KNOXVILLE – Tennessee’s football coordinators favor different terminology with respect to where they are operating on the preseason learning curve.
Jim Chaney is in his first year in charge of the offense and is implementing a new system. He’s focused on his players’ collective aptitude as they cram for the season opener against Georgia State on Aug. 31.
“I’m going to force feed them a ton of offense and just see where we’re at, see how much they can learn and absorb,” he said. “I feel like the familiarity of the offense through the spring and making it through the summer, they made good strides in that regard, I think.”
The two words Chaney used to punctuate his thought sums up on the whole process. There’s important thinking involved. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and wide receiver Marquez Callaway were interviewed separately on Sunday during a media session following team photos. Yet they said virtually the same thing: It’s something different every day.
“It’s crazy how much different terminology and how many different things he can put in an offense,” Guarantano said. “It goes back to (Chaney’s) coaching record and his track record. You see all the different things that he’s done. It’s really remarkable.”
Like Chaney, Derrick Ansley is in first year as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator. But he’s overseeing a unit that is relatively unchanged from last season in terms of philosophy and terminology. Therefore, he’s more concerned with the players’ football IQ, particularly their retention of what they’ve learned.
“I think the familiarity with the scheme and the coaching staff kind of helps guys calm down, take a deep breath and see things a little bit clearer,” Ansley said.
Ansley arrived with an uncommon degree of familiarity for his first year on the staff. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt worked with Ansley previously at Alabama and said last spring that his new coordinator was capable of finishing his sentences. Ansley also had prior experience with other coaches on the defensive side.
Linebacker Daniel Bituli noticed the lack of difference.
“When (Ansley) first got here, it was like he was here the whole time,” Bituli said. “It was an easy transition for him to get here. He’s so comfortable with the other coaches.”
Co-defensive coordinator Chris Rumph, in turn, said that every day isn’t as new as before for the defense.
“It’s like buying a house,” he said. “When I bought my house last year, I had to put my hands on the walls when the lights were out. I didn’t know where anything was. Now I can find all the cups and spoons because I’m more comfortable now.
“The guys this year now know what to expect. Now we can really coach and teach instead of all the little things we had to do last year.”
In truth, there’s not much difference between aptitude and IQ, which underscores the intent of both units to function with the same degree of efficiency.
The defense’s days might be a little calmer at this point but there’s bound to be bumps along the way, given how many young, inexperienced players are being integrated to the scheme. Furthermore, the defense aspires to be a more aggressive, ball-hawking unit, which requires a higher level of execution.
While the offense endures some dizzying moments, there are experienced players at all levels, particularly at receiver. And they’re helping each other to know where the cups and spoons are in Chaney’s offense.
“We have different roommates and I’m with (tight end) Dom (Wood-Anderson) and (running back) Ty (Chandler) and every night we go over this stuff,” Guarantano said. “It’s really a lot of personal time and there’s a lot of things that we go over personally and by ourselves. It’s definitely time-consuming but it’s worth it.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri who covered University of Tennessee athletics for the Knoxville News Sentinel from 1988-2019. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com