Josh Heupel can no longer hide his excitement about the Tennessee Vols defense this spring. It's taken some time, but this might be the first round of spring practices that coach Heupel seems legitimately impressed and comfortable with the defensive secondary. He joined Greg McElroy on the Always College Football podcast today and talked through some key players to watch as the spring game is fast approaching.
Top Cornerbacks for the Vols in 2024
The very first name coach Heupel mentioned was cornerback Rickey Gibson. Both he and cornerbacks coach Willie Martinez have been talking up Gibson for weeks, and it seems he is a prime candidate to break out for the Vols this fall on defense. As Tucker Harlin of WUTK radio mentioned a week ago, "confident" was the primary word used to describe Gibson when coach Martinez was talking through his development.
Heupel on Rickey Gibson:
"He started playing a lot more football in middle to back half of the season. Started in the bowl game. He's continued to grow in his understanding of the game. Has all the physical traits as far as athleticism. Patience in coverage. Ability to play 50-50 balls."
Heupel seemed incredibly high on transfer cornerback Jermod McCoy as well:
"Jermod McCoy, a transfer that we added [from Oregon State], has done an unbelievable job of, you know, fitting into the team culture, but grasping what we're doing schematically on the field. And [he's] got a great ceiling in front of him as well."
Both Gibson and McCoy have been splashing all spring practice long and seem to be lined up as the starting outside cornerbacks for the Vols this fall.
Top Safeties and Star for Tennessee Vols in 2024
Coach Heupel was perhaps even more excited to talk about his safety and star position group that has been showing incredible depth and talent, even among the younger players this spring:
"We've got great competition at [safety] spots. And there's some young guys that's played extremely well the last few weeks of the season and into the bowl game. Jourdan Thomas is a great example of that. A guy that plays the star position for us. You know we added Jakobe Thomas at safety. He's done an unbelievable job for us. Again, I really like that group. They're smart. They're competitive in the meeting room. They help each other out. And again I feel like just athletically, the movement skills of those guys, the ability to play in space in coverage, but then also tackle in coverage...we continue to upgrade our roster."
Jourdan Thomas, a home-grown three star from the 2022 class looks like a potential star for the Vols. He saw his role expand greatly down the stretch last fall and he should be leaned on heavily to face some of the toughest matchups in the slot and all over the field for Tennessee in 2024.
Jakobe Thomas racked up over 100 tackles in his last two seasons for Middle Tennessee. He brings great experience, athleticism, and versatility to the Vols this year.
There may be several new faces who will be asked to step up for the Vols in the secondary this year, but it's clear that coach Heupel is expecting great things from this highly talented group.
Be looking for more Tennessee Vols coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And you can check out more from the interview on the Vols' defensive secondary stars here in the YouTube video below with Greg McElroy and coach Heupel on the Always College Football podcast.
More must-reads: