Tennessee HC Josh Heupel sends message that every player on the Vols' roster needs to hear
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel made some comments on Monday after UT's first spring football practice that every player on his roster needs to hear. Heupel was asked by a reporter if the players that Tennessee added to the roster via the NCAA transfer portal can ease their way into their new roles or […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel made some comments on Monday after UT's first spring football practice that every player on his roster needs to hear.
Heupel was asked by a reporter if the players that Tennessee added to the roster via the NCAA transfer portal can ease their way into their new roles or if they need to feel a sense of urgency to fill those roles.
Tennessee's fourth year head coach made it clear that every player on the roster needs to feel a sense of urgency, not just the transfer additions.
"You see urgency from everybody that’s putting a helmet on and going out to practice," said Heupel. "I don’t care how long you’ve been playing, the best in the game are always working on their craft. It’s Hall of Famers, 15-year vets, same at this level, man.
"There’s constant growth. And all of our guys got areas that our strength staffs pinpointed, our coaches have pinpointed, and areas that they got to get better at. So continuing to compete every day. Guys that compete the hardest and that do it the longest are typically the ones that win out. That’s true in a position battle, it’s true when you get out in the field on Saturday afternoon, too.”
If a player isn't showing a sense of urgency — whether that's during a lift in January, a random spring practice, or an in-season practice — then they're almost certainly going to get passed on the depth chart by a player that is showing a sense of urgency.
Fortunately for Tennessee, it appears that the 2024 Vols have that sense of urgency — it started after the Citrus Bowl when running back Dylan Sampson challenged his teammates to get right to work on their preparations for the 2024 season.
Still, it doesn't hurt to have the head coach reinforce that message. The Vols have a talented roster that can make some noise in 2024. But the only way that's going to happen is if each player on the roster attacks each day like it's the last time they'll ever touch the field.
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