KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The final week of spring football practice for first-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his Volunteers began with a two-plus hour workout on Tuesday afternoon as Haslam Field.

Tennessee will practice again Thursday as it prepares for Saturday’s Chevrolet Orange & White Game in Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is 4 p.m. ET, and the contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and the Vol Network. Admission is free with gates opening at 2:30 p.m.

Linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary discussed his unit’s progress this spring following practice. Jean-Mary brings an extensive resume to Knoxville that includes stints as linebackers coach at Georgia Tech, Texas, Louisville and Michigan.

“I commend our unit because they have never complained even when our numbers are low,” he said. “They go out and play. It’s about opportunity and being prepared when you have that opportunity. We have a lot of guys that probably thought they didn’t see themselves playing this early in their careers, and they’re getting the opportunity to impress coach (Josh) Heupel and coach (Tim) Banks. They’re making the most of it.”

Linebackers Coach Brian Jean-Mary
April 20, 2021

On the linebackers …

“First, I like to commend those guys. Our numbers aren’t very high. The guys who have been out there, a hardworking crew. There’s a lot of buy-in with that group. They want to get out there and get better every day. A lot of guys with not a lot of experience, but they fight their butt off every day in some adverse situations. I want to commend them. As far as on the individual level, you have a bunch of guys that are athletic, have a lot of hunger and are just trying to learn football right now. They’ve gotten better. The transformation from the first practice to this last one being practice No. 12 has been amazing. I’m very proud of those guys.”

On Kwauze Garland …

“He’s one of the main ones based off my last statement. Obviously, he’s new to the linebacker position. He’s a very athletic, very intelligent kid. Tough kid. He plays every snap like it’s his last. I think he’s got a very bright future because he’s still learning the game. He plays it the right way. With the DB background he has, obviously he’s made for the game the way it is today. It’s a space game where people play to the grass and to the field as far as the wide side of the field like most offenses. He’s kind of built for that with his athleticism and speed. We’ve been very happy with the way Pak has been playing so far.”

On having limited numbers through spring …

“It’s been a challenge, but like I said, I commend that unit because they have never complained even when our numbers are low. They go out and play. It’s about opportunity and being prepared when you have that opportunity. We have a lot of guys that probably thought they didn’t see themselves playing this early in their careers, and they’re getting the opportunity to impress coach (Josh) Heupel and coach (Tim) Banks. They’re making the most of it. We take it day-by-day. Obviously, our numbers are small, but we will never use that as an excuse. We are going to go out there and try to perform at the highest level. We are going to do what we can to play the Vol brand of defense.”

On Jeremy Banks and Roman Harrison …

“They’re in every meeting. Every installation meeting, they’re in. They’re able to watch film with us. Most of the things we are going to grade them on will be the mental side, understanding what we are trying to get done. Obviously, new terminology, new schemes. That’s where they’re going to make the most is learning what to do. They’ve been doing great in the rooms. We treat them just like everybody else in the classroom where they’re able to answer questions, watch tape and take notes. I think they’re going to be ahead of anyone else as far as coming back in the fall because they’ve been able to sit in on every meeting and have a general understanding of what we’re trying to get done on defense.”

On Will Albright working with the linebackers …

“Will is a team player. Obviously, he was recruited here as a long snapper, but he is an athletic long snapper. Based on our numbers, he wanted to do what he could to help the program. He also sees that as an opportunity for what he does. If you are able to play linebacker, tackle, take on blocks and understand the linebacker position, that only enhances what you can do as a long snapper and vice versa. He’s done a great job for us. He’s been rotating in every day, showing his toughness. He’s one of the guys that has had a really good spring. We have been very excited for what he has been able to show so far.”

On Solon Page III …

Solon Page has done a great job. He’s been thrust into a leadership role, and he’s done a great job for us. He’s been the glue of what we have done because he’s kind of been the senior member of the unit. We have asked him to play both Mike and Will linebacker. He’s done a great job for us. He’s been learning on the run. He didn’t come in with a ton of experience, but he’s the most experienced guy in the room. I have seen him get more physical from day one and his understanding of what we are trying to get done on defense is really starting to get across. We have been very happy with him. He has a chance to help us.”

On his assessment of the defense from the first practice to now …

“I have been happy with them. Have we been perfect? Obviously not. We have a lot of things we have to clean up. There’s a lot of mistakes that have been made. I have been most impressed with the effort. Those guys really care about Volunteer football, and they want to do what’s best for the team. They are doing everything that they can. Like I said, we haven’t been perfect by every sense of the imagination, but with the effort that we have, I think we are going to have some positive results just because they play so hard and they want to do it within the framework of what we are trying to get done on defense. I have been pleased. We want to get better building the numbers and creating a little more havoc with turnovers, sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions and PBUs. We have gotten a few. We’ve had some missed opportunities, but when you have the effort there, the rest will take care of itself.”

On if principles at linebacker are different from last year’s defense …

“I didn’t study what they did last year. Obviously, we watched tape from last year just to get a general assessment on athletic ability. We didn’t get tied into what they did. We always try to give them a blank slate as they walk through the door. The thing we tried to evaluate was their tackling ability, how were they in coverage and how did they blitz? We tried to watch those things from last year. As far as the differences, football is still football. It’s get aligned, be gap assigned, know what your responsibility is, go find the football and go make plays when the ball is in your area. That’s how we are always going to assess them. I can’t really speak on how much different it is. I know with our system, it is very multiple. We do ask a lot of them, and they have been up to the task for the most part this spring.”

-UT Athletics