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Tennessee defensive lineman Bryson Eason (20) at the Vol Walk before the Orange & White spring game, Saturday, April 12, 2025. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Everything From Tennessee DL Bryson Eason Media Availability

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Najeh Wilkins | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Veteran defensive lineman Bryson Eason talked to media about the defenisve line, coaching the younger guys, and much more with the season around the corner. Here is everything he had to say.

On where the defense is upfront and as a whole, with nine days left…

“Still trying to get everything together. Focus on the details of things like, you know what I'm saying, plays and little things like that, hand placement, you know, making sure everybody knows their job, so we can go out there and execute as one really. So, just focusing on executing and the details, so we can all play as one.

On what he has been seeing from the younger guys…

“Um, just playing hard, playing fast, and being very physical, you know what I mean? Coach Heup got a saying around the building that the young guys don't have a chance to be young. So, we just keep repeating that, keep putting that in their ear to let them know that, you know, they have a chance to play and help us out. So, just build helping those guys build confidence and believe in their self because we believe in them. Just uphold the standard. Regardless of you being a freshman or like you said, a transfer with Joshelle. So just upholding that standard with everybody and making sure we go in every day trying to get better.

On Ethan Utley…

“Ethan is so smart. He understands the playbook well. He gets everything, you know what I'm saying? He even helps his peers out, you know, the guys that came in with him. But also just his athleticism, his ability to run, and you know, he's still working on the physical part, Ethan, and getting his hands and everything down, but just how fluid he can move and all his movements and everything is going to be is going to help us a lot.

On Jamal Wallace….

“I feel like Jamal has taken a big step in just trying to get better each and every day, like being more physical with his hands and with his footwork. He's one of those guys who transition to a D lineman. So him just learning and embracing it, and you know what I'm saying, understanding what it means to be a D lineman in the SEC. He's been getting better every day. Each practice of fall camp, and with even now, just trying to get better and trying to work yourself you know up to the top.

On if he has given him any advice…

“ I talk to him, he likes to call himself “Big Mal” all the time, and just try to give him advice and coach him up. Of course, Coach G is there, so I just try to give him some positive words. “You got it, you know what I'm saying, keep him up because I know stuff can get a little tough sometimes, you being coached by coach G, so just being helpful and being positive in his area, and let him know you got it, like you're working it's just coach language. I've been helping Mal a lot.”

On how he feels about the defensive front…

“Those guys have just been great. They've been a sponge. Just listening to me and Dom, and I feel like Dom has been doing a great job with showing the ends and the tackles because he has to be diversified, just with how things go. I feel like he's taken a major step and a major role to lead a lot of young guys, and I actually, you know, sometimes follow up behind him and, you know, cosign him on what he says. So, just try to lead those guys in the right direction and, you know, let them know that we've been through the hard part before. It's just y'all's turn. So, y'all going to get through it and we're going to get y'all back through throughout the process of that.”

On if he had a chance to be young at Tennessse…. And the pros and cons….

“I definitely feel like I got a chance to be a little bit of young in college coming in. I feel like it was just a different process in a different time for me. I was still going through position change after position change. So just trying to learn and having older guys around me like I am now for those guys, and just building it up. They always spoke life into me. So that's exactly what I try to do with the younger guys and just be positive. I didn't know the coach when he was coming in. So his coaching language was very unique. A little harsh for some of the guys. But like they've been taking it well. We have been doing well with it and just been trying to get better every day.

On how to prepare guys for outside talk/noise….

“We just tell them to block out all the outside noise. The only people that matter or the only opinions or voices that matter is the ones that's in the building. So what you see on social media or whatever you hear from them, it really doesn't matter, you know. Everybody has an opinion, literally. We try to focus on each other, you know, like I said earlier, speak life into them. Speak about them positive. help them build confidence because it's all you really need to go out there and go on the football field and have fun, fly around, and make some plays.”

On how the personality of the defensive line room has changed…

“I would say hungry. I would say it's more hungry this year because you have a lot of new young guys eager to learn, eager to get on the field. Eager to earn a role on the team. So I would say he's just more hungry, more attentive, and more locked in. I'm not trying to knock last year, but like just more locked in on how the plays and how to play and how to uh take on the double team and stuff like that. So,just it's been a real, like, teaching and learning type of deal in the room, but uh still keeping energy, you know what I'm saying? Got to have fun while you're playing ball. So, still keeping the energy, but it's just more of a learning and teaching process with these young guys. And I think they going I think they're going to be great, and do a hell of a job this year for us.”