Jaxson Moi played in all 24 games his first two college seasons at Stanford, which included eight starts.
The defensive tackle didn’t transfer to Tennessee earlier this year just to warm a bench.
“I don’t think people knew the skills that I had,” Moi said Wednesday in a news conference. “I think I was able to showcase a little bit of my versatility in spring ball and turn some heads. It’s been good, but there is still a long way to go.
“I’m just trying to show people what I’ve got.”
The Volunteers conducted their sixth preseason practice Wednesday and their first in full pads.
Moi, who wore jersey No. 99 in spring practice and is now in No. 51, is a 6-foot-2, 307-pounder from Oceanside, California, which is just north of San Diego. He has joined a Tennessee roster overrun with multiyear senior defensive linemen such as Dominic Bailey, Bryson Eason, Omarr Norman-Lott, Elijah Simmons and Omari Thomas, but Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner prefers using a deep rotation and has been impressed with the transfer acquisition.
“I was really excited about Jaxson when he went in the portal,” Garner said Wednesday. “I had a plan for him, but he’s probably exceeded what I had in mind, so he’s sort of deviated my plan. I think Jaxson is going to be a really good player for us, and he’s going to be a tremendous leader.
“He’s going to be able to command some respect in that locker room from everybody. All of his teammates like him.”
The son of former Southern California defensive lineman Junior Moi said Wednesday that he has enjoyed the Southern hospitality that Knoxville and the university have provided. When asked what he thought of Garner, he said, “Coach G is hard, but he treats everybody equally.”
Moi’s two seasons at Stanford yielded 37 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and he started the final six games last year. He played 911 total snaps for the Cardinal, making him more than a proven product to those seeking to snag him out of the portal.
Tennessee’s depth that has been accrued under Garner and defensive coordinator Tim Banks obviously didn’t deter Moi’s decision, and Banks also appreciates what Moi is providing.
“The thing I like about Moi is his versatility,” Banks said. “He is big enough to be able to play the nose for us, but he has enough twitch to be able to play the 3-technique. He’s a really smart kid, and football is extremely important to him. Our defensive line is extremely deep, but I think he is going to be a guy who is going to put himself in a position to be able to help us this season.”
Said Moi: “I knew when I hit the portal that I wanted to be part of an explosive defense with a lot of D-line productivity. I saw that was very prominent here with Coach Banks.”
Praise to a point
Garner expressed appreciation Wednesday for those Vols who have been with him from the beginning in 2021.
“Obviously I’m proud of the guys I’ve got in the room and proud of the guys who started out with us when we started this journey,” Garner said. “We still have so much room for improvement, but it’s good having a great nucleus that can set the tone and set the culture that can sort of police itself. We want to be on a solid foundation that can last, because we’re going to face some storms.
“We haven’t always risen up and played to the level we need to in those storms when we’re dealing with the Alabamas, Georgias and Floridas. That’s truly where you’re judged at the end of the day.”
When Garner was asked about the praise his defensive linemen are receiving and how they’re handling that, he responded: “Who’s praising them? I’m not.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.