Cornerbacks coach Derek Jones and secondary coach Anthony Poindexter are new to the University of Tennessee football staff this year.
It’s a good thing for the Volunteers that they’re not new to the game itself.
Jones and Poindexter have already endured sizable setbacks before the Sept. 5 opener against Furman inside Neyland Stadium, with cornerback and Miami transfer Jadais Richard and junior safety Edrees Farooq going down with season-ending injuries. Richard sustained an undisclosed, upper-body injury before preseason camp, while Farooq tore his patellar tendon last Friday.
“This is year 28 for me, and I’ve been in just about every situation that you could imagine,” Jones said Tuesday during a news conference. “When you are a corners coach and you’ve played corner, the two things you have to understand are confidence and composure. For me, I have to walk so that they follow me, because part of football is losing guys that you’re depending on.
“I’ve been in the situation where I’ve lost both of my starters before, and it’s that next-man-up mentality. If they see me moping or looking uneasy or having anxiety, that’s how they’re going to do it, and it can’t be fake.”
Tennessee is now through 10 preseason practices, with the Vols scheduled to work out again Wednesday and Friday before Saturday’s second and final scrimmage.
Richard, a 6-foot-1, 202-pounder from West Monroe, Louisiana, signed with Vanderbilt in 2022 and played that season for the Commodores before spending the past three years at Miami. He was having his best season in 2024, making six starts for the Hurricanes, but tore his ACL that November against Duke and missed the final four games.
He only played in three contests last season while working his way back.
“It’s a heavy blow to a young unit that looks to a guy as a leader, but he’s no longer in the pads going with them,” Jones said. “We’ve tried to incorporate him in the meeting room to where he’s still leading and to where we’re still leaning on his knowledge. We’re empowering him to still be able to pour into the young guys.”
This is the second straight year in which cornerback injuries have hindered the Vols. Jermod McCoy never made it back from the torn ACL he suffered mere weeks after the 2024 season ended, while Rickey Gibson III sustained a season-ending elbow injury just 19 defensive snaps into last year’s opening rout of Syracuse.
Farooq racked up 76 tackles and a pair of interceptions last season as a sophomore, returning one 45 yards for a touchdown at Kentucky. His four forced fumbles tied for second in the Southeastern Conference and was tied for sixth nationally.
“First off, it’s devastating, and not only for the team,” Poindexter said Tuesday. “I feel bad for Edrees because of all the work he had put in. He was having a tremendous camp and was really starting to separate himself.
“I could see him having a great season, so it’s unfortunate for him and obviously unfortunate for the team.”
Tennessee began camp with Ty Redmond and Auburn transfer Kayin Lee as the first-team cornerbacks, Farooq and Michigan transfer TJ Metcalf as the first-team safeties, and with Kansas State transfer Qua Moss as the first-team nickel. Farooq’s injury will elevate Dejuan Lane, who worked under Poindexter and new Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles last season at Penn State.
“From this point a year ago to now, the growth in Dejuan is unbelievable,” Poindexter said. “He keeps moving his game each day and keeps getting better and better, and we’re going to need that out of him.”
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Redmond missed the first three preseason practices with an illness to shake up Tennessee’s secondary even more, but Jones said that was not a lost cause.
“I think we’ve benefited a bit in getting some guys who are unproven and young some reps,” Jones said. “Football is a game of injuries. Football is a game of sickness, and football is a game of change and adversity. When you have young guys who haven’t played, they have to have the reps, and going through the course of a season, you never know who you’re going to have to depend on.
“Tim Merritt and Tre Poteat have benefited in particular, and they’re going to have to be counted on this year for us. They haven’t played a lot of snaps for us in the SEC. Kayin Lee is a guy who has played more football than anybody in that room, but those other guys could become instant starters if something happens.”
Vols showcase looms
Thursday’s game between Baylor School and Brentwood Academy (8 p.m. on ESPN2) at Heywood Stadium will contain the three highest-rated commitments in Tennessee’s 2027 recruiting class.
Red Raiders running back David Gabriel Georges is a five-star prospect and ranked No. 9 nationally in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, while Eagles receiver Kesean Bowman and linebacker Kenneth Simon II are four-star recruits ranked No. 60 and No. 143, respectively.
Basketball patches
Tennessee on Tuesday announced a five-year partnership with Knoxville-based Axle Logistics, whose patches will appear on the uniforms of the Vols and Lady Vols basketball teams.
“As a company based in Knoxville and founded by Tennessee alums, Axle Logistics is the perfect brand for us to align with,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said through a release. “We are pleased to partner with a group that truly understands what it means to be a Volunteer. There is no doubt this agreement will greatly benefit our basketball program.
“We appreciate (athletic director) Danny White and the Vol Network finding us such a tremendous partner in this ever-changing era of college athletics.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.