logical teaching progression, that makes sense to our guys. And our verbiage on offense and defense - we speak the same language as a football team. The verbiage we use, it goes over. We talk all the time about transferable skills. Everything we do on special teams is making you a better football player. There's no if, ands or buts about it and our guys understand that, so that's where you get the buy-in. If you want to play in the (National Football) League, you better be on special teams. When you have a 53-man roster and 48 suit up on game day, those numbers, you better have a good skill set."
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On the player characteristics he looks for in coverage units...
"You're looking for guys who really have great field awareness. Guys who are fluid, who can run and strike. Again, they've got a really good understanding of time and space and ball-meet-man relationships. All of our guys on this team, the way we've taught it, they all get it. We have a whole matrix. We sit down and every single player has six columns by their name and the six special teams units. Then we rank them on the team. Spring ball is about identifying every single one of our players' skill set - what they can do and where we can plug them in. Then it goes into how much they're playing on offense and how much they're playing on defense. It goes back to what you said, getting those young guys game reps, getting them a part of it, so when they're out there on offense and defense they don't bat an eye. Been there, done that. That's what's fun about how we've developed this and where we're continuing to develop."
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On if he uses former Vols in the NFL as examples for special teams...
"Just yesterday (in our special teams meeting), we did that. Exactly what you're talking about. We (watched) Theo Jackson blocking a kick. We had Alontae Taylor going down, covering punts on the punt return. Then, 'By the way guys, here he was at Tennessee doing the same thing.' One hundred percent what you said. We want those guys to see guys that sat in those seats that are now doing it at the highest level and getting paid to do it. So, absolutely."
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On what excites him about having WR Squirrel White in the return game...
"Squirrel is fearless, and he's one of the toughest players on this team. We talk about putting our face on people and being physical, and Squirrel's not going to back down from anybody. It doesn't matter who it is. Don't tell him, but Squirrel thinks he's like 6-foot-8 and 310 (pounds). He thinks he's all jacked up, but that guy has it. He's electric, he can make you miss in a phone booth. He's tough, he's got unbelievable ball skills. He's what you want in a football player."
Sophomore RB Khalifa Keith
On his growth since last season...
"I feel like I've grown a lot. I've had to take a big step up after Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small left, but just learning from those guys and continuing to build on their legacy. Dylan Sampson is a great leader as well. Myself and DeSean Bishop taking this spring and just trying to be detailed and trying to take the fundamentals. Coach (De'Rail Sims) does a really good job of coaching us up and keeping us motivated. My biggest accomplishment I feel like I've grown in is pass protection. That's something I have to continue to grow from, but that's the thing I feel like I've made the most progress in."
On why pass protection is so difficult at the collegiate level...
"In high school I didn't really pass protect that much, so coming to this level it's just a lot of fundamentals and technique to it. (It's) nothing you can't handle. It's kind of new to you, kind of hits you in the face with that transition from high school to college. But it's been coming along, so far so good."
On breaking tackles being a strength of his...
"I love physicality. I'm a physical-type back, so every time I touch the ball, you've got to have the mindset that 'no man can break me down' or 'don't get in my way.'"
RS-Sophomore P Jackson Ross
On how much more comfortable he is after another year at Tennessee…
"I think I've grown a lot as an individual playing the sport. Obviously, the first time I came here I had little idea of what I was going to be getting into. After a season, I'm in my belt now. I've been confident with my skillset, the scheme we are running and playing in front of crowds in general."
On what he's learned about the sport at Tennessee that he did not know before…
"I guess as a punter it's pretty much my job to catch the ball, feel the rush and then kick the ball. I've seen it my whole life in terms of playing the sport I did, but being out there and seeing guys in pads coming at me is pretty scary sometimes. It's feeling that, and week-by-week I've grown in terms of that and gotten more comfortable. It did take time, but I'm happy with where I am right now."
On if his stretch at the beginning of last year helped him long term…
"In the initial term, it definitely didn't. That first week after the Virginia game, I was pretty down and it was tough. Two years in the making, coming over to play a sport and my first one goes 17 yards. That was pretty eye-opening for me, but I do think it helped in the long run to be able to put in some good games in the middle. I think it had something to do with the game at the end as well, in terms of going inside the 20 and pinning Iowa deep. It did help, and I can hopefully eliminate those early shambles to improve on myself this year."
Junior RB Dylan Sampson
On how he is preparing his body for this season…
"Being intentional in off-season training. I think that is the biggest portion of it. Getting my body in the best shape and condition that I can get it in. Be able to take on whatever workload they need me to, and just have good practice habits. Understanding and trusting the process that they are going to get me ready. At the end of the day, it is about having the right mentality too. Mind over everything. Training my mind for that, as well as my body to be prepared for anything this season."
On the benefits of Citrus Bowl practices as the starting running back…
"More than anything, the game was beneficial. I tend to always practice the same way, even with Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright right here. We made each other better, but the game was very beneficial. Knowing that I would have time and opportunities to keep going at it. It was back in the season when it was me, Jabari and Jaylen right rotating. You have to give credit to the coaches. I don't know what I would do in that situation. They found a way to try and get all of us snaps. It is a hard situation. Being able to be the main guy, knowing that I was going to get a lot of workload. In that game, my mental mindset more than anything helped me and carried the load a lot just to show the coaches. I think I had about 20 carries. Showing them that I could carry the ball that much if they need me to. Build confidence in me and the coaches."
On the difference between him in the past and him now…
"Not work habits. I would say in terms of how I handle myself in the room. Work habits stay the same. You probably have to be a little bit more intentional knowing that I had two older guys that left. People who are learning the system are looking at me. I can't have off days or choose when to not be on my A-game because if I am at my best, they are at their best. If they are at their best, they are making me be at my best. I think it is more in terms of making sure I'm intentional with my work ethic, but also how I handle the room. It is a different feel now. You had experience and you didn't have to coach as much or teach as much like last spring or going up into this fall. It is a learning curve. Being patient and trying to be a good role model in every way I can."
