‘Carnage…it’s a different vibe’ – Tennessee’s most important offseason change is already being felt in a big way on Rocky Top
The Tennessee Vols new strength and conditioning coach is hitting the ground running already.
The Tennessee Vols made several big-time changes following the end of the 2025 regular season.
Tennessee’s first big move came when Vols head coach Josh Heupel parted ways with defensive coordinator Tim Banks.
Banks, who had been on Heupel’s staff at Tennessee since 2021, was replaced by former Ohio State and Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Landing Knowles, who won a national championship with Ohio State in 2024, was a blockbuster move for Heupel and the Volunteers.
But it may not have been the most important move that Tennessee made this offseason.
Instead, that may have been the hiring of strength coach Derek Owings, who spent the past six seasons working under Curt Cignetti at Indiana and James Madison. Before his time with Cignetti, Owings worked under Heupel at UCF for one season.
That’s not to discount the hire of Knowles — that’s a championship-level hire — but without the proper strength coach, it doesn’t matter who’s calling defensive plays.
Owings, who replaces Kurt Schmidt as the Vols’ strength coach, is already hitting it hard at Tennessee as he looks to help the Vols make some big changes after the program’s physicality was questioned last season.
Derek Owings is making his presence felt at Tennessee
Owings’ first day on the job at Tennessee was Jan. 20 (a week ago today) — and he’s wasted no time making a big impact.
VolQuest’s Austin Price joined 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Tuesday for his weekly appearance, and he pointed out that it’s a “different vibe” under Owings.
“Carnage. He’s hitting it hard,” said Price of Owings’ first week on the job. “The staff is hitting it hard. I think there’s a little bit more accountability than there was in that room a year ago. And just talking to people, it’s a different vibe — a different feel in the strength program right now. And the players are feeling it.
“I think they’re going to love it long term, but I think they’re right now feeling it. And so it’s an adjustment for them. But that first day, I think it was kind of like, whoa, I’m not in Kansas anymore. [It’s a] totally different deal with him leading things. I think he’s trying to change the mindset and make this team a little more mentally tough. That way, when it’s third-and-six in the bowl game, you don’t jump offsides and make it third-and-one and give Illinois an easy first down. Little things like that, just trying to change the mentality of this group.”
There’s a little over seven months to go before the 2026 season gets underway. A lot of progress can be made in seven months, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how much progress Owings and the new strength staff at Tennessee can make in what’s a pivotal offseason for Heupel and the Vols.
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