KNOXVILLE - It didn't take long for new Tennessee secondary coach Charlton Warren to lay down a marker for the players he inherited after joining the Volunteers in January.
All the former military man needed was one team meeting.
Tennessee safety Todd Kelly Jr. takes part in the Vols' walk-through Wednesday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Warren let his disciplinary chops from his Air Force years provide the first impression on Tennessee's defensive backs.
"It definitely opened our eyes," safety Todd Kelly Jr. said last week. "The first unit meeting we had, it was our whole defense, and after Coach (Bob) Shoop (Tennessee's defensive coordinator) was done talking, Coach Warren got up and told the defensive backs, 'You have 30 seconds to be in the (meeting) room or the door's going to lock.'
"Everyone was like, 'What? This is crazy.' It just shows how much the game means to him and how serious he takes it and how important his time is with us. Just laying the foundation and letting us know who he is, while also being very approachable, is something I take pride in him for."
According to Kelly, a 15-game starter in his first three years with the Vols, every defensive back made it to the meeting room in those 30 seconds, and no players so far have tested Warren with tardiness.
"All of our teammates stuck together and made sure within that 30 seconds everybody got in that room," he said. "No one's been punished for (being late) yet. Hopefully we'll stick to that."
Three Tennessee position groups are adjusting to new coaches as Tennessee underwent a staff shakeup this offseason. In addition to Warren, who's taking over for Willie Martinez, Brady Hoke is the new defensive line coach - though predecessor Steve Stripling is still with the program - and Mike Canales is now the quarterbacks coach for the Vols.
Tennessee also is looking for a new wide receivers coach following Zach Azzanni's decision to depart for the NFL, and Florida International's Kevin Beard, a former Miami wideout who spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons alongside promoted Tennessee offensive coordinator Larry Scott with the Hurricanes, is the front-runner coming out of the weekend.
Unlike the other new coaches, offensive line coach Walt Wells spent the past year with the Vols.
Warren spent the past two seasons at North Carolina and one at Nebraska following a nine-year stint at Air Force, where he was a standout player before completing his active service in Florida and his native Georgia.
In addition to his military-influenced style, Warren said he planned to bring a clean slate to a Tennessee secondary that struggled last season.
"Coach Charlton Warren is a great guy, and he cares about his players the most," Kelly said. "Not just on the field, but off the field, whether we have concerns or circumstances that need to be taken care of, we can go straight to him and talk about it. That earns my respect, not only as a coach but as a man.
"Just the fact that he's earned everybody's trust already and respect means a lot, and it just shows what kind of character he has."
Kelly will be one of four fourth-year players in the secondary in 2017. The others are cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, the versatile Rashaan Gaulden and safety/kick returner Evan Berry, who's coming off a serious knee injury.
Micah Abernathy, Nigel Warrior and Stephen Griffin return at safety, while Tennessee has to replace Cameron Sutton and Malik Foreman at corner, where there will be a young nucleus with sophomores Marquill Osborne and Baylen Buchanan soon to be joined by three freshmen.
"It's wild," Kelly said of the arrival of his senior season. "I talked to all my teammates about it, the guys that have gone off and the guys that are still here. I tell the young fellows, I say, 'It goes by really fast and to embrace it as much as you can and enjoy it as much as you can, because it's going to fly by.' I wouldn't trade it for the world.
"It's been the best three years, and I know this senior year's going to cap it off."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.