Heupel Discusses Potential Position Changes for the Vols in Spring

Josh Heupel has inherited a roster that has some strengths and some weaknesses, and now he has to evaluate the talent and needs he has. Some position changes seem inevitable, and Heupel talked about them in his first press conference of the spring.

Entering his first season as head coach for Tennessee, Josh Heupel has some decisions to make regarding the makeup of his team’s roster. As Heupel and his staff move to install both their offense and defense, it is likely that some players on the roster will find themselves operating at new positions this season. The number of players that have exited the Tennessee program via the transfer portal is also likely to have several Tennessee players capable of playing multiple positions moving around in order to fill the needs on the roster.

In Heupel’s first press conference of the spring, he addressed the question of if and when players might be making position changes. “Not right now,” Heupel stated during his post practice press conference. “Our roster for the most part has stayed status quo as far as their homes and where they’re starting out at.”

“ I think as we go through the early part of spring ball here, we’re going to find out a lot more about who they are as a player, their skill set,” he continued. “How they fit in to what we’re doing, how they’ve grown in the offseason. Taking coaching and implementing the things that we’re asking them to. As we go through that process, you’ll find ways to move guys into a spot where they can get a better opportunity to compete and earn an opportunity to play inside of our program.”

There are two second-year players that are drawing particular interest from fans as guys that may be ideal candidates for eventual position changes as Heupel moves on with his evaluations this spring. The first is redshirt freshman Len’Neth Whitehead. Whitehead signed with Tennessee as a Top 100 player in the nation in his class. The Athens Academy product had his senior season cut short due to a labrum injury that required surgery, delaying him in his first year on campus as he healed and rehabbed. Whitehead joined the Vols as a running back, and he had multiple offers across the country to come work as a power back. That said, he was also evaluated as a linebacker, and this is the spot where he may have the highest ceiling. Whitehead has the speed to drop effectively in coverage and get sideline to sideline attacking the ball. His first step as a blitzer is devastating to offensive linemen, and he is an outstanding form tackler. Whitehead’s potential at linebacker is one reason he is likely to move, but the other is need. Henry To’oto’o and Quavaris Crouch are both still in the transfer portal and off of Tennessee’s spring roster. Martavius French and Aaron Willis are both currently suspended from the team indefinitely. The only players returning that have worked at inside linebacker for the Vols are Morven Joseph, Jeremy Banks, Aaron Beasley, Solon Page and Bryson Eason. Expect the combination of potential and need to push Whitehead into a new home as spring practice moves on.

The other candidate highly likely to see a position change is Dee Beckwith. Beckwith was a four-star prospect in Tennessee’s 2020 class from Florence High School. At Florence, Beckwith played quarterback, but he was clearly an impressive athlete. He has a 6’5” frame that allows him to work as a wide receiver, enough muscle mass to get a look at tight end, and is gifted enough as a ball carrier to work at running back. Beckwith played sparingly in 2020, and when he did it was effectively at running back. While Beckwith shower flashes at running back as a freshman, the path to the field at that position has several other players in it. Because of the type of athlete and weapon he is, Heupel is going to want to find ways to get the ball in Beckwith’s hands to involve him in the offense. Expect to see plays designed specifically for Beckwith, as well as seeing him line up at multiple positions to create mismatches with him. Beckwith is a candidate for a position change because using him as a big bodied, hybrid wide receiver is likely to create more opportunities for him to touch the ball than working at running back full time. This move is all about getting the most out of talent. 

These are just the two players most likely to make a move this spring, while there are certainly others in play. Heupel and his staff will have to evaluate where the players on this roster fit into his systems, and balance that with the depth concerns the Vols face after losing so many players to the portal. How the roster fills out should be one of the more interesting facets of spring under the new staff.