Tennessee DL coach Rodney Garner gets real about the state of Vols football
The Tennessee Vols have made a remarkable amount of progress since Josh Heupel was hired to lead the program in 2021, but they still have a long way to go to get to where they want to be according to defensive line coach Rodney Garner. And that should be exciting for Tennessee fans to hear […]
The Tennessee Vols have made a remarkable amount of progress since Josh Heupel was hired to lead the program in 2021, but they still have a long way to go to get to where they want to be according to defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
And that should be exciting for Tennessee fans to hear because Heupel and his staff are already accomplishing things at UT that haven't been done in two decades.
Garner was asked during a media session with reporters this week about the evolution of Tennessee football — from where it was at the end of the 2020 season to where it is now.
"I think that's compliments to the young men in the program who have bought into what we've been preaching," said Garner on Tuesday. "We're blessed to have some really good young men. I think that guys had been beaten down. It had been a long time since Tennessee had been back to the elite status that Tennessee's used to. So, obviously, for those guys that started out with us that first year, for us to win seven games (in 2021), I thought that was great. And then back it up with last year, just seeing the improvement."
"I think they're taking more pride in getting the program back to where it belongs," continued Garner. "These kids have bought into it. They're doing the little things. Leadership's starting to show up in the locker room, which I think anytime in this league that you have a good program, it needs to be peer-led. Obviously, we don't mind leading as coaches, but we have to be honest with ourselves. For it to be really effective, we need the kids to buy into it. And we need the kids to hold each other accountable. And I think our guys have done a much better job of doing that. Not having to start over that we're at day one every day, we're able to move the needle and pick up where we left off."
"And still, guys, we got a long way to go, we all know that," added Garner. "We've got to continue to improve in all facets of our game. We can't ever become satisfied. Not that we've done anything to be satisfied with, but we've got to keep working hard to try and improve every day."
Garner, who has coached in the SEC every year since 1990, is obviously proud of the progress that Tennessee's made the last few years with Heupel at the helm. But he isn't doing any victory laps just yet. That's because Garner knows that Tennessee is a championship caliber program. And the Vols still have a ways to go until they're a consistent championship contender.
What's exciting for Tennessee fans, though, is that the program continues to trend in the right direction under the guidance of a coaching staff that won't be satisfied until they're dominating the sport. That's a far cry from previous UT coaching staffs that celebrated accomplishments like winning the Outback Bowl as if they were seminal moments for Tennessee football.
The Vols will have setbacks. There will be tough losses in the future. But with this staff in place, it's clear that 15-0 every year is the goal. And they're going to keep pushing hard until they reach that goal.
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