The specific way Tennessee Vols OC Alex Golesh prepares for each game
Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator Alex Golesh was asked an interesting question about game week preparation on Wednesday night during Vol calls. Specifically, Golesh was asked how he prepares to call games for Tennessee's up-tempo offense. There are typically around 11 seconds at most between snaps for the Vols. That's not a lot of time to […]
Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator Alex Golesh was asked an interesting question about game week preparation on Wednesday night during Vol calls.
Specifically, Golesh was asked how he prepares to call games for Tennessee's up-tempo offense.
There are typically around 11 seconds at most between snaps for the Vols. That's not a lot of time to get a play call in. Golesh and head coach Josh Heupel (the play-calling setup is a "collaboration" between the coaching staff) have to essentially always be a play or two ahead.
To prepare for the speed of the offense, Golesh spends the last few days before a game going over seemingly every possible scenario that could come up over the course of a game.
“We go through it, really, starting tonight (Wednesday)," said Heupel during his appearance on Vol Calls. "If I wasn’t here, I’d be going through mock games and situations as they come up going into (Thursday)."
“(Thursday) night, really sitting down, going through it again in situations as they arise and having the next one ready to go," added Heupel, "Understanding as the ball falls where it falls, and situationally you’re ready for the next one, whether it’s the next down and distance, the next situation in terms of red zone, tight zone, third down. A lot of (what you could) call practice, but practice games. There’s times I’ll go to bed at whatever time it is and I’m going through a scenario or I’ll get a text from Coach Heup about a scenario, or this or that could happen."
The process of going through those mock scenarios continues for Golesh until a few hours before game time.
“You’re doing that all the way up, honestly, until, (before a) noon game, until about 7:30 that morning and locked and loaded, ready to go," explained Heupel.
This feels like the most prepared staff the Vols have had in over a decade.
That should give UT fans some confidence that Heupel and his assistants are going to get the Tennessee football program moving in the right direction.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services
