KNOXVILLE – The original No. 7 returned to the practice field this week, much to the delight of Tennessee’s players and coaches.
Roughly four months after undergoing season-ending foot surgery in August, defensive back Rashaan Gaulden is back on the field as the Volunteers continue bowl preparation.
A favorite of his teammates and coaches, the redshirting sophomore is building toward next season with an early return.
“Oh my gosh, Rashaan Gaulden? Yeah, it’s been great,” defensive coordinator John Jancek said Thursday. “He’s out there. He’s got a lot of energy. It’s been really good to see him out there running around and what he can bring to our defense.
“The thing with Rashaan is not only is he a good athlete. He’s got a mentality that you want. He’s tough; he’s physical; he demands of himself and his teammates. He’s going to be fun to work with in the spring, I will say that.”
The Vols wish they’d had Gaulden at nickel cornerback this season, but his noncontact injury in the preseason denied them the opportunity to see the former four-star recruit chase the breakout season many believed was coming.
When Justin Coleman, now with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent, played the position last season, Tennessee made Gaulden his understudy to help prepare him for the starting role this season, and he appeared poised to make the most of by his approach and consistency in spring and preseason practices.
“I love watching R.G. play,” linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said Monday. “I wish he would have gotten the chance to showcase his talents this year on the field. But it’s definitely fun watching him out there, just the way he plays.”
Without Gaulden, Tennessee turned to Malik Foreman and freshman Micah Abernathy at the nickel spot, and it took Foreman about half the season to settle into a groove at a position he’d never played before.
Jancek won’t allow himself to wonder what could have been for his defense with a healthy Gaulden.
“Obviously losing Rashaan hurt us, but I don’t have any regrets,” he said. “Malik stepped in and has done a fantastic job and is really playing his best football right now, too. But ,yeah, it’ll be good to get him back full go, that’ll be for sure.”
Gaulden wasn’t the only costly injury Tennessee’s defense had to overcome this season.
Defensive end/linebacker Curt Maggitt went down five quarters into the season. Freshman defensive tackle Shy Tuttle was lost for the season against Georgia just as he was starting to turn the corner. Fellow rookie Kyle Phillips began the year on the shelf following shoulder surgery and had his season end in November.
Preseason ailments cost two talented newcomers, cornerback Justin Martin and defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, valuable time in August and delayed their availability for the defense.
“You always prepare for adversity – you always talk about it and you train for it – but I think it was a difficult year in those cases,” defensive line coach Steve Stripling said.
“When you have great, great years, you stay healthy and you get some breaks,” he added. “This was one of those years where we got banged up a little bit on the defensive line. We actually had it last spring. The way I’m looking at it, we got it over with, so in the future we won’t have that situation.”
Jancek said replacing those players on the field is demanding mentally on the rest of the defense.
“It’s a challenge not only to replace the physical attributes of those guys that you lost and the production that they brought to the unit,” he said, “but also just the psyche and the mentality of your unit as well.
“Making sure, ‘Hey, guys, here’s our plan; we’re going to be OK. Everyone’s going to step up. Everyone’s going to pull a little bit harder on the rope and we’re going to get this thing done’ those are the challenges that you face as a coach when those injuries start to occur.”
And when those injured players return to the field, their presence can boost a team.
“He’s always a great guy to have around,” safety Brian Randolph said of Gaulden. “He brings a lot of energy.
“You can tell he has a passion for the sport, so it’s great to be around a person like that, especially when you’re out there this late in the season.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com