What new Tennessee special teams coordinator Evan Crabtree said on Thursday

Everything Tennessee Football special teams coordinator Evan Crabtree said after during his press conference after Thursday morning’s practice at the Anderson Training Center:

Evan Crabtree

Where Tennessee stands in its search for punt returners and kick returners at this point in camp

“We’re in a great spot. We got a lot of guys that we train, a whole stable of guys that go out there that catch every single day, from receivers to DBs. Guys that have speed can go out there, make a cut, make a play. We got a stable of guys that we’re looking at. And the guys you mentioned before (Jermod McCoy and Boo Carter) are still in the mix, too, but we feel great about that, where they’re at.”

How deep he wants Tennessee’s returners to be, how confident he would be changing personnel game to game or if he wants it to be the same player

“Yeah, I mean, like, you look a couple years back with Dee Williams, it was nice to have one guy that was consistent and you know who he is, and he’s a playmaker. We have those types of guys as we keep figuring out through camp, and we see who that guy’s going to become. It’d be great to have him out there from Week 1 on, whoever it is, whoever takes that thing over. But you do have the opportunities with all the people we’ve been training to throw somebody in, and we’re prepared to do that with those guys.” 

Tennessee’s approach on kick returns, fair catches versus returning kicks 

“I mean, statistically, there’s a lot of things that don’t support taking it out every single time. And for us, our unit, we got to play smart. And it depends on a lot of factors. How’s the wind? What’s the score of the game? Is it second quarter? The fourth quarter? Whatever it may be. But we’ve got a lot of those factors that we go through and we work through. But our unit, I mean, we’re putting ourselves in a position that we’re like a home run derby mentality. When our pitch comes our way, we want to swing it. We want to go and score and be 100 yards down the field the other way.”

On Tennessee’s Max Gilbert  

“He’s not as reserved as you think. He’ll open up every every once in a while. But Max has been doing great. He, him and Josh (Turbyville). And we got our new guy, Grady Dangerfield. But those guys are doing great. Max is striking the ball. Josh is striking the ball well. Oftentimes those guys, it’s all about contact and the swing of their leg. And I know that sounds obvious, but when they go out there, it’s about the mental preparation. And that’s where Max is super strong. Josh as well. Played a lot of football for us, too. But Max goes out, he approaches every kick the same way, like it’s a game, and we get the results that we want. So he’s been fantastic. Josh is coming right along, too. Our freshman as well.” 

The versatility of Josh Turbyville in Tennessee’s special teams and how valuable that is on a roster

“Extremely valuable. Extremely. I mean, and that’s a lot of our guys. They have the same type of value. But who we want to bring into our room as a specialist is somebody that’s versatile, that can do a couple of different things at a high level. And Josh has done nothing but improve since he’s gotten here. I know he’s kicked off for us, but he’s just on an upward trajectory. His value is high all the time, but he’s really showing what he can do, a lot of different jobs.”

Will Brooks going from specialist to defensive contributor a year ago

“I mean, it is vitally important to the development of somebody on this team. You look at Telander, Arion Carter, Ed Spillman, to name just a couple of guys, and other linebackers. But last year, those guys were some of our core guys on special teams. And really, AC’s first year two years ago. I mean, it’s the feel of the game. It’s going out there, seeing how fast it really moves, particularly at Tennessee and in this conference and getting a feel for it and making some plays. That’s where we want to put guys in those positions to where they can go out, develop, play at our standard, but then become the offensive or defensive starter that they should be. No one comes here to play just special teams, but guys like Will Brooks, who were consistent every single day, never questioned his effort, never questioned what he knew how to do. He knew everything. It showed. And then the moment when it counted the most, he’s out there on defense making a play.”

What Tennessee punter Jackson Ross brings to the program

“It’s been great. You know, I got here right around the same time, a little bit before, but Jackson got here, me and him, the same year. It’s been awesome to see him grow, kind of understand America in general. He had a lot of things he had to learn, but just getting him adapted to being here at Tennessee and being away from home for a while. But he’s grown into who he is, and he’s a fantastic player. He’s got a huge skill set. He’s got a bright personality, as we know, but he’s a pro. He’s been a pro. He did it in the AFL in Australia. Having a guy like that at a punter spot, it’s important because he goes out there and the moment’s not too big for him. He’s been on a big stage before, and then he’s going into his third year, so he’s great to work with. Again, his skill set is one of his biggest strengths. He can be very versatile in all the things that he does.”

How he knows a kicker or punter is mentally ready

“You ask our guys that got here and you ask Jackson (Ross) and Bennett (Brady) and even Max (Gilbert) will tell you, they’re honest about it, they get here their first year and then after that year has progressed, they might say, hey, I don’t know if I would have been fully ready to go full time in a game. But it’s the preparation and practice that got them to the spot they’re at now. So when we’re in the game, I mean, those things have been decided long before that moment. But it’s the look in their eye. It’s how they approach every rep. They know their job. It’s not a hard job to mentally grasp, but the task at hand is really challenging. The elements, the crowd, the rush. But we try to say block all that stuff out, because it’s no different if I go out and kick in front of 102,000 versus if I’m out there on the practice field and I’m kicking just with myself. But the look in their eye, their preparation every single day, it gives me the confidence, but really gives them the confidence that they go out there and they can smash the opportunity.”