Physicality and depth have become the norm for Tennessee's defensive line over the past four seasons, and the standard that coaches Rodney Garner and Levorn "Chop" Harbin have established is expected to continue in 2025.

The defensive line showed its prowess as the Volunteers donned full pads for the first time this spring in a two-hour practice Friday at Haslam Field. 

Garner and Harbin enter their fifth seasons on Josh Heupel's Tennessee staff. Harbin had served as a senior defensive analyst since arriving in 2021 but was named outside linebackers coach last month. Both met with the media Friday prior to the Vols pausing for spring break. "We love it here," Harbin said. "The people have been great to me and my family. Coach Heupel is great to work for. Coach Banks is great to work for. So, it's been awesome." 

First-team All-SEC edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has departed, but Harbin brings back senior Joshua Josephs, who is one of the league's top returning pass rushers. Josephs logged nine tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries last fall. Pro Football Focus graded Josephs as one of the top 10 pass rushers in 2024. 

"Those two guys came in together as really good friends, so that's a motivating factor for him (Josephs)," Harbin said. "He's happy to see James have all of the hoopla and talk about being a first-rounder. He's happy for him, but he can see where he needs to improve and also take his game a little bit to a different level than James. He has an extra gear, so he should."

The interior of the line returns seniors Jaxson Moi and Bryson Eason and brings in very talented true freshmen Isaiah Campbell and Ethan Utley. 

"They're working and they're being pushed," Garner said of the freshmen. "I told them that they just have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. That is my job as a coach to put them in uncomfortable situations and get them uncomfortable being there so now we can get the good stuff to come out." 

Garner's line has been the catalyst for a Tennessee defense that has racked up 294 tackles for loss since the start of the 2022 season, a span that has seen UT win 30 games. 

The Vols will practice again following spring break on Tuesday, March 25.

Tennessee Football Media Availability | March 14 
Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner 

On what kind of start the defensive line has gotten off to in spring ball...
"I think the guys have been working hard. It's good today is the first day in pads and to see them go out there, while having a little bit of juice and a little energy. You are always worried about that last practice before you go on a break if the guys are going to be in it and all that, but I thought they were really energized and came out and competed. Obviously, we have to go up there and watch film. I know there is going to be some good, some bad and some indifferent, but I do think the guys are working hard. They are trying to improve and take their game to the next level, which we have a long way to go, so we need every work that we can get."

On the loss of crucial defensive line members and how the transition has been…
"Obviously, it's their turn. This is their team and their watch, whether they are willing to accept it or whether they are going to let it happen on their watch. I have been pleased with Jaxson (Moi) and Bryson (Eason). There are things coming out of last season when we sat down and did our exit meetings on things that we talked about. They needed to do to improve their game and try to take their game to the next level. It was good to see them come out and try to focus on that so far this spring, just improving fundamentally, which would now take their game to another level. Obviously, we have to build depth. We have to get depth because everybody knows we like to play a lot of guys. It's just a process that we have to continue to work on."

On what kind of leader Jaxson Moi is…
"Jaxson is a tremendous leader, and I think he has taken it to the next level. I have been really pleased with him, but sometimes like, I told him, 'You can't just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. ' I have been pleased with him. I have been pleased with Dominic Bailey, with him stepping up and trying to be a leader and Bryson (Eason) in his own way, just how he has at least come out and just comes to work every day. That's been pleasing. I think Joshua Josephs has done a really good job so far this spring trying to be a leader and take his game to another level. It's encouraging to see the guys come out there and really try to work at their craft and understand that it's a process. It's not a sprint. This thing isn't going to happen overnight. It's going to take work, and we have to invest. So we can get the right return that we want."

On if he feels like the culture of the defensive line room is in good hands…
"Hopefully, we can improve it. Culture is big, the standards are big. The guys who came before, I think we took some strides in bringing some pride back into defensive line play here. There is just so much room for improvement. No one can rest in their roles. We have to keep working. It's something that's always ongoing. The line keeps getting moved, so we're just going to continue to work, continue to improve and continue to strain."

On how he hopes the defensive line can transition after losing player production…
"We have to develop more guys so we can continue that tradition. Right now, it's the process. With some guys being banged up, it's been a little bit more of a stressor. (Daevin) Hobbs is obviously out, Nathan Robinson is too. Now, it's the next man up. I do think it's giving Isaiah Campbell and Ethan Utley probably more reps than they really wanted to take this spring because now they're getting more of a workload and really trying to strain and say, 'We said we wanted to play as freshmen, but now we have to get out there and put that work in.' You can't talk your way onto the field. I always tell them that if I can spray-paint them, then I would, but that isn't the way it works. We have to put in that work. It doesn't work like that. It's a growing process. I think the guys will probably be better suited to answer that kind of question than I am. They're working, and they're being pushed. I told them that they just have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. That is my job as a coach to put them in uncomfortable situations and get them uncomfortable being there so now we can get the good stuff to come out. That's what we're trying to do: get good and greatness to come out of them." 
 
On the assessment of his young players and their chance to be ready...
 "They are going to have to be ready. We do not really have a bunch of choices. I think they are very talented, big men. We have got to really work on improving their play so that they can go out and compete and play at a championship level in this conference, which isn't easy. The one thing I will say about both of those young men (Isaiah Campbell and Ethan Utley) is that they have handled it well. Compared to sometimes, everybody handles 'G' differently. So, I have actually been pleased with the way they have handled things. They are tough-skinned. You can get on them, you can push them. It seems not to rattle them. With that being said, I'm encouraged that we are going to get there. We are a long way from being there, but I like their attitude. I like their work ethic. I'll be excited to get the guys back that are banged up. When we can get them back in the summer camp and fall camp and all that and see how we can mix and match and see what we can come to."

On how Jamal Wallace has come along since he arrived...
"Jamal, people don't realize that and our guys laughed when he said this, but he did not play with his hand in the dirt. When in junior college, believe it or not, he probably did play some safety. He loves telling everyone he played some safety. He played outside linebacker and all that. It has been a learning process for him to learn the intricacies of D-line play. He is not having to go from an off-the-ball guy to playing defensive end. He went from being an off-the-ball guy to playing D-tackle. That is a different temperature of grease. It has been a learning curve for him. Same thing, they are good young men. They are eager. They want to learn. It is just a process we have to go through. They have got to grow as players, and I have to grow as a coach, and then we can move the needle the right way."

On having Coach Levorn "Chop" Harbin with him here and seeing him promoted...
"Obviously, you always like seeing guys get their opportunity and all that. He is a guy who worked with me at Auburn. He came here, has worked with me and worked his way up. It is good to see people get rewarded and get that opportunity. "

On what goes into Chop's hard work and describing him as a worker and recruiter...
 "He does a great job with it. He is relentless. He does a great job building relationships. He works at it. He builds trust. He adds value. That is a thing that is sort of getting lost in today's new age of different ways of recruiting. He does a great job of building relationships and building trust and having the opportunity to close on guys in the end." 
 
On the next steps for Tyree Weathersby…
 "We need for him to make tremendous strides, and I do feel like (Tyree) Weathersby and (Carson) Gentle both have had four really good days of practice. We're looking for both of those young men to come on and be able to give us good quality depth there. Weathersby is probably one of the more heavy-handed kids that we have in the program. He puts his hands on people. He can move people. He'll shock them and move them, so we're seeing him gain confidence and continue to improve his play. The program that he came from they didn't win a game, so a lot of it has been really new for him, just learning some of the nuances and plays, the fundamentals and technique and all of those things. Both of those young men, they want to be sponges. They want to be coached, and it's good having a guy like Dominic Bailey who's been through wars, paid his dues, be able to take those guys and bring them on, so I'm encouraged by both of those young men."

On Bryson Eason's development in the spring…
 "Obviously, Bryson is very talented, and we've always talked about that every year. He's one of the more gifted kids that we have, but just seeing him being more attentive to doing the little things. He is a talented guy, everybody when they are writing him up with the scouts and coaches, his talent jumps out but there are some things that he needs to clean up in his game and for him to come out and at least be focused on fixing certain things that we've talked about. That's really encouraging, and it shows to me that he's maturing and that's showing that he's growing as a man and he's taking it seriously." 

Outside Linebackers Coach Levorn "Chop" Harbin 

On the origin of his nickname "Coach Chop"... 
"That came when I was a coach, a GA, at Auburn. Senator Tommy Tuberville gave me that nickname, so that is where it comes from. Everybody back then was close knit. Everybody had a nickname. My name was Chop, short for pork chop. So, there we go." 

On the evaluation of the first four practices for his LEO group...
"A lot of energy. We still have a lot more improvement to go with the little things, hand placement and working on verticals. The kids are working hard. Excited about the group. They have great attitudes. They are really close together, which I love. We still have to get a lot better with the finish. We are going to get there." 

On what drew him to want to work at Tennessee... 
"Honestly, it was my daughter. I had a chance to go to Tennessee or go somewhere else. I also had a lot of friends that had taken a job here about a month before me. But really, my daughter, for whatever reason, she always loved Tennessee. I didn't know, she just wanted to go to school here, so she is a student here. We love it here. The people have been great to me and my family. Coach Heupel is great to work for. Coach (Tim) Banks is great to work for. So, it's been awesome." 

On the promotion from analyst to OLB coach and the change from recruiting to working with defense... 
"Recruiting, no. The coaching part is more on me now. I used to assist with Coach Garner and Coach (Mike) Ekeler and then also my part, so the defense for Coach Banks. So there has been a little bit more with that. The recruiting part, that doesn't stop. I'm still going to do what I do." 

On Joshua Joseph's performance last season...
"It showed up with his hand placement. He got better from year one to year two with his hand placements into year three. Really, with Josh, year two, he kind of had the sophomore blues, but he got better in year three. We challenge him with pad level because people consider him undersized, but he's really not because he does a great job with pad level. He's a 240-pound kid, he's strong, really long arms, so he's just progressed throughout the year and just has to progress on."
 
On the next steps of turning pressures into sacks for Joshua Joseph…
"A guy like him, he has to understand the leverage of the quarterback. He has to understand pass sets of the offensive line. That's the key for him. He didn't do as good of a job as he should have last year and something that me and the coaches have stressed and also work on during my individual periods during practice." 
 
On the next steps for Caleb Herring…
"Next steps for Caleb is to consistently be physical. Been happy with his leadership thus far, but him continuing to be physical and take his pass rush game to another level, but he has to continue to be consistent with his physicality." 
 
On recruiting style…
"My mentor Terry Price told me a long time ago, 'you're only as good as the players that you have' and that has always stuck with me. I know that I'm genuine. I am who I am, and I'm not changing. Everybody who knows me knows that I can go from zero to 100, but the thing about me is that I'm genuine. If you're good to me, I'm good to you, and that's the same way with recruiting. I don't deviate with that. I don't put on a different mask when it comes to recruiting. We have hard conversations sometimes with me, the parents and the kids, and that's fine. I tell them that upfront, but we'll always be honest from start to finish. That will always be consistent about me, and that's why I think I kind of gravitate towards people who are like that and they gravitate to me."
 
On the next steps for Jordan Ross…
"Jordan Ross has to work on being physical and also pass rush. He didn't get many reps last year, and he has to stay healthy. He didn't stay healthy last year, and he has to do a great job of maintenance throughout the year on his body. He's still a freshman in my eyes, so he's got a lot of work with working on his get off, playing the run, being physical and just being able to also rush the passer, read the sets like I talk about all the time with the guys."
 
On the differences between what he's expecting from a player like Jordan Ross compared to an experienced player like Joshua Josephs… 
"Joshua is looking to just continue to be consistent and be a leader. With Jordan, I'm looking for him to follow a guy like Joshua and Caleb (Herring) and continue to grow with his mental aspect. That's what I'm looking for, Jordan. That's exactly what I'm looking for from him." 
 
On how much James Pearce Jr.'s high draft projections help the motivation of guys like Joshua Josephs and younger players… 
"Those two guys came in together as really good friends, so that's a motivating factor for him (Joshua Josephs). He's happy to see James (Pearce Jr.) have all of the hoopla and talk about being a first-rounder. He's happy for him, but he can see where he needs to improve and also take his game a little bit to a different level than James. He has an extra gear, so he should." 
 
On becoming the third analyst to be promoted to a full-time assistant… 
"I think it's great. I think all of the guys before me have earned the spot to be promoted. It also helps with the cultural aspect that if you work hard, you will get promoted. If you don't, then you won't. Coach Heupel has been great to me from start to finish. He's been great to my family. His wife has been great to my wife and to my kids. That's been a selling point for us to stay here as long we have. I don't usually stay somewhere this long, so that's been great for my family. If it was not for Coach Heupel, I still would not be here going into year five."