Addition by subtraction can ring true, but Tennessee's defensive secondary is testing the limits of that sports adage.
For the Vols, it’s more like addition by extreme subtraction. They lost 12 defensive backs this offseason, including nine who were in the regular rotation.
But secondary coach Willie Martinez is showing no anxiety from that turnover. In fact, he seems to like the vibes of this revamped secondary more than the experienced groups from earlier in his tenure.
“It’s not a bunch of yelling and screaming. It’s really structured. It’s really cool. It’s a lot different than it was the first year or the second year,” said Martinez, who’s entering his fourth season on Josh Heupel’s UT coaching staff.
“It’s running on its own gas now. It’s hard to get my points in when somebody does make a mistake because (a player) is correcting it.”
The gas tank may be full. But a long road is ahead, and there are a lot of new parts in the engine.
So despite Martinez’s optimism, it’s reasonable to ask whether the secondary can withstand this amount of change in one year.
It’ll rely on three transfers, the son of a former NFL great, a dazzling freshman, a walk-on and only a few players who’ve been around for more than one season.
TENNESSEE SCRIMMAGE TAKEAWAYSBoo Carter, DeSean Bishop surging in position battles
Here’s where those 12 defensive backs went
UT lost those 12 defensive backs in a variety of ways.
Three went to the NFL: Kamal Hadden (Kansas City Chiefs), Gabe Jeudy-Lally (Tennessee Titans) and Jaylen McCollough (Los Angeles Rams).
Eight transferred to other schools: Doneiko Slaughter (Arkansas), Brandon Turnage (Ole Miss), Warren Burrell (Georgia Tech), Wesley Walker (Michigan), Tamarion McDonald (Louisville), De’Shawn Rucker (South Florida), Jack Luttrell (Arizona) and Cristian Conyer (Coastal Carolina).
And then Jourdan Thomas, the projected starter at nickelback, suffered a season-ending injury in preseason practice.
To put the losses in context, those players combined for 3,839 defensive snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Rodney Harrison's son and Boo Carter competing for spot
That mass exodus of defensive backs seems like old news. The Vols already coped with most of the losses in spring practice.
But losing Thomas to a season-ending injury put depth and inexperience back into focus. His replacement at Star position, what UT calls its nickel back, likely will be sophom*ore Christian Harrison or freshman Boo Carter.
Harrison, the son of former NFL All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison, played only 27 snaps on defense last season. He has been mostly a special teams player.
Carter, the celebrated recruit from Bradley Central, is competing to start in his first college season, which begins against Chattanooga on Aug. 31 (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Could walk-on Will Brooks win starting job?
Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy, sophom*ore Rickey Gibson and Temple transfer Jalen McMurray appear to be the top three cornerbacks. Only Gibson, a reserve last season, has ever suited up for the Vols.
Junior Andre Turrentine, walk-on Will Brooks, Middle Tennessee State transfer Jakobe Thomas, junior Christian Charles and sophom*ore John Slaughter are in the mix at safety.
Turrentine is the closest to a returning starter the secondary has, but he has started only three games in his career.
Brooks, who has taken a lot of first-team reps in practice, is an interesting choice. The fifth-year senior has earned respect from coaches and teammates. But if a walk-on beats out a coveted transfer and prized recruits for the starting safety job, it could raise concerns about their readiness to play or the coaches' decisions.
For better or worse, secondary has new look
Pass defense has been a weakness in Heupel’s three seasons at UT.
The Vols ranked last in the SEC in pass defense in 2021 and 12th in 2022. They improved to eighth last season.
But it was clear that new blood could benefit the secondary, so UT reloaded with recruits and transfers. The extent of the turnover is staggering, especially considering UT will face several talented quarterbacks.
But Martinez remains happy with his retooled secondary.
“We’ve got a great mixture of guys that have been here. And then obviously we’ve got the young talented players who are coming in and inexperienced with a lack the reps,” Martinez said. “ . . . I love the room. I really do. I love the group. I think it’s one of the best groups I’ve ever been around in my career.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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