KNOXVILLE - As far as freshman seasons go, Derek Barnett and Josh Malone could not have been more different.
Perhaps that's why Tennessee football coach Butch Jones had the two sophomores address the freshman class during a team meeting Sunday night, six days before many of the first-year players will make their debuts when the Volunteers open the season against Bowling Green in Nashville.
Jones wanted Barnett and Malone to speak to the newcomers about what it takes to make the jump from high school football to big-time college ball.
"I was just telling them that every mistake at the college level is magnified," Barnett said this week. "I said when I came in, I didn't watch much film at all, and I got behind last year because I didn't watch much film. This year, I've picked my game up watching film, just getting ahead of the game."
Malone's message was much simpler: Take care of your body so you can handle the grind of the season, limit the off-field distractions and focus on football.
"As a freshman," he said, "there's a lot of things coming your way."
In this Aug. 26, 2015, photo, Tennessee coach Butch Jones talks with players including Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett (9) during practice in Knoxville, Tenn. Defensive lineman Shy Tuttle is at left. Derek Barnett aned Curt Maggitt make No. 25 Tennessee the only Football Bowl Subdivision program to return two players who posted double-digit sack totals last season. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)Barnett handled those things with the kind of resiliency and hunger that many special players have, and he consequently blew up midway through his freshman season and became a star at defensive end while setting multiple program records and finishing among the nation's leaders in tackles for loss and among the SEC's leaders in sacks.
It was more of a struggle for Malone, whose first season, after a couple of promising moments, fizzled out as a rash of minor injuries slowed the wide receiver's play and led to weeks of frustration.
The two midstate products now are part of a sophomore class that form the core of Jones's third Tennessee team, one that is still young, the coach will remind you.
Jones delved into the numbers of his 76-man travel roster for today's opener and shared the following:
27 freshmen are traveling, and only five redshirted last season.
34 players have never played a snap for the Vols.
56 have one year or less of SEC experience.
Only 16 played for the Vols in 2013.
"I'm not surprised," Jones said. "We've come a long way. We've rehauled the roster. We've changed a culture. We've changed the standard. We've changed the expectations, not only on the field, but in the classroom. But it takes time. We're not just building a team, we're building a program. Those are two totally different things.
"We were ill," he added, "and we're getting healthier each and every day, and this is all part of the process."
Jones's suggestion that these Vols are younger than last year's Vols is incorrect, of course.
It's true that Tennessee will have to depend on some freshmen in some places - Jones said up to 23 could play today - and will rely on first-year starters in others, but Tennessee has enough talent and experience that the expectations of an eight- or nine-win regular season are fair.
The Vols have more proven commodities on this team than in previous seasons, and Jones know it.
"I like the mentality of this football team," he said. "I've liked their attitude. I've liked their work ethic. We have a lot of individuals that have proven themselves in big games, that have stepped up, that have played in those games before, so that's a little bit of a comfort.
"I know how Jalen Hurd's going to show up. I know how Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are going to show up. Those individuals have proven it. Brian Randolph - they've proven it over time. Josh Dobbs, they have proven it. There's some comfort level there."
Both Barnett and Malone learned from their freshman seasons.
There's been no hint of complacency from Barnett, as he continues to take an all-business approach to his game.
Malone turned in one of the best preseasons of any Tennessee player.
"His overall work ethic is improved," receivers coach Zach Azzanni said. "His habits, his attitude, his body language, his mentality - all those things have improved. And so has his game, consequently. I expect (that) jumping from first year to second year. He knew his mistakes as a first-year player, and he doesn't want to repeat those."
Malone said his freshman frustrations helped him mature.
"I'm a lot more confident," he said. "I had a very solid camp and the camp I was looking forward to having. I'm just happy that I'm coming out of camp in one piece and looking forward to this first game."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com