Josh Heupel Praises Defensive Growth

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel gave credit to his defensive unit's growth during an appearance on "Late Kick Live" with 247Sports' Josh Pate.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel greets fans during the Vol Walk ahead of the NCAA college football / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel credited his defensive unit's growth during an appearance on "Late Kick Live" with 247Sports' Josh Pate.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is touted for his work on the offensive side of the football, but the Volunteers have made significant strides defensively since his arrival. Heupel recently appeared on "Late Kick Live" and talked about the growth of his defense.

Heupel noted there's room to grow, but that his defensive staff has done an excellent job of locating talent and teaching prospects to execute, while simaltenously noting the veteran leadership in their locker room.

"The last couple of years, we continued to take big strides," Heupel told Pate. "You look at where we rank within the conference (in) tackles for loss, sacks – leading or at the top of the conference in both of those categories – so the continued growth within our roster, recruiting at a really high level to have the body types and athleticism that we want within our defensive structure, and then continued developmental growth of those guys technically. I really like the direction of where we’re going and anticipate us again taking another big step this offseason."

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