During Tennessee’s spring practice earlier this year, Tyre West showed glimpses of the talent and upside that made him one of the highest-ranked prospects in the Vols’ 2022 signing class. At times, he looked like he might be capable of helping their defensive line as a true freshman.
But it remains to be seen what type of role the former Top247 prospect from Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga., might play during his first year at Tennessee. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner said Monday ahead of the Vols’ first preseason scrimmage that West is still “learning how to do it and be successful at this level,” and he’s pushing the 6-foot-3, 290-pound freshman to put himself in position to make an early impact.
“Tyre is a talented young man,” Garner said of West, who was ranked the No. 165 overall prospect and No. 23 defensive lineman in the 2022 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. “He’s got to continue to invest in learning what to do, and then learning how to do it and be successful at this level, and not revert back to freelancing and doing it the high school way.
“It’s going to be different. Things he got away with in high school, you can’t get away with in the SEC, so him just buying in and being consistent, doing it the right way and then getting more into his playbook so the game can slow down for him, and now he can speed up.
“So right now it’s hard for them to go 100 miles an hour when they’re not for sure if I should go here or go there. You know what I’m saying? So they’re sort of feeling their way through the dark. So he’s got to really get into that thing and know it.”
West was one of the stars of Tennessee’s 2022 class after the longtime Georgia commitment flipped to the Vols on Early Signing Day in December, choosing them over Florida State at the time.
Fellow freshman defensive lineman Jordan Phillips and West were among the early enrollees who arrived at Tennessee in January and went through spring practice this year, and West appeared to benefit from his early start with the Vols.
He recorded multiple sacks during their second spring scrimmage on April 9, which was open to media, and drew praise from head coach Josh Heupel at the time for continuing “to grow every day.” With Tennessee searching for additional depth and difference-makers on the defensive line, West’s performance this spring suggested he might have an opportunity to see the field right away.
But there’s still plenty of competition on the Vols’ defensive line. And with Tennessee’s season opener now a little more than three weeks away, Garner said Monday that West needs to show during preseason camp — beginning with the team’s scrimmage Tuesday morning — that the Vols can count on him this year.
“Like I told him (Monday), we play in 24 days, and it’s going to go by before you know it,” Garner said of West.
“We can’t wait to find out with 100,000 people out there that you don’t know what to do, so you’re going to have to show it out here in practice, that you earned that right to be on the field when we kick it off.”
Garner later mentioned West in using an example to illustrate how young players adjust to his hard coaching on the practice field.
“I called them up today after practice and I’m coaching Tyre,” Garner said. “I’m telling him something out there on the field and he gives you that look like, ‘Whatever.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, I just want you to be the best version of you, all right?’ When we get this look right here, this is what we’re supposed to do, right? Am I right? Well, you didn’t do it, and when we go up there and turn the film on, you know what? You didn’t do it.”
"do it" - Google News
August 09, 2022 at 09:08PM
https://ift.tt/cDoEzNg
Garner: DL West still 'learning how to do it' going into first season - 247Sports
"do it" - Google News
https://ift.tt/ZPjfyCA
https://ift.tt/DsP7TnN
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Garner: DL West still 'learning how to do it' going into first season - 247Sports"
Post a Comment