'I had question marks' Vols coach impressed by Tennessee player that he originally wasn't sure about
Tennessee Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner admitted this week that he wasn't sure about defensive lineman Dominic Bailey when he joined Josh Heupel's coaching staff in early 2021. Bailey, a former four-star recruit from Baltimore, was a true freshman at Tennessee in 2020 (Jeremy Pruitt's last season as UT's head coach). He played in […]
Tennessee Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner admitted this week that he wasn't sure about defensive lineman Dominic Bailey when he joined Josh Heupel's coaching staff in early 2021.
Bailey, a former four-star recruit from Baltimore, was a true freshman at Tennessee in 2020 (Jeremy Pruitt's last season as UT's head coach). He played in just one game as a true freshman.
Garner told reporters on Tuesday that he had "question marks" about Bailey.
But those question marks have been erased over the last couple of years as Bailey has developed into a key player along the Vols' dominant defensive line.
"The thing about Dom that I admire, he’s a young man that wasn’t given anything," said Garner. "Especially, probably, by me. When I first got here, I had question marks about Dom and all that. So he’s a kid that has really bought in to what we’re doing and how we want to go about things. And he changed his work ethic. He changed his attitude. He’s doing those little things, and he’s worked himself into being a pretty good football player.
"And I still think there’s even more room for him to grow, and I think it’s important to him. He shows up to work every day. He has a good attitude, and I think he’s made of the right stuff. And I think he cares about his teammates. And I think he cares about this institution.”
Bailey played in just two games as a redshirt freshman in 2021 before earning a key role in 2022. The Maryland native has played in every single game for the Vols since earning that key role in 2022.
Through seven games this season, Bailey has already set a carer high in tackles (17), tackles for loss (3), and sacks (2).
Bailey is a great reminder that development can take time. It took a couple of seasons for Bailey to truly "get it". Sometimes a player gets it right away, sometimes it takes a couple of years — which is why it's completely unfair to compare one player's development to another player. Every player, though, has their own unique path.
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