Defensive coordinator Tim Banks, new offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and new tight ends coach Alec Abeln met with the media on Wednesday afternoon. Halzle was promoted last month, and Abeln was elevated from offensive analyst to tight ends coach last week.
Staff continuity has played a vital role for the Volunteers’ success in the Josh Heupel era. Tennessee has retained its defensive staff in both seasons, while two offensive staff members have departed for promotions since last year.
Banks enters his third season with the program, and his unit will feature the most depth it has had going into a spring.
“We talk about compound interest a lot, and obviously the more reps they can get, the better it is for them and the program,” Banks said. “Knowing that those guys should be able to get the lion’s share of reps going into spring can only help the program. We’re excited about that. At this point it seems on paper that we’ll have our lion’s share of guys that will be able to contribute this spring.”
Halzle takes the reins of offensive coordinator after Alex Golesh was named head coach at USF in early December. Halzle has overseen the most productive two-year stretch of quarterback play in school history.
“The Orange Bowl was still us,” Halzle said. “That’s who we are. We’re going to play with tempo. We’re going to go vertical on people. We are going to attack. That isn’t changing. That’s what we said we were going to be the first day we got here. Nothing of that is changing now.”
Tennessee begins spring practice on March 20 with the Orange & White Game set for April 15. Additional details, including a game time, will be announced at a later date.
Below are quotes from Wednesday’s media session:
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Feb. 8, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks
On the offseason review process of last season…
“Honestly, we are just deep diving into it. We started Monday, really going back through our cut ups. You try to evaluate, obviously, all the things you thought you did well. Where are the liabilities at? What do we need to get better at? Obviously, there were a lot of great things that went on. You don’t win 11 games without doing a lot of things right, but for us, to continue…
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