There have been numerous coaches in college football who display disdain when it comes to lofty preseason expectations.
Mike Ekeler enhances them.
Tennessee’s fourth-year special teams coordinator has overseen specialists, return specialists and coverage units that can get overlooked many Saturdays by their offensive and defensive counterparts but provide that desired “hidden yardage” for the Volunteers. Ekeler was quick to bring that up following Saturday’s practice in a fiery, eight-minute news conference.
“In the last three years, we’ve given up 23 yards of punt returns, and we’ve got right at 900,” he said. “Our guys take great pride in this, and it’s going to be no different this year. This will be our best unit, period.”
Ekeler made a similar statement this past spring, and he was asked Saturday why he believes this “could be” Tennessee’s best year in football’s third phase.
“I didn’t say that. I said it will be,” he responded. “Look, this is year four, and our guys understand what we’re asking of them. Each year, we push the envelope to get better. They get the fact that your skill set is all you’ve got. Your knowledge and your technique — either you’ve got it or you don’t.
“When you’re in the NFL and you don’t have it, they’re going to tap you on your shoulder and tell you to take your playbook to the head coach. These guys would like to keep their playbook, and we talk to them in that sense.”
Ekeler did not reveal who is first in line to return kickoffs or punts in the Aug. 31 opener against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
He said receiver Squirrel White, running back Cameron Seldon, cornerback Jermod McCoy and defensive back Boo Carter, the freshman from Bradley Central, have been vying for punt return duties, with Ekeler adding that it’s “a lot of the same group” for kickoff returns with the addition of running back DeSean Bishop.
“We’ve got some dynamic guys with the ball in their hands,” Ekeler said.
Ekeler continued his praise for punter Jackson Ross, the redshirt sophomore from Australia, and has also been impressed with kickers Max Gilbert, Josh Turbyville and JT Carver. The kickers all hail from Tennessee, with Gilbert from Memphis, Turbyville from Knoxville and Carver from Martin.
Tennessee’s top two long snappers are also from within the state, with Matthew Salansky from Morristown and Bennett Brady from Memphis.
“We have three kickers who could pretty much start anywhere in the country,” Ekeler said. “We have NFL-type specialists, and we have two snappers, Salansky and Bennett, who are ready to play in the NFL.”
Lofty expectations indeed, no matter who is in what role.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.