KNOXVILLE – Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop believes there is more than just lip service to the idea that the Volunteers are entering the 2017 season with three starting safeties – even though only two will be on the field simultaneously.
Head coach Butch Jones said last week that the term “starters” is outdated and that, really, a team needs a number of starters at a given position.
“It’s not who takes the first snap,” Jones said.
The idea came to life on the depth chart Tennessee released Wednesday. It lists veterans Todd Kelly Jr. and Micah Abernathy as co-starters at free safety next to starting strong safety Nigel Warrior.
“I think a lot of times coaches use the phrase, ‘We have three starters at safety’ or this or that,” Shoop said Thursday. “That’s really not (untrue) to me. (Kelly), Micah and Nigel have really separated from the pack as far as those guys.”
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones looks up at a throw with players during an NCAA college football practice in Knoxville, Tenn. Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. (Caitie McMekin/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)
Secondary coach Charlton Warren indicated it’s unlikely the three ever will be on the field at once when the Vols open against Georgia Tech on Monday night at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta. But Warren said all three have earned the right to play, which is why three starters are listed.
“And I think we have confidence in those guys,” Warren said. “They’ve all played a lot of football, especially T.K. and Micah, and I think they’ve had a really consistent camp. They understand what we’re doing, and they’ve earned the right to go on the field and get some snaps.”
Kelly and Abernathy played most of the time at safety last season with Warrior, senior Evan Berry and Stephen Griffin – who transferred during the offseason – as the primary reserves.
Warrior’s emergence as the starting strong safety caps a strong preseason camp for the sophomore from Duluth, Ga. A key special teams player last season, the former four-star prospect has drawn praise from coaches and teammates for his maturation during the offseason.
“He’s really taken the mental aspect of his game to another level,” Warren said.
Fans may remember Warrior for the special-teams targeting penalty that got him ejected from last year’s Texas A&M game. But he was also the team’s leading tackler against Tennessee Tech and started against Missouri when Kelly was injured.
Warrior made seven tackles in the Vols’ 63-37 win over Missouri. The game is now a source of comedic relief for Warrior and Shoop.
“I think maybe we placed unreasonable expectations on him, including myself,” Shoop said. “I did. He got thrown into his first varsity start, I think was against Missouri. He was going warp speed and maybe was a bit overwhelmed with things.
“He laughs, and he and I have talked about this a bunch of times. He can’t believe some of the things he didn’t know last year. It seems very simple to him now. I’ve just watched him grow up as a man and player. It’s been fun to watch.”
Shoop indicated Berry and true freshman Theo Jackson will be the top reserves behind the “starting” trio.
Abernathy said he has known Warrior since the two were kids growing up in the Atlanta area and has seen him grow off the field and as a player at Tennessee.
It really doesn’t matter who’s in for the first snap, Abernathy said.
“They preach that to us,” he said. “We understand it. We really just know that we have more than two starters back there. Anybody can play at any time.”
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.