Hooker and Tillman 'comfortable and confident' for the Vols

Hendon Hooker was the backup quarterback and Cedric Tillman a receiver with eight career catches when Tennessee kicked off the Josh Heupel era last September with a 38-6 thumping of Bowling Green.

They are now the faces of Volunteers football for 2022.

Nobody thrived more in Heupel's offensive system than Hooker, who finished third nationally with a program-record 181.41 efficiency rating, and Tillman, who amassed 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. Tennessee's 7-6 record surpassed expectations for a team that had been pegged to finish fifth in the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division, and trying to build off that begins with the sixth- and fifth-year seniors.

"I think for both of them that it's different this year than it was a year ago," Heupel said Tuesday in a news conference. "They are comfortable and confident in who they are as players, and they have a great understanding of ways they need to improve and want to improve. They have a great voice inside of our team room and inside of their position units. They understand that now, so the leadership and ownership from within is completely different, too.

"For them to continue to improve, and that doesn't mean statistically, it's about becoming and maximizing who you are in your potential as a football player. Both of those guys did a great job in the first seven weeks of our offseason of doing very purposeful work."

Tennessee conducted the first of its 15 spring workouts Tuesday and will practice again Thursday.

Tennessee Athletics photo / Fifth-year senior receiver Cedric Tillman goes through Tuesday's opening spring practice at Tennessee.

"Today was a great start," Heupel said. "There was great energy, which there should be on day one. I'm proud of the growth that we've had and some of the things that we saw out there today, and I can't wait to watch the video and get a chance to meet with our guys on the back end of it."

Last season had just concluded when Hooker and Tillman sent a leadership message. The two had accompanied Heupel to discuss a 48-45 overtime loss to Purdue in the Music City Bowl and already were wanting to forge ahead.

"As soon as we get back, on the first day of workouts, me and Ced are already planning on staying out there and getting some of those young guys out there to stay and do some pitch and catch and watch some extra film as well," Hooker said in Nashville. "I see this as motivation and something that we can build off of. We'll be remembering this loss, and to change the narrative will be big."

The Vols began spring looking to address two deficient areas - quality receivers behind Tillman and a cornerback spot that has been ravaged by players who are missing this spring due to injuries. Heupel said that the receiver situation isn't all that different from a year ago, when Tillman was still a relative unknown and Josh Palmer and Brandon Johnson were having to be replaced.

As for the lack of cornerbacks, Heupel said player loads would be monitored and that he wasn't worried that reps would have to be reduced.

Spring game absence

Heupel was asked Tuesday about the absence of an Orange & White game this year due to renovations inside Neyland Stadium.

"Everybody in our building is going to miss the opportunity to go inside of Neyland and play in front of a bunch of people," he said. "It's great for your young players to get that experience before you hit the fall and everything is live for the first time, but there is a lot of excitement about what's going on inside of our stadium."

Odds and ends

Walk-on quarterback Navy Shuler will wear jersey No. 21, which his father Heath wore from 1991-93. ... Heupel on the success of the men's and women's basketball programs this season: "There were great environments in our arena, and it was a huge part of our recruiting in January and in March, too."

Conact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.