Tennessee special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler has his kicker, punter and kickoff specialist back from last season, but his punt returner and kickoff returner will have to be replaced.
Of course, Velus Jones Jr. handled both returning chores a year ago, and he handled them quite well.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who are capable,” Ekeler said Wednesday in a news conference. “I’m really excited about it. Velus is a hard guy to replace, and we’re going to do it by committee.”
Jones, who was a sixth-year senior last season before becoming a third-round pick of the Chicago Bears, averaged 27.3 yards on kickoff returns a year ago and 15.1 yards on punt returns. His average on kickoff returns ranked second in the Southeastern Conference, while his average returning punts ranked second in the nation.
Ekeler revealed that senior safety Trevon Flowers and junior cornerback Dee Williams are among those vying to return punts and that junior receiver Jimmy Holiday, freshman running back Dylan Sampson and junior safety Doneiko Slaughter have worked at kickoff return. He was asked about the selection process on punt returns, in particular how to choose between those who can excite and those who are reliable.