KNOXVILLE - It's not easy playing safety for Tennessee these days.
Not only is the daily competition in practice heated among four or more players, but they're operating under the watchful eye of first-year defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, a safeties coach by trade who values defenders full of toughness and intelligence.
The Volunteers' current safeties know they have to bring it every day.
"We're trying to be at our best every day," sophomore Stephen Griffin said after Tuesday's practice at a roasting Haslam Field. "We're trying to help each other out, too, but at the end of the day it's friendly competition. We're trying to push each other to be our best.
"If I'm not doing my best, I know they're going to put somebody else in, so I'm always trying to stay on point."
The competition at the back end of the defense has been heated enough this month that the coaches have shuffled some players around as they attempt to identify the best combination of defensive backs to employ when the season opens against Appalachian State in 15 days.
As the Vols wrap training camp and turn their attention to preparing for the Mountaineers, it appears the only secure starting jobs in the secondary belong to Cameron Sutton at cornerback and Todd Kelly Jr. at one safety spot, though Micah Abernathy has put himself in strong position to start at the other safety.
"We have an idea (of who's our best five)," secondary coach Willie Martinez said last week, "but each day something happens and you're going, 'Mmm.'"
Shoop last week called Abernathy the most consistent defensive back and predicted he would have a "big year."
"If I were to start at safety, that'd mean a lot," the sophomore said. "That's been my dream, to start in the SEC as a safety, or really at any position. That would mean a lot to me."
Abernathy played safety until his senior year at Greater Atlanta Christian School, when he played cornerback and running back. As a Vols freshman last season he played primarily nickel back and contributed on special teams. Abernathy totaled nine tackles in 12 games and broke up passes against Bowling Green and Kentucky.
After his season on the move from corner to nickel to the dime back, where he made his debut in last season's opener, Abernathy welcomed spending most of this offseason playing safety.
"The safeties as a whole, we meet with Coach Shoop every day (about) alignments or just watching film," he said. "We have to know the ins and outs of the defense. Whether it's the D-line, corners, nickels, safeties, linebackers - we have correct everybody and be the safety. We spend a lot of time in the film room."
The play of Abernathy and promising freshman Nigel Warrior prompted Tennessee to give Rashaan Gaulden more repetitions at the nickel back spot, where he'll battle incumbent Malik Foreman.
Emmanuel Moseley and Justin Martin continue to go back and forth at the corner spot opposite Sutton, though freshmen Baylen Buchanan and Marquill Osborne have made serious pushes for playing time this preseason.
Griffin is another safety Shoop and the Vols like, and he's settled in as a second-team defender with Evan Berry missing practice time with an undisclosed injury. After enrolling early, Griffin never could get going due to injuries that limited him to eight games. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he certainly looks the part.
Even if his defensive contributions are limited, Griffin should play a role on special teams.
"I've definitely gotten mentally tougher since last year because of my injury and going through that tough time," he said, "but now I've been locked in and mentally focused trying to learn my assignment, come out with workman's attitude and just try to be my best every day."
At one of Tennessee's deepest and most talented positions, the best is a minimum requirement.
Shoop "caters" to the safeties, Griffin said, and often spends individual periods in practices working with them, so he'll have a higher expectation level for them than any other position group.
"We're a band of brothers back there," Abernathy said. "On the field we're brothers. Off the field we're brothers. On the field we're going to get after it and compete, and there's no hard feelings."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.