The big-name players are gone, and a pair of longtime assistant coaches have been replaced.
Tennessee’s defense will feel different this season, because for the first time in Butch Jones’ tenure as the Volunteers’ coach, Willie Martinez won’t be coaching the secondary and Steve Stripling won’t be coaching the defensive line.
Gone, too, are NFL draft picks Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Cam Sutton and Derek Barnett, each of them a staple of the defense over the last several years.
One overarching piece remains intact from 2016 to 2017: the scheme.
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop is back for year two with a group that started strong but faded down the stretch of the Volunteers’ injury-riddled 9-4 campaign.
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop walks the field. The annual Spring Orange and White Football game was held at Neyland Stadium on April 22, 2017.The former Penn State and Vanderbilt defensive coordinator is not overthinking how a second year with his system could benefit the crop of returning players.
“I don’t know if it’s the system, or just like anything,” Shoop said. “Second year on a job, second year in college, second year in a relationship, it’s just the comfort level. I feel the same way about them. It’s about relationships and developing them.”
Shoop and Jones brought former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke in to coach Tennessee’s defensive line, and Charlton Warren was hired away from North Carolina to coach the Vols’ secondary. So there have been adjustments for the defensive linemen and defensive backs with adapting to new position coaches.
But with the overall system remaining the same under Shoop, Warren has seen a team focused on techniques and competing for playing time.
“I think you’re seeing us be able to put some layers on the depth chart,” Warren said. “I think for the players themselves, each day when you come to work and come to practice, you know that each rep counts and is being evaluated. I think that makes all those guys better. I’m really pleased with the competition aspect. I’m pleased with how the young guys have jumped in there and held their own.
“I made it clear at the beginning, whether you’ve been here one day or four years, every job is on the line and everything matters each day. I think they’ve taken well to the competition aspect and helped each other compete against each other every day. I’ve really liked that aspect of those guys.”
The dynamics of the defensive staff room have continued to evolve. During Jones’ first three seasons, John Jancek was the defensive coordinator. Martinez and Stripling were part of the staff, and all three had worked with Jones previously. Linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen, who had not worked with Jones previously, was the only other coach.
Now Thigpen is the only one of those still on the staff.
Hoke, Warren and Shoop had never been on staff with Jones before being hired at Tennessee. Despite the relative lack of familiarity, the group has found a work flow that is “very collaborative,” according to Warren.
“I think Coach Shoop does a great job of taking in all the opinions in the room,” Warren said. “At the end of the day, we walk in the door, it’s his foot going forward. It’s similar. We had lot of guys that had experience, and we all have ideas and we’re all passionate about those.”