New Faces Begin Spring Practice For Tennessee

Fifth Spring of Josh Heupel Era Underway

FootballMarch 07, 2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The fifth spring of the Josh Heupel era of Tennessee football is underway as the 2025 Volunteers went through their first practice Friday morning at Haslam Field and inside the Anderson Training Center.

A total of 27 new faces are on the field, including 23 freshmen from a top-10 signing class and four Power Four conference transfers. They joined returning players in a 10-period helmets-and-shorts practice before going through a lifting session.

“It’s the beginning part of the journey,” said Heupel, who is 37-15 in four seasons. “I challenged those guys after practice. It’s about consistent growth. It’s about not making the same mistake twice and learning how to play the way that you have to. That starts with effort, attitude and playing tough.”

The departure of several veterans, particularly offensively, has put a strong emphasis this spring on identifying who will quickly step into roles. Four starters on the offensive line must be replaced, and the Vols brought in two transfer guards in redshirt sophomore Sam Pendleton (Notre Dame) and redshirt junior Wendell Moe Jr. (Arizona). Five-star true freshman signee David Sanders Jr. of Concord, North Carolina, is also expected to make an immediate impact along with returning starter Lance Heard at the tackles. Sanders got a brief glimpse of practices during UT’s December College Football Playoff prep.

“We have been fortunate to have Cooper (Mays) and (Javontez) Spraggins for a long time, but that’s the great thing about college football too,” Heupel said. “Your roster changes. It’s exciting to have young guys that have to grow into it, take control, battle and fight. You find out who is going to be ready to play at a championship level.

“David is a super smart kid who is very engaging, very personable. He has a great family. He cares about the guys around him. He has had great work habits since he arrived and continued to grow. He’s put on weight. He has to continue to do that and continue to grow into his frame, but he has great athleticism.”

Production must be replaced in the wide receiver room with the departure of NFL Combine participants Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton Jr. Chris Brazzell II returns for his junior season after catching 29 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns last fall. The Vols are also expecting major contributions from former five-star recruit Mike Matthews, who enters his second full season on campus.

“Mike’s had a really good offseason,” Heupel said. “Physically, just continuing to grow into his frame. He’s as healthy as he’s been right now for a long time. Year two for him, it’s growth of controlling his mind and how he approaches everything every day. He’s really matured in a really good way. We have high hopes and expectations for him.”

The structure of the spring schedule calls for four practices prior to spring break. Tennessee will go through another helmets and shorts workout on Monday, put on shoulder pads Wednesday and then practice in full pads next Friday.

General admission tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com for the Vols’ Orange & White Game presented by Cherokee Resorts & Entertainment. Start time is 2 p.m. ET on April 12 in Neyland Stadium. All proceeds will count as a contribution to the My All Campaign. Seating capacity will be at approximately 45,000 due to construction

Tennessee Football Press Conference | March 7, 2025
Head Coach Josh Heupel

Opening statement …

“Good to have all of you here, first of all. Great to get on the grass here as we start spring ball. The guys have had a really good winter. Bunch of new guys; 27 new guys, 23 freshmen inside of our program, and a lot of young guys on our roster in general. Proud of what they have done in strength and conditioning, the buildup and lead-up to spring ball. They are starting to get a grasp of what we’re doing on the football side as well. Today is day one. As you would expect, great energy, but guys played hard too. There are going to be a bunch as we go back and watch the tape. It’s the beginning part of the journey. I challenged those guys after practice. It’s about consistent growth. It’s about not making the same mistake twice and learning how to play the way that you have to. That starts with effort, attitude and playing tough. We’ll continue to grow on the smart side of it as we continue to go through spring, but in the lead-up to kickoff as well. Really proud of what they’ve done in the beginning part, the first quarter of our offseason. Here as we kick off the second with spring ball, I’m excited about where we’re going.”

On his advice to freshman QB George MacIntyre for his first practice …

“It’s just the beginning stages for a young quarterback. Recognizing signals, how to communicate. That’s at the line of scrimmage when we’re in tempo. It’s dead-ball situations, the huddle to sideline. Learning how to control and command all of those things. You work on that in the lead-up, but once you get helmets on and we’re out on the grass, it’s a little bit different. Today, he did a really good job understanding the structure of the defense, ‘Where are you taking your eyes?’ That’s pre-snap, post-snap, and then your fundamentals have to play into being consistent and giving yourself a chance to be accurate with the football once you make a sound decision. Man, I just listed off a lot of things that have to happen. It’s day one. Like what he did today, but there’s going to be a lot of growth here through spring ball. I always say this to our young guys. First time out on the practice field with us as you start spring ball, first five days, it’s happening fast. The calls, formation recognition, the speed of the game, it’s all faster. Second five (days), you kind of find your groove, and if you’re doing it right, by the time you get to the end of spring ball, you’re a dramatically different football player than you were at the beginning. Understanding that you just have to continually invest, and you’ll reap the rewards as you go through the process.”

On if he manages the spring differently than the fall because of all the freshmen who arrived as mid-year enrollees …

“I do feel like, first of all in college football, there’s always a cycle. Typically, you end up having a bunch of young guys inside your roster. That’s been the case for us since we have been here. This group of young guys has been really mature. I’m talking about their approach, how they have handled offseason workouts to what daily life looks like as a college athlete — the extra things they have to do to give themselves a chance to be prepared for day one out on the practice field, let alone what is coming as we continue to grow through the spring. It’s been a really positive group. They’ve blended into the culture, the expectations of accountability, building trust and how we attack everything that we’re doing. They’ve handled that really well. There’s a bunch of young guys on our roster. When you go through spring ball, it’s about fundamental development. It’s about technique. It’s about learning how to play from snap to whistle. It’s learning how to reset from play-to-play. There’s a ton of growth that has to happen. We have a ton of growth that we have to take them through. It’s starts with all of those things to get them to where they need to be. We don’t kick off until September. There is a long journey that we have to go through. They have to grow through that.”

On if young players are more prepared now in compared to four or five years ago in terms of being able to manage it all …

“I don’t know that I necessarily feel that way. I think the amount of mid-years compared to a decade ago that you have, helps them get comfortable and assimilate to what’s going on as a collective group versus maybe five guys that were coming in at that time. It feels like they are with their class, which I think is a positive thing for them. The process that we go through during the winter, I think helps give them a chance to continually grow into the lead-up of spring ball — where day one, it is day one in helmets, but they feel like they are prepared for that moment too.”

On what offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. is like off the field …

“He’s a super smart kid who is very engaging, very personable. He has a great family. He cares about the guys around him. He has had great work habits since he arrived and continued to grow. There’s a lot of growth for him and every young guy that has come onto our roster. He’s put on weight. He has to continue to do that and continue to grow into his frame, but he has great athleticism.”

On going into year five without Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins and recruiting on the offensive line …

“I like what we’ve done inside of that room. The portal additions that have some experience, years in college football, body types we like, smart guys as far as their ability to process information at the O-line position. I’m excited for once we get to the pads, you tend to find out a lot more about the guys up front. It becomes real football. I’m really excited about them and the young players that we’ve added over the last couple of cycles inside that position room. I am really excited about their growth and development. Physically, there is still a lot of that left for them out there as we continue to go through our offseason before we kick off or get to training camp. Excited to see them grow on the football field, fundamentally in technique and in the cycle of college football. We have been fortunate to have Cooper and Spraggins for a long time, but that’s the great thing about college football too. Your roster changes. It’s exciting to have young guys that have to grow into it, take control, battle and fight. You find out who is going to be ready to play at a championship level.”

On the addition of Seth Littrell to the staff as an analyst …

“At the end of the day, just like you do in the recruiting process — you try to make your roster as strong as you can, and you do the same thing with your staff. With the addition of Seth and the other staff we have hired, I am really excited about the experience and success they have all had. My relationship with Seth makes it easy in the transition, as far as knowing he will be straightforward with me. Being able to bounce ideas off of me, having sat in that chair as a head coach too. I am really excited about him and the other guys here as we start spring ball.”

On the development of the wide receiver room this spring …

“Opportunity exists. I really like the group and their physical traits. They’re big, long, athletic, really intelligent football guys, really mature. They’ve grasped onto what we’ve given them up until this point in a really good way. They did a really nice job out there (today), made some plays. I’m excited about that group.”

On how guys competing at the center position can live up to the standard set by Cooper Mays …

“Command and control of what we’re doing offensively, understanding of defensive structures and the ability to communicate at a really high level and get all five guys on the same page. That includes your tight ends and running backs too. Cooper has done a really good job for a really long time here. We were fortunate to have him for a while, but we have a lot of guys that we have great belief in. They have to continue to grow as players, but a ton of competition at that position. There will be multiple guys that are putting their hands on the ball and playing the center spot. I think there is really good competition at all of the spots. We’re continuing to grow inside of that room.”

On the decision to host a spring game inside of Neyland Stadium despite multiple programs around the country moving away from that …

“It’s not just the tradition of it. I do love the spring game. It’s an opportunity for our fans to be here inside of the stadium. It’s usually a great environment on campus that day. I think it’s important, in particular for our young players, to get a taste of what it’s going to be like in the fall to play in front of a crowd in a big stadium. We open up on the road this year, and you don’t want that to be the first time they’ve played in front of a bunch of people. That experience can create urgency, understanding what it’s going to feel like as they finish up spring ball and go into the summer. At the end of the day, we have to accelerate their growth curve. The spring game in those settings is a part of accelerating their growth.”

On what quarterback Nico Iamaleava needs to improve on this spring …

“Command and control of what we’re doing offensively, better with his eyes, fundamental position to be accurate with the football, leadership. It’s the checklist of playing the quarterback position. All of those things, he has a chance to continue to get better at. I like a lot of what he did. There are some areas that I was just talking about that he can be better at. As a quarterback, a big part of your job is creating urgency for the 10 guys around you to play at a really high level too. That leadership role, it’s not just verbally. It’s how you’re accelerating the mindset and growth of the guys around you. All of those things play into what he has been working on and what he has to continue to do throughout the course of the offseason.”

On wide receiver Mike Matthews taking another step heading into his second year …
“Mike’s had a really good offseason. Physically, just continuing to grow into his frame. He’s as healthy as he’s been right now for a long time. Just during the course of the fall, he kind of got nicked up early. Late in the summer, he kind of re-injured himself a little bit in training camp and fought through the injury bug a little bit during the course of the season. Year two for him, growth of controlling his mind and how he approaches everything every day; he’s really matured in a really good way. I’m excited about what he’s done up until this point in the offseason, but really like what he did today on the practice field. We have high hopes and expectations for him.”

On managing the roster while staying focused on coaching …

“College football has been this way for I don’t know how many years now. It’s been long enough where you can’t count them. When we’re doing ball, it’s about ball. You get to the back end of spring, the portal opens up, and you turn your attention to those things.”

On what it was like to get the team back on the field for spring practice …

“I really do enjoy every phase of the offseason. Guys get back, they’re excited about getting in the weight room and doing some stuff on the conditioning side, some football. It’s limited during your buildup and ramp-up during the winter, but now you’re back to what we’re all here to do, which is go play. You get on the grass; competition, energy, guys make plays, guys don’t make plays, how do you reset to the next play. I love spring ball because it’s an intentional time of fundamentals and technique. You’re starting on the football side on the ground floor. You reset every year, so it was a lot of fun to get back out there with those guys.”