Latest / The Mike Keith Show / The Mike Keith Show | BRAYLON STALEY, MIKE MATTHEWS, JAVIN GORDON (9.2.26)

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The Mike Keith Show | BRAYLON STALEY, MIKE MATTHEWS, JAVIN GORDON (9.2.26) · The Mike Keith Show

0:00
SPEAKER_04: From the banks of the Mississippi to the peaks of the smokies.
0:06
SPEAKER_04: This is the whole field of champions.
0:30
SPEAKER_04: We are the full network.
0:35
SPEAKER_04: Inside XD, behind the scenes.
0:38
SPEAKER_04: From Rocky Top, direct from the coaches.
0:41
SPEAKER_04: Insight from the players.
0:42
SPEAKER_04: The inside track.
0:45
SPEAKER_04: Mike Keith starts now.
0:48
SPEAKER_06: Welcome to the Mike Keith Show delivered by Uber Eats.
0:52
SPEAKER_06: We've got a lot of offensive firepower on this episode.
0:55
SPEAKER_06: Let's start with number four on offense, Mike Matthews.
0:59
SPEAKER_06: He's physical, explosive, and really fast.
1:02
SPEAKER_06: He caught 53 passes last season and averaged over 15 yards per catch.
1:07
SPEAKER_06: Junior Mike Matthews believes he has just scratched the surface as he enters 2026.
1:14
SPEAKER_09: I definitely feel faster and just, you know, thanks to uh Dio coming in and uh putting us through the ringer, getting us right, getting ready for the season.
1:21
SPEAKER_09: I feel like I'm at my best.
1:22
SPEAKER_09: I've been in college.
1:24
SPEAKER_06: So you made Bruce Feldman's freaks list with some of the stuff you've done in the offseason with your speed.
1:30
SPEAKER_06: Running over 23 miles an hour, the 10-yard split was what?
1:36
SPEAKER_06: Uh 142.
1:37
SPEAKER_06: 142, which is crazy.
1:40
SPEAKER_06: Derek Owings, who is in charge of strength and conditioning.
1:44
SPEAKER_06: Braylon said his first day when he came in in January, that Braylon had a hard time finishing the workout.
1:51
SPEAKER_06: He admitted that.
1:51
SPEAKER_06: He said it was absolutely no fun.
1:53
SPEAKER_06: How did Mike Matthews do?
1:55
SPEAKER_09: Yeah, uh, I had a hard time too.
1:58
SPEAKER_09: I know.
1:59
SPEAKER_09: Pretty sure I I finished the workout, but we do this uh FRC at the end just for mobility.
2:04
SPEAKER_09: And I started cramping like everywhere.
2:06
SPEAKER_09: So that's how I could tell, like my body wasn't where it was supposed to be at.
2:10
SPEAKER_09: But you know, that was the first day.
2:11
SPEAKER_09: So, you know, but after a couple weeks, it was on a roll up.
2:15
SPEAKER_06: And and then there gets to be a pride to it, a toughness to it that you're like, hey, but I can I can do any of this.
2:22
SPEAKER_06: And once you get you sort of break through the pain, the the ability to make gains in every area goes through the roof, doesn't it?
2:29
SPEAKER_18: Yes, sir, it does.
2:30
SPEAKER_06: And what's the best thing you feel like Derek Owings and this staff have been able to do for Mike Matthews?
2:37
SPEAKER_09: I would say just uh setting the standard, really just understanding that um they're coming in here to make us better players and make us better people, and they're not really, you know, trying to hear all like the the little things.
2:48
SPEAKER_09: They just want you to come in there every day with the right mindset, coming in at work.
2:51
SPEAKER_09: And uh, you know, I'd had plenty of conversations with Dio just on things I could work on.
2:54
SPEAKER_09: He's always been able to uh tell me the things I need to work on and things I need to uh focus a little bit more on.
3:01
SPEAKER_09: So really just those things, and then uh it's been great.
3:04
SPEAKER_06: I went back and read your initial bio when you came to Tennessee.
3:08
SPEAKER_06: You said that your sports biggest sports influence was LeBron James because of how he has elevated the entire sport.
3:17
SPEAKER_06: So now that you've been a college football player for nearly three years, is LeBron James, does he still occupy that place in your mind?
3:25
SPEAKER_18: Yes.
3:25
SPEAKER_06: Even after he went to Philadelphia?
3:27
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
3:28
SPEAKER_06: What is it about him?
3:29
SPEAKER_06: And I know your parents played college basketball, both of them did, but what is it about him that that you feel like has defined him in a way that he's elevated the whole sport?
3:41
SPEAKER_09: I would say his consistency and really just him as a person, how like he's bigger than just a basketball player.
3:48
SPEAKER_09: You know, he impacts everybody around him.
3:50
SPEAKER_09: So no matter like, I mean, you've seen every team he's been on, like he's changing the way they play, their attitudes, like their teams always look different when he's on their team.
3:58
SPEAKER_09: So it's like watching that and seeing how much influence he has on just people in the world and people in the NBA is amazing.
4:07
SPEAKER_06: It feels like Mike Matthews is not afraid to be self-critical.
4:11
SPEAKER_06: Am I right?
4:12
SPEAKER_06: You said at the end of your freshman year my route running wasn't good enough.
4:18
SPEAKER_06: Period.
4:18
SPEAKER_06: It wasn't good enough.
4:19
SPEAKER_06: That's why I didn't play more.
4:20
SPEAKER_06: I caught seven passes for 90 yards, but I've got to improve my route running.
4:24
SPEAKER_06: You're five star.
4:25
SPEAKER_06: You're big deal coming in, and you're saying this about yourself.
4:30
SPEAKER_06: What was it about the route running that you felt like you had to get straight to take the next step?
4:35
SPEAKER_09: I feel like just uh clean up proper technique.
4:38
SPEAKER_09: You know, the quarterback, every time they draw back and they're looking at the receiver, they're looking for exactly how you're running the route, and you pretty much had to think like them.
4:46
SPEAKER_09: So I know sometimes that I would do some things that would kind of throw off the quarterback, and you know, it's not a lot of time back there.
4:52
SPEAKER_09: So if they're not really feeling like what I'm doing, they feel like unsure about it, they're just gonna look away.
4:56
SPEAKER_09: So fly just knowing that and be able to grow off of it, been able to involve my game, my game all around, and just make the quarterback situation easier.
5:06
SPEAKER_06: Is that why you felt like you grew as much as you did last year because you improved that route running?
5:11
SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
5:12
SPEAKER_06: What have you worked on going into year three that you figure will give you the ability to elevate even more?
5:19
SPEAKER_09: I would say just, well, for one, working on my body, my speed.
5:23
SPEAKER_09: Um, you know, deal trains us a lot and I'll change directions.
5:26
SPEAKER_09: So I'll try to emphasize that a lot.
5:28
SPEAKER_09: Just helping me get in out of breaks.
5:30
SPEAKER_09: And really just uh trying to, you know, Pope always tells us he's not trying to help us be college corners, he's trying to help us be his be NFL corners.
5:38
SPEAKER_09: So just having that mindset and fighting to stay like perfect in all my technique, my route running, my cutting, my catching, just everything in general.
5:46
SPEAKER_09: So I really just that.
5:47
SPEAKER_06: You mentioned Kelsey Pope, the wide receivers coach.
5:50
SPEAKER_06: What does he mean to Mike Matthews and to the Tennessee receivers?
5:54
SPEAKER_09: Uh he's really everything, you know.
5:56
SPEAKER_09: He puts his heart and soul into everything we do.
5:58
SPEAKER_09: You know, he's working overtime, he's always too early, always makes us do all this extra stuff.
6:04
SPEAKER_09: But I mean, it's worth it though, and it's been paying off.
6:06
SPEAKER_09: So, you know, now that me and Brella was able to see that starting from freshman to now, then we're able to help the young guys out and let them know like what everything needs to be looking like.
6:15
SPEAKER_06: I was looking back, and um you and Braylon coming back with the numbers that you put up last year.
6:21
SPEAKER_06: You're the the most productive pair of receivers that Tennessee has had returning in like 15 years.
6:28
SPEAKER_06: Everybody's got their eye on Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley this year as somebody who was highly recruited, as somebody who's been watched.
6:37
SPEAKER_06: Does that attention just roll off your back?
6:40
SPEAKER_09: Uh yeah, it kind of does.
6:42
SPEAKER_09: I mean, like you said earlier, I don't really like using the five-star turns, but I mean I did have a big target on my bat just uh with just playing football and stuff, but I never really let it like get to me.
6:52
SPEAKER_09: I never really thought myself, oh, I'm I'm this, I'm that.
6:55
SPEAKER_09: I just know I'm Mike Matthews.
6:57
SPEAKER_09: So I try to just, you know, just hone on on what I do best.
7:00
SPEAKER_06: Braylon Staley obviously bragged about you a great deal.
7:04
SPEAKER_06: I'll give you a chance to brag on Braylon Staley.
7:07
SPEAKER_06: What does he do that impresses Mike Matthews the most?
7:11
SPEAKER_09: I would say definitely his route running, you know.
7:14
SPEAKER_09: I always try to work on mine, but I also gain a lot of knowledge just seeing him run routes.
7:18
SPEAKER_09: And you know, he's in a slot, so he uh has a lot of different, like unique looks.
7:22
SPEAKER_09: So his ability just to release off the ball and be able to adjust to things and uh head movement and shoulder movement, be able to sell vertical and be able to really stretch the entire field is just it's just easy to watch, you know.
7:35
SPEAKER_09: I'm always on the outside, so I see all his plays, make I'm like, okay, yeah.
7:39
SPEAKER_06: So what's it gonna be like playing at Bobby Dodge Stadium?
7:43
SPEAKER_09: Um I think it's gonna be great, but I still think to this day, I don't think nothing's better than Nealand though.
7:50
SPEAKER_09: So I have So even going back to your hometown, it's like Yeah, I I Nealand really like stuck with me.
7:56
SPEAKER_09: So it's gonna be crazy, of course.
7:58
SPEAKER_09: I'm in my hometown and stuff, but I mean I already know how Nealin is, and nothing's louder than Nealan.
8:03
SPEAKER_06: Is Nealand Stadium the biggest reason you picked Tennessee?
8:07
SPEAKER_09: I would say played a big part in too, yeah.
8:09
SPEAKER_06: How would you describe Nealand Stadium to somebody who's never been there?
8:14
SPEAKER_09: Uh unreal, you know, like it's really like mind-changing because I've been around like a lot of like different schools visiting the games, but the Tennessee Stadium Nealand is just it's just ridiculous, you know.
8:26
SPEAKER_09: And I even like I know I've heard from a lot of like just random people saying, like, oh my god, like I've heard so much about this stadium and it looks crazy in there, and like they're like they want to like be involved in some type of way, so it's bringing attention all around.
8:40
SPEAKER_06: So all right, so let's wrap up with Mike Matthews.
8:44
SPEAKER_06: What do you love about ordering from Uber Eats?
8:49
SPEAKER_09: I love how efficient it is.
8:51
SPEAKER_09: Efficient, yes.
8:52
SPEAKER_09: Okay, you know, it has uh option whether you want to say if I you just got home, you order something, you got a standard time where it can get delivered, so you can, you know, shower, do what you gotta do, or you can have the express time and it comes quick.
9:05
SPEAKER_09: So, really just that option, and then you know, the drivers are always compatible, you know, they always help, always communicating whenever there's an issue or if there's an issue.
9:13
SPEAKER_09: But like I always kind of Uber East though.
9:16
SPEAKER_06: Mike Matthews, thanks for being on the Mike Matthews show.
9:18
SPEAKER_06: Sir, thank you with Mike Keith, delivered by Uber Eats.
9:22
SPEAKER_06: Maybe you got that out there.
9:23
SPEAKER_06: We'll see.
9:23
SPEAKER_06: This guy is uh big time.
9:25
SPEAKER_06: Enjoy talking to you.
9:27
SPEAKER_06: Thanks so much.
9:28
SPEAKER_06: More of the show coming up.
9:29
SPEAKER_06: We'll switch it back to the Mike Keith show right after this.
9:33
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9:35
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9:38
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9:43
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10:12
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10:40
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10:50
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10:57
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11:00
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11:07
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11:13
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12:21
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12:24
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12:26
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12:56
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13:01
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13:07
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13:38
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13:44
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13:46
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13:49
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13:54
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13:57
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
13:58
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14:03
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14:04
SPEAKER_06: Love that at Pilot.
14:05
SPEAKER_06: Love a lot of things at Pilot.
14:07
SPEAKER_06: Love that you're here and loved your year a year ago.
14:12
SPEAKER_06: Do you feel like there is a target on you now after the numbers you put up and what you did?
14:19
SPEAKER_10: Honestly, I do think so.
14:21
SPEAKER_10: Um, especially having Mike Matthews in the room with me as well.
14:24
SPEAKER_10: He put up some great numbers last year.
14:26
SPEAKER_10: So it's gonna be a target on Buffalo back.
14:28
SPEAKER_10: So, you know, we're looking for a great year this year.
14:31
SPEAKER_06: But that's a good thing that you've got, Mike, because they can't just say, well, we'll take away Braylon and then Tennessee doesn't have anything.
14:38
SPEAKER_06: What is Mike Matthews when you watch him play?
14:44
SPEAKER_06: If somebody had not seen him play, how would you describe it?
14:47
SPEAKER_10: Physical receiver.
14:48
SPEAKER_10: Like he wanna he want to get dirty and like you feel me?
14:51
SPEAKER_10: Um, but you know, in his game, you know, he he likes to change up his speed during route.
14:56
SPEAKER_10: So you you don't know where he's gonna run.
14:58
SPEAKER_10: Um, you know, he's a physical receiver, like I said before, but you know, that mother he he's a dog, so he is a dog now.
15:04
SPEAKER_06: Okay, so let me tell you how we describe you sudden.
15:08
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
15:09
SPEAKER_06: I think you're sudden.
15:10
SPEAKER_06: I think every movement you have is done at full speed.
15:14
SPEAKER_06: I love your full speed coming out of a cut.
15:16
SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
15:17
SPEAKER_06: Where did you learn how to do that?
15:18
SPEAKER_06: And is that something you're continually perfecting?
15:22
SPEAKER_10: When I got here, that's when I learned.
15:23
SPEAKER_10: Um, I feel like in high school I was just uh, you know what I'm saying?
15:26
SPEAKER_10: I'm lazy lazy.
15:28
SPEAKER_10: Rounded off.
15:29
SPEAKER_10: I like that word.
15:30
SPEAKER_10: Kelsey Pope.
15:30
SPEAKER_10: Yes, Coach Kelsey Pope said no more of that.
15:33
SPEAKER_10: No more of that.
15:34
SPEAKER_10: So I got in, you know, he did a great job of, you know, uh teaching me, you know, the stuff that I learned here.
15:39
SPEAKER_10: Obviously, I had a couple of receivers in front of me when I got here, and I learned from them guys as well.
15:43
SPEAKER_10: Um, but just continuing to be able to learn that stuff here, uh, you know, like during during the offseason, we came in with Pope on some off days, uh doing some top of the route, uh top of hooks, you know, stuff like that, just to be able to get better at those things.
15:56
SPEAKER_06: Who is the receiver you like to pattern yourself after in terms of watching tape and how they do it?
16:04
SPEAKER_10: Oh, that's a hard one.
16:06
SPEAKER_10: But I'm about to say like a Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase type vibe.
16:11
SPEAKER_10: So, you know, one of them ones that you know able to run route, catch the ball, and get off field.
16:15
SPEAKER_06: So you are versatile.
16:18
SPEAKER_06: That's another way I would describe you.
16:20
SPEAKER_06: Play the slot, you can play outside.
16:23
SPEAKER_06: I mean, essentially you can line up anywhere.
16:26
SPEAKER_06: A lot of guys can't do that.
16:27
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, you know, a lot of guys can only line up on the left, outside, that's all they could do.
16:33
SPEAKER_06: Where did you learn that kind of versatility?
16:36
SPEAKER_06: And is that something you're still trying to master?
16:39
SPEAKER_10: Okay, so I was I did that in high school a little bit.
16:42
SPEAKER_10: Um, so being able to come to college and you know, my first year I kind of played slot.
16:46
SPEAKER_10: Uh, first year kind of played slot throughout the whole year.
16:49
SPEAKER_10: Last year I was able to, you know, proceed to the outside just a little bit.
16:53
SPEAKER_10: Um, but I think just next year I'll take uh take a big step of you know playing more outside a little bit.
16:58
SPEAKER_10: Um, but you know, just still standing in the slot.
17:00
SPEAKER_10: But I think I learned that through high school, just being able to, you know, when my coach needs me outside, I can go outside.
17:05
SPEAKER_10: When you need me inside, I can go outside.
17:06
SPEAKER_06: But you know, I I love you so much in the slot because you're not that little slot.
17:11
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
17:11
SPEAKER_06: You know, you're not five, seven and 155 pounds.
17:15
SPEAKER_06: You're a big guy and big guys who can play the slot, who can cut like that quick guy.
17:20
SPEAKER_06: You know, they're fast guys and they're quick guys.
17:22
SPEAKER_06: Some guys are not both.
17:23
SPEAKER_06: You're both.
17:24
SPEAKER_06: It's a huge advantage, isn't it?
17:26
SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
17:26
SPEAKER_06: It is.
17:27
SPEAKER_06: Why are you comfortable playing inside so much?
17:30
SPEAKER_10: I think my ability to be able to find like grass, like just to be able to run the middle of the field and find your open window in the middle of the field.
17:38
SPEAKER_10: I think um uh I've mastered that.
17:40
SPEAKER_10: I think I got a little bit more to work on just to be in the middle of the field, but I think I've you know just uh mastered that a little bit.
17:46
SPEAKER_06: You changed some routes and some concepts from 24 to 25 as as Tennessee receivers.
17:53
SPEAKER_06: How complicated was that for you?
17:55
SPEAKER_10: It wasn't complicated at all.
17:56
SPEAKER_10: Really?
17:57
SPEAKER_10: It wasn't.
17:57
SPEAKER_10: Um just you know, as a receiver, you you run many routes uh coming into college.
18:02
SPEAKER_10: Uh high school, you got a couple routes.
18:04
SPEAKER_10: You know, you're not really putting too much in.
18:06
SPEAKER_10: But as a receiver, when you're training, uh you want to train every route in the route tree.
18:11
SPEAKER_10: So coming in, uh freshman year, you know, we barely had a couple routes, then we changed the office up a little bit.
18:16
SPEAKER_10: And you know, the route they put in, it was very easy to learn.
18:20
SPEAKER_10: Just being able to, you know, condense, condense splits, being able to run routes from there, very easy.
18:26
SPEAKER_06: How did you train in this offseason?
18:28
SPEAKER_10: Man, very hard.
18:30
SPEAKER_10: Uh, you know, training like it was my last time.
18:33
SPEAKER_10: Uh, you know, I trained with a couple guys.
18:35
SPEAKER_06: Uh, you know, man, I got Coach Owings here and uh Oh, oh, not just Derek Owings, you're saying, oh, like it was tough.
18:44
SPEAKER_06: The whole staff.
18:45
SPEAKER_06: The whole staff.
18:46
SPEAKER_06: Whole staff.
18:47
SPEAKER_06: Tell me about that experience with the new strength and conditioning staff.
18:50
SPEAKER_10: Okay, I'm gonna go from the first day.
18:52
SPEAKER_10: First day he came in, um, you know, great energy.
18:55
SPEAKER_10: Man, I thought that was one of them days I was go, man.
18:59
SPEAKER_10: But, you know, I kept my composure.
19:01
SPEAKER_10: Uh, you know, I fought through the workouts, and then as time went on, I feel like it got a little easier uh to me.
19:06
SPEAKER_10: Don't tell him that.
19:07
SPEAKER_06: But uh There there were some stories that first day in January that some guys didn't think they were gonna make.
19:12
SPEAKER_10: Yeah.
19:13
SPEAKER_10: I was one of them guys.
19:14
SPEAKER_06: You were?
19:15
SPEAKER_10: I thought I wasn't gonna make it, but I made it.
19:16
SPEAKER_06: And you're in shape.
19:17
SPEAKER_10: I made it.
19:18
SPEAKER_10: I'm in shape.
19:18
SPEAKER_06: And yet you were in shape, and yet you were still having a hard time.
19:21
SPEAKER_10: I was having a hard time.
19:22
SPEAKER_06: Where have you physically improved the most most under Derrick O'Wings and the staff?
19:27
SPEAKER_10: I think I just got stronger, honestly.
19:29
SPEAKER_10: I think I got a lot stronger.
19:31
SPEAKER_10: Um, just seeing my numbers go up in the weight room, it you know, it's impressive to me.
19:35
SPEAKER_10: Um, you know, just to be able to come in and work, you know, head down, just you know, just live.
19:40
SPEAKER_10: So I think I got really strong over this offseason.
19:42
SPEAKER_10: Tell me about the speed training and where that might have helped you.
19:45
SPEAKER_10: Speed training helped a lot.
19:47
SPEAKER_10: Um, I gained a lot of weight this offseason.
19:49
SPEAKER_10: Gained a lot of weight.
19:50
SPEAKER_10: I gained a lot of weight.
19:50
SPEAKER_10: You went from like one one, I played at like 185 last year.
19:56
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
19:56
SPEAKER_10: And like 195 right now.
19:58
SPEAKER_10: Wow.
19:58
SPEAKER_06: So you feel good at 95?
20:00
SPEAKER_10: I feel great.
20:01
SPEAKER_10: And you feel faster.
20:02
SPEAKER_10: Being ever run at 22 at 195 is you know 22 miles an hour.
20:06
SPEAKER_10: Yes, sir.
20:07
SPEAKER_10: Nice.
20:07
SPEAKER_10: Yes, sir.
20:08
SPEAKER_06: So is it more about your stride?
20:10
SPEAKER_06: Is it how they've got you running?
20:13
SPEAKER_06: Is it flexibility?
20:14
SPEAKER_06: Is it all of the above?
20:15
SPEAKER_06: What's what's improved you?
20:17
SPEAKER_10: I think for me, just being able to be explosive like through the ground.
20:19
SPEAKER_10: Uh, I think last year I was kind of light on my feet, not wanting to, you know, I felt like just being light probably helped you be more faster.
20:26
SPEAKER_10: But I think if you're explosive, you you're gonna be able to get through.
20:29
SPEAKER_10: So I think just being more explosive.
20:31
SPEAKER_06: Who's gotten the fastest?
20:33
SPEAKER_10: Mike.
20:33
SPEAKER_10: Mike.
20:34
SPEAKER_10: Mike is he's running.
20:35
SPEAKER_10: Him and Kay and Lee.
20:37
SPEAKER_10: They running.
20:38
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
20:38
SPEAKER_06: K and Lee, the defensive back.
20:40
SPEAKER_10: Yes, sir.
20:40
SPEAKER_10: They're running.
20:41
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
20:41
SPEAKER_10: They running.
20:42
SPEAKER_06: Is it very competitive?
20:44
SPEAKER_10: It is.
20:44
SPEAKER_10: We compete a lot, especially when we're going to wicket drills.
20:47
SPEAKER_10: Probably five yards apart.
20:48
SPEAKER_10: Okay.
20:48
SPEAKER_10: Just running through them just to build up.
20:50
SPEAKER_10: Oh, wickets.
20:51
SPEAKER_10: Yeah.
20:51
SPEAKER_10: Oh, okay.
20:52
SPEAKER_10: But yeah, we just, you know, build up until we go into our um uh actual build-up just to uh do our top speed and stuff like that.
20:59
SPEAKER_10: But we get competitive though.
21:01
SPEAKER_10: Neat.
21:02
SPEAKER_10: That's what I like about this team.
21:03
SPEAKER_06: Well, as as you go into this season, understanding that you are a known commodity and that everybody is excited to see you and they know who 14 is, they know who four Mike Matthews is.
21:17
SPEAKER_06: There are gonna be other guys who step forward too, because that's a heck of a group.
21:21
SPEAKER_06: Um, what's it like to go in being a known guy now instead of being the guy everybody has a question about?
21:28
SPEAKER_06: How different is it?
21:29
SPEAKER_10: It ain't too much different.
21:30
SPEAKER_10: Um, I feel like uh, you know, some people still don't know.
21:34
SPEAKER_10: So you feel me?
21:35
SPEAKER_10: I gotta I gotta keep my head on straight, you know, don't change anything, but my worth ethic.
21:40
SPEAKER_10: So I gotta be better on the field.
21:42
SPEAKER_10: Uh, you know, just being able to compete more, uh, compete better with the defense now.
21:46
SPEAKER_10: Um, you know, I'm saying uh Well, you know what I say?
21:49
SPEAKER_06: They better find out.
21:50
SPEAKER_10: They better.
21:50
SPEAKER_06: They better.
21:51
SPEAKER_06: I'm telling you, it better happen.
21:53
SPEAKER_06: This is him out.
21:54
SPEAKER_06: This is Braylon Staley.
21:55
SPEAKER_06: They better find out for year three as he gets ready for Tennessee's twenty.
22:00
SPEAKER_06: 26 football season.
22:01
SPEAKER_06: We're glad he was here.
22:02
SPEAKER_06: Sponsored by Pilot, the official travel partner of the Balls, where he can get those great big cups of your favorite sodas, coffee, kind of sweet rolls, and all that stuff.
22:14
SPEAKER_06: Go see our friends at Pilot.
22:16
SPEAKER_06: We're back with more of the program right after this.
22:18
SPEAKER_04: Direct to the source with the voice of the balls, and you, this is your ball network.
22:27
SPEAKER_06: Welcome back to the Mike Keith Show, delivered by Uber Eats.
22:31
SPEAKER_06: Talbot's Nick Moore is fighting for time in the offensive line.
22:35
SPEAKER_06: Talbot, in case you don't know, is in East Tennessee, along Route 11E between Morristown and Jefferson City.
22:43
SPEAKER_06: Parts of Talbot are actually in Hamblin County.
22:46
SPEAKER_06: Other parts are in Jefferson County.
22:49
SPEAKER_06: Moore played at Jeff County High School for former Vol Spencer Riley.
22:55
SPEAKER_06: Moore choosing Tennessee might have seemed automatic, but before he could make a school choice, Nick Moore had to make a position choice.
23:05
SPEAKER_06: I remember your recruitment.
23:07
SPEAKER_06: And everybody's thinking, oh, Jeff County guy, definitely gonna go to Tennessee.
23:12
SPEAKER_06: But then we kept hearing you were considering West Virginia and Vanderbilt because they were thinking about playing you in the defensive line.
23:21
SPEAKER_06: Right.
23:22
SPEAKER_06: How did Tennessee finally put you over the top to say, hey, come play O-line for the balls?
23:28
SPEAKER_07: Okay, so during my recruiting process, it was kind of hard for me to determine whether I really wanted to play offense or defense since I was kind of getting recruited for a mix of both.
23:36
SPEAKER_07: So what it really came down to for me was where I felt the most comfortable with the people, support staff, and just like the city.
23:43
SPEAKER_07: And being from around the area, I knew Knoxville pretty well.
23:46
SPEAKER_07: I liked West Virginia, I liked Vanderbilt, but I think that a place that felt most like home to me was Knoxville, just the way that the recruits were like the people that they were recruiting, and then like the coaches and how they set everything up and made sure that I was like fit into the system.
23:59
SPEAKER_07: I think that it just felt like home.
24:01
SPEAKER_06: But you were making a big football choice because you were choosing O-line or D-line.
24:06
SPEAKER_06: And if you enjoyed both, I bet that wasn't really easy, was it?
24:09
SPEAKER_07: It was not easy.
24:10
SPEAKER_07: It was kind of an adjustment to be a pure O-lineman because, like during my initial recruiting process, I thought I was going to be a D-lineman.
24:17
SPEAKER_07: And then I kind of got some offers from schools like Wake Forest, which really actually opened my eyes to offensive line in general.
24:23
SPEAKER_07: So whenever my eyes were open to that, I was like, dang, I don't know if I want to go offense or defense, like how I want to do this.
24:28
SPEAKER_07: So that's whenever I got to the point of I'm just gonna go where I like it the best and I'll adjust to be able to play whatever they need me to play.
24:35
SPEAKER_06: That's a great story.
24:36
SPEAKER_06: And play for Spencer Riley at Jeff County.
24:38
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
24:39
SPEAKER_06: Spencer Riley, a hero in the late 1990s for the Vols, uh, East Tennessee guy, maybe not the most talented offensive lineman, but a guy who was gritty and tough and smart.
24:50
SPEAKER_06: And Philip Fulmer certainly loves to have him on the team.
24:53
SPEAKER_06: Right.
24:53
SPEAKER_06: What was it like playing for Spencer Riley?
24:56
SPEAKER_07: Every time I hear the name Spencer Riley, the first thing that comes to my mind is toughness is a choice.
25:00
SPEAKER_07: Coach Riley was not playing around when it came when it came to that.
25:03
SPEAKER_07: Like when you had a choice in football, he said you could either lie down and quit or you could just be tough.
25:08
SPEAKER_07: And that was never an option to actually quit.
25:10
SPEAKER_07: So I mean, that was never a thing.
25:12
SPEAKER_07: He really instilled that value of toughness in me and making sure that I actually went after somebody every single play that I was on the field.
25:18
SPEAKER_07: Like if I drove somebody 10 yards down the field and didn't dump them, it was like that play wasn't anything.
25:22
SPEAKER_07: It didn't mean anything at all.
25:24
SPEAKER_07: So okay.
25:24
SPEAKER_07: So every single play I had to turn on that switch that Coach Riley instilled in me.
25:28
SPEAKER_07: So I'm very grateful to play for him.
25:30
SPEAKER_06: All right.
25:31
SPEAKER_06: Last offseason, when Tennessee hired the new defensive staff, they hired Penn State's Leo coach, Andrew Jackson, also known as AJ Jackson.
25:41
SPEAKER_06: Right.
25:42
SPEAKER_06: And the first person on social media that gave him a huge shout out, the big thumbs up, was Nick Moore.
25:50
SPEAKER_07: Right.
25:51
SPEAKER_07: Why?
25:52
SPEAKER_07: Coach Jackson was my guy.
25:53
SPEAKER_07: When he was at West Virginia under the Neil Brown administration, he was the dealfensive line coach who recruited me, and I kind of had like a tight ball with him.
25:59
SPEAKER_07: I really liked Coach Jackson.
26:01
SPEAKER_07: And even though I didn't commit to him, I still liked him as a person, still liked him as a coach.
26:04
SPEAKER_07: My family really loved Coach Jackson.
26:06
SPEAKER_07: And whenever he got here, I was just excited to be able to have him around.
26:09
SPEAKER_06: Why does he fit so well in that defensive staff?
26:12
SPEAKER_07: I think that he fits really well in the defensive staff because he offers like a unique teacher's perspective where he's like, he's hard on you to an extent, but at the same time, he's helping you learn.
26:22
SPEAKER_07: Because where some people don't learn as well whenever they're under a lot of pressure, he can kind of help you walk through the steps of how to become a better player and actually learn the process instead of you know just being coached very aggressively, where some people don't respond.
26:35
SPEAKER_06: Is Nick Moore's nickname really Pooh Bear?
26:39
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, yeah, yes it is.
26:40
SPEAKER_07: And you accept that, maybe even embrace that?
26:43
SPEAKER_07: I do.
26:44
SPEAKER_07: I got it last year.
26:46
SPEAKER_07: I don't really exactly remember why or how it came about, but it's came along with Pooh Bear.
26:51
SPEAKER_07: I was like, you know, I don't hate it.
26:52
SPEAKER_07: There's a lot worse things to be called the world.
26:53
SPEAKER_06: So you've just had that since you got to Tennessee.
26:56
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
26:57
SPEAKER_07: And it was an O-line nickname?
26:59
SPEAKER_07: It was.
27:00
SPEAKER_07: Okay.
27:00
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, the O line gave it to me.
27:01
SPEAKER_07: And one day I was telling my dad about it.
27:03
SPEAKER_07: He's like, Are you serious?
27:04
SPEAKER_07: He was like, Are you joking?
27:05
SPEAKER_07: And I was like, No, I'm pretty serious.
27:07
SPEAKER_07: And he's like, I'm asking you that because my nickname was Pooh Bear back then.
27:11
SPEAKER_07: I was like, What?
27:12
SPEAKER_07: Are you serious?
27:12
SPEAKER_07: Your dad's and you had no idea.
27:15
SPEAKER_07: No idea at all.
27:16
SPEAKER_07: I was like, what a weird coincidence.
27:18
SPEAKER_07: I had no idea.
27:20
SPEAKER_06: How much does it help you entering the 2026 season that you did get in three games in 2025?
27:28
SPEAKER_07: I think it helps a lot, especially to calm the nerves because you know, on the practice field, there's no fans, there's no anything, no real like environment that could be nerve-wracking.
27:37
SPEAKER_07: But when you actually get in the game and do it, and you just realize that it's not the game is completely the same.
27:42
SPEAKER_07: Nothing has changed about the game.
27:43
SPEAKER_07: It's just a matter of if you're gonna go out there and execute or not.
27:47
SPEAKER_07: So I think that being in those three games really helped me realize that there's nothing to be like nervous about when you get on the field.
27:53
SPEAKER_07: You have been coached to do your job, you know the technique, just go do it.
27:56
SPEAKER_06: Where has Nick Moore improved the most at center going into your sophomore year?
28:02
SPEAKER_07: I think that the biggest point of emphasis for me in this offseason was snapping the football because my snaps last year were kind of like here, there, kind of everywhere.
28:10
SPEAKER_07: And this offseason, I've really put a big point on snapping the ball a lot better so I can get the ball to the quarterback and we can make our decisions faster.
28:16
SPEAKER_06: Is it a mechanics thing?
28:18
SPEAKER_07: Yes.
28:18
SPEAKER_07: It's kind of a mechanics thing.
28:20
SPEAKER_07: Last year it was my first year ever playing center, ever stopping to football.
28:23
SPEAKER_07: So I didn't really know how to do it.
28:24
SPEAKER_07: Like my wrist was flipping everywhere, the ball was going everywhere, and it was kind of frustrating for me because I didn't understand how to do it very well.
28:31
SPEAKER_07: Like after watching Sam and Sat and some of the other centers like on YouTube and TikTok and stuff like that, watching them go through their mechanics, like I got to learn to like lock my wrist and do a whole bunch of other things, like just a whole bunch of small things that actually make a big difference in the snap.
28:44
SPEAKER_07: Wait a minute.
28:45
SPEAKER_06: You watched YouTube videos and you watched TikTok videos for different ways to properly snap.
28:54
SPEAKER_07: Yes, because everybody's got like a different technique thing.
28:57
SPEAKER_07: Everybody's got different things.
28:58
SPEAKER_07: You can do like the dead ball, or you can just do like the regular snap, or like some people lock their wrists off of like off the jump as soon as they grab the ball.
29:05
SPEAKER_07: Some people have it really flat.
29:06
SPEAKER_07: So I didn't really know what would fit me uniquely.
29:09
SPEAKER_07: So I kind of had to look around and shop around and see what everybody else did, see if that could actually fit my playstyle.
29:13
SPEAKER_06: As we wrap up with Nick Moore, he and some teammates did something really cool on behalf of Best Buy Metals.
29:20
SPEAKER_06: They went out, you were part of a school supply drive.
29:23
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
29:23
SPEAKER_07: Uh shout out to Best Buy Metals.
29:25
SPEAKER_07: Thank you for having me.
29:26
SPEAKER_07: I had a great time at the school supply drive, just getting an opportunity to be a part of the community and actually show my face and help other people who, you know, needed some school supplies and some things in there and actually, you know, give my heart out to the people of Knoxville.
29:38
SPEAKER_06: Nick Moore, thanks so much for your time.
29:40
SPEAKER_06: Back with more on the Mike Keith show right after this.
29:42
SPEAKER_14: You're one-on-one with Mike Keith, sponsored by Food City, the official supermarket of the Tennessee volunteers.
29:49
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29:56
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30:00
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30:03
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30:05
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30:11
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30:21
SPEAKER_07: Sometimes it's just protecting the quarterback.
30:23
SPEAKER_07: Sometimes it's holding the lock.
30:26
SPEAKER_07: Sometimes it's there, it's no different.
30:29
SPEAKER_13: We protect each other.
30:30
SPEAKER_13: We protect to stay ready.
30:32
SPEAKER_13: Protect the most difficult, depending on where you stay.
30:35
SPEAKER_13: Whether it's protecting the quarterback or protecting what matters at all, the responsibility is to send it to testify methods.
30:42
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30:58
SPEAKER_06: Calhoun.
30:59
SPEAKER_06: Whether you're dining in one of Calhoun's nine-area restaurant locations, taking the feast of your tailgate, or grabbing a bike from one of Calhoun's locations inside Neeland Stadium.
31:09
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31:14
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32:03
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32:08
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32:14
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32:18
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32:23
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32:25
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32:27
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32:53
SPEAKER_02: Everyone is a critical part of the journey.
32:56
SPEAKER_14: Championship teams are not built by one person.
32:58
SPEAKER_14: Great companies aren't either.
33:00
SPEAKER_02: Like the Vols, coaches and players need to learn to handle the pressure, including the pressure of success.
33:07
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33:09
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33:11
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33:14
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33:15
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33:21
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33:25
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33:29
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33:41
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33:43
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33:45
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34:14
SPEAKER_06: The man they call Flash Gordon, number six, Javen Gordon.
34:18
SPEAKER_06: Do you like it?
34:19
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, it's pretty cool.
34:20
SPEAKER_08: It's different.
34:20
SPEAKER_06: It's different.
34:21
SPEAKER_06: Running back for the balls who can go.
34:24
SPEAKER_06: Deshaun Bishop start that?
34:26
SPEAKER_06: Who started that?
34:28
SPEAKER_06: Have you always been Flash Gordon?
34:29
SPEAKER_06: It started with Coach Inge.
34:31
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
34:32
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, and then it translates.
34:33
SPEAKER_06: As a lot of things, and he's a linebacker coach.
34:36
SPEAKER_06: He's not even your position coach.
34:38
SPEAKER_06: But a lot of things around here start with Coach Inge, don't they?
34:41
SPEAKER_08: I believe so, yes, sir.
34:44
SPEAKER_06: Um, you have continued from what you did in the spring into camp, now toward the regular season, and have been able to seemingly get more comfortable all the time.
34:56
SPEAKER_06: Am I calling that right in what I'm watching in practice and scrimmages and so on and so forth?
35:01
SPEAKER_08: I believe so, yes, sir.
35:03
SPEAKER_08: Um, I feel like just me getting more comfortable just comes with me understanding the playbook more, understanding the blocking schemes, what my job is and what my responsibility is on this and that play, and just being more comfortable and trusting my teammates and my offensive line and the quarterback beside me.
35:20
SPEAKER_06: How different is what Tennessee asks to do, ask a running back to do compared to what Tulane asks a running back to do?
35:29
SPEAKER_08: Um I feel like here is kind of different because you're in the SEC compared to being in the AAC.
35:36
SPEAKER_08: So you're gonna have to go block bigger guys, you're gonna have to see different combinations of blitzes come and just you gotta have clean eyes always.
35:46
SPEAKER_08: Um just the biggest thing picking up blitzes and understanding the blocking scheme of the OL.
35:53
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, and being able to take on some of those monster linebackers and defensive ends and even safeties in certain cases.
36:01
SPEAKER_06: The physicality part is no problem for you.
36:06
SPEAKER_06: You oh, there's a smile.
36:08
SPEAKER_06: You you enjoy the physicality part?
36:12
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, I feel like the physicality part, especially like with my like size, I feel like physicality is something that I do not lack.
36:19
SPEAKER_08: And then I've also got like good strength below to also be able to drive, and my strength is always there, especially uh on linebacker blitzes.
36:30
SPEAKER_08: It's just a matter of believing in myself and knowing I can do it.
36:32
SPEAKER_06: You have good lower body strength.
36:34
SPEAKER_06: There's no question.
36:35
SPEAKER_06: If they people see you, they immediately know that.
36:38
SPEAKER_06: How did you improve your lower body strength under Derek Owings in this offseason?
36:43
SPEAKER_08: I feel like just buying in to what he had us doing in the weight room, being able to go out there and push and give him my all, even though I even if I didn't think I could do it, just being able to try and just keep pushing and just keep increasing each and every week.
36:58
SPEAKER_06: But it's not like you were a small guy to start with.
37:00
SPEAKER_06: So, how do they work with you in terms of your weight and adding muscle and what they're asking you to do, knowing that there's an individual plan for each Tennessee player in this system?
37:13
SPEAKER_08: Um individually, just the strength staff partner with the nutrition staff and just each and every meal, just knowing the portions you're putting in your food, like the portions of your food and each and every player, like if you want to lean out, you gotta have this and that.
37:30
SPEAKER_08: Um and just knowing your body type and your position type really goes into play.
37:35
SPEAKER_06: What is the food you had to give up that broke your heart the most?
37:39
SPEAKER_08: Probably fast food.
37:40
SPEAKER_06: Oh, probably fast food.
37:42
SPEAKER_06: You love to go through a drive-thru and get a combo of some sort, huh?
37:45
SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
37:45
SPEAKER_06: I get it.
37:46
SPEAKER_06: I mean, don't we all?
37:47
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, but you do have an occasional cheat day.
37:51
SPEAKER_06: You don't as much, not as much.
37:53
SPEAKER_06: You don't?
37:53
SPEAKER_06: No, sir, not as much.
37:54
SPEAKER_06: All right.
37:55
SPEAKER_06: Um when you come running through that tea for the first time.
38:00
SPEAKER_06: What's Javen Gordon gonna be thinking about?
38:05
SPEAKER_08: Probably the whole atmosphere, the chaotic fans, Nealan Stadium in general, and just being able to go out and ball with my boys just gonna be an amazing first experience.
38:18
SPEAKER_06: Will you know where all of the people you love from Tacoa Georgia are when you run onto Shields Watkins Field?
38:25
SPEAKER_08: Probably not.
38:25
SPEAKER_08: No, probably not.
38:26
SPEAKER_08: So you won't be looking for.
38:28
SPEAKER_08: No, probably not.
38:29
SPEAKER_08: I'm just gonna be trying to take in the moment, one in a lifetime opportunity to play for the Vols, run out into Neeland Stadium through the T.
38:38
SPEAKER_08: Just amazing.
38:39
SPEAKER_06: Have you ever seen it in person?
38:41
SPEAKER_06: No, sir.
38:42
SPEAKER_06: I have not.
38:42
SPEAKER_06: Wow.
38:43
SPEAKER_06: So the first time you see the T open, you will be running through it.
38:48
SPEAKER_08: Yes, sir.
38:49
SPEAKER_06: That's incredible.
38:50
SPEAKER_06: Well, we look forward to seeing you do it.
38:52
SPEAKER_06: But I I gotta end with a question.
38:54
SPEAKER_06: You ready?
38:55
SPEAKER_06: What is Javen Gordon's favorite order from Firehouse Subs?
39:01
SPEAKER_08: Uh, I gotta go to a large, a large turkey bacon ranch.
39:05
SPEAKER_08: Uh, no tomatoes.
39:06
SPEAKER_08: We don't do tomatoes.
39:07
SPEAKER_06: We don't do tomatoes.
39:08
SPEAKER_08: Um, you gotta throw an extra pickle on the side.
39:11
SPEAKER_08: Um, and that's it.
39:13
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, that's you love the firehouse subs.
39:16
SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
39:16
SPEAKER_06: Nicely done.
39:17
SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
39:18
SPEAKER_06: Javin Gordon, thanks for taking the time.
39:19
SPEAKER_06: I'm looking forward to seeing you run through the tea for the first time.
39:22
SPEAKER_08: Yes, sir.
39:22
SPEAKER_08: I can't wait.
39:23
SPEAKER_06: Wow.
39:23
SPEAKER_06: First time he's ever seen it, he will do it on Saturday against Furman.
39:28
SPEAKER_06: We've got more The Mike Keith show delivered by Uber Eats right after this.
39:47
SPEAKER_06: We come to the portion of the Mike Keith show where it's Andy Asks.
39:53
SPEAKER_06: This is Andy, the Vall Network's Andy Brock.
39:56
SPEAKER_06: Each week on the program, Andy will ask your questions.
40:01
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I mean it's pretty great.
40:03
SPEAKER_06: It's sponsored by our great friends at First Horizon Bank, the official bank of the balls.
40:08
SPEAKER_06: And welcome, by the way.
40:10
SPEAKER_11: Thanks for having me.
40:11
SPEAKER_11: Yeah, glad to have it.
40:12
SPEAKER_11: Good to be here.
40:12
SPEAKER_06: So Andy's going to ask in a moment.
40:14
SPEAKER_06: The questions will come from the Vol Network text line, which is 865-657-1278.
40:23
SPEAKER_06: We will use it for multiple programs.
40:25
SPEAKER_06: So if you have a question about anything related to Tennessee sports, men's or women's, and it doesn't matter the sport, just text it in to us and it'll probably end up on one of our shows somewhere along the line.
40:38
SPEAKER_06: But at this point, we're going to do it on the Mike Keith show.
40:42
SPEAKER_06: And Andy Brock is here to ask on behalf of First Horizon.
40:46
SPEAKER_06: And these questions actually come from UT alumni groups around the country.
40:53
SPEAKER_06: We solicited our friends in different parts of the country who are in UT alumni groups just to get us started.
41:00
SPEAKER_06: They gave us some questions, and so Andy now asks.
41:04
SPEAKER_11: Okay, here we go.
41:05
SPEAKER_11: We've got some good ones.
41:06
SPEAKER_11: It's a great start from our alumni group.
41:08
SPEAKER_11: Uh let's jump right in from Williamson County.
41:10
SPEAKER_11: Williamson County.
41:11
SPEAKER_11: Williamson County.
41:13
SPEAKER_11: That's right.
41:13
SPEAKER_11: UT Alumni Association.
41:15
SPEAKER_11: They say, in your opinion, what game of the first half of the season is the most pivotal to the success of the overall year?
41:21
SPEAKER_11: We've got some big ones early.
41:23
SPEAKER_11: Which one to use?
41:24
SPEAKER_11: Georgia Tech.
41:24
SPEAKER_11: Okay.
41:25
SPEAKER_06: Georgia Tech is the pivotal one because that's a very quality opponent on the road.
41:32
SPEAKER_06: You get a road game out of the way early.
41:34
SPEAKER_06: You get an opportunity before you have to go to Arkansas to get a road game in, which I think is good having a young quarterback.
41:43
SPEAKER_06: But it's also a game that if you win it, you you set yourself up to keep moving forward and you're probably in the best place you could be record-wise when you play Texas.
41:55
SPEAKER_06: If not, you put more pressure on yourself the rest of the way, understanding that if you want to get in the playoffs or the playoffs, the important thing to do is to have two losses.
42:09
SPEAKER_06: To have a maximum of two losses.
42:10
SPEAKER_06: Three, you might get in, but two, you have a much better chance.
42:15
SPEAKER_06: If you've sustained a loss in week two at Georgia Tech, that makes it hard.
42:20
SPEAKER_06: For Tennessee, to me, Georgia Tech is that game that they're asking about.
42:24
SPEAKER_11: A little different too.
42:25
SPEAKER_11: Tennessee has done those neutral side games.
42:27
SPEAKER_11: So this true road game.
42:28
SPEAKER_11: True road game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, absolutely.
42:31
SPEAKER_11: Okay, so after that, second part of that question from Williamson County.
42:34
SPEAKER_11: How about Williamson County?
42:35
SPEAKER_11: How about that?
42:36
SPEAKER_11: Two parts.
42:37
SPEAKER_11: After that first stretch of game, say past September, what SEC game is the most pivotal?
42:42
SPEAKER_11: Because there's so many good, big SEC games this year.
42:45
SPEAKER_06: So you get past the first half of the season.
42:47
SPEAKER_06: I mean, uh to start the second half is uh obviously Alabama.
42:53
SPEAKER_06: And so I think that's the one to me because you're home, you're gonna play what is a quality opponent.
42:59
SPEAKER_06: And whatever you've done the first half, you've you've sort of put yourself in this position to say, okay, we we need to run the table, or what do we need to do?
43:10
SPEAKER_06: Are we in the race to to win the SEC?
43:13
SPEAKER_06: It's Alabama to start with.
43:15
SPEAKER_06: And then I I mean, you've got uh Kentucky coming up a couple weeks after that, after your bye, which is obviously a big game.
43:24
SPEAKER_06: Oh, by the way, in between, you go to South Carolina, which might be the most improved team in the conference this year.
43:32
SPEAKER_11: So okay, let's go to Memphis.
43:34
SPEAKER_11: Memphis UT Alumni Association.
43:36
SPEAKER_11: Love them.
43:36
SPEAKER_11: Big storyline this year.
43:37
SPEAKER_11: New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
43:39
SPEAKER_11: Yes, we're gonna get to see him soon.
43:41
SPEAKER_11: What can we expect out of our defense this year?
43:43
SPEAKER_11: Can we get back to being one of the top defensive teams in the SEC?
43:47
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
43:47
SPEAKER_06: I think to the second part of that, yes.
43:49
SPEAKER_06: What you should expect is the unexpected because I think he will change looks quite often.
43:56
SPEAKER_06: Now, he might find something that he absolutely loves.
44:00
SPEAKER_06: And that he's just going to stick with forever, that he says this team does this best, but I think he will give a lot of looks, particularly early in the season.
44:09
SPEAKER_06: I would not expect to see any of those looks against Furman on Saturday afternoon at Dealon Stadium.
44:15
SPEAKER_06: I think Tennessee will be very much base toward certain situations.
44:21
SPEAKER_06: I mean, I think that you'll see five defensive backs when it's an obvious time for a nickel.
44:25
SPEAKER_06: And but I don't think you will see some of the exotics that he potentially will run with some of the different personnel groupings.
44:34
SPEAKER_06: He will want to be continuing to look for guys playing responsibility football, playing fundamentally sound.
44:40
SPEAKER_06: He will not challenge with a lot of schemes.
44:43
SPEAKER_06: He will not challenge Furman, and I don't think he'll challenge his own guys with a lot of schemes.
44:47
SPEAKER_11: You think about the defense from two years ago, very heavy in terms of depth, and that was what made that group successful.
44:54
SPEAKER_11: Do you feel like depth is is more improved from last year in the personnel we have?
44:58
SPEAKER_11: I know there's injuries like there were last year, but do you feel like depth has has come a long way?
45:03
SPEAKER_06: It's not like two years ago.
45:05
SPEAKER_06: Uh I mean, I think you're going to see more people capable of playing because I think they're going to be asked to do specific things that get them on the field in specific situations.
45:16
SPEAKER_06: Do they have the straight up depth at all of the positions in terms of the depth chart?
45:22
SPEAKER_06: No.
45:22
SPEAKER_06: I mean, obviously safety has been weakened.
45:26
SPEAKER_06: Uh, you know, linebacker has taken, at least for week one, uh, a hit.
45:31
SPEAKER_06: And the defensive line is not quite as deep as what it has been.
45:35
SPEAKER_06: Do I think they have enough depth?
45:37
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
45:38
SPEAKER_06: I think that can be just fine.
45:39
SPEAKER_06: But that group two years ago was very, very deep, unusually deep.
45:44
SPEAKER_11: Yeah.
45:45
SPEAKER_11: For sure.
45:45
SPEAKER_11: Nashville now.
45:46
SPEAKER_11: Nashville.
45:47
SPEAKER_11: Moving to Nashville.
45:47
SPEAKER_11: Nashville UT Alumni Association.
45:49
SPEAKER_11: They're asking, hey, it's uh it's about to be the start of the actual season, but you never stop recruiting.
45:55
SPEAKER_11: And obviously, Nashville, an extremely important place in the recruiting cycle for Tennessee every year.
46:00
SPEAKER_11: How important is it again for the Vols to lock down Nashville, the surrounding mid-state high school recruiting, stay atop of the SEC, have seen a lot of recruits already playing in the high school level as we lead up to our season here at Tennessee?
46:13
SPEAKER_06: Because if you look at the population base of our state, it's largely concentrated in the mid-state.
46:20
SPEAKER_06: So the people are there, the schools are there.
46:24
SPEAKER_06: If you look at the you know, at the top 32 schools in the TAASAA in terms of size, the majority of them are in Middle Tennessee.
46:32
SPEAKER_06: And that's where your best players in terms of just mathematical percentages are going to come from.
46:38
SPEAKER_06: There are certainly a lot of really good players in East Tennessee and West Tennessee, in particular in Memphis.
46:44
SPEAKER_06: Uh you're going to have a bunch of players.
46:45
SPEAKER_06: You've got good players in Chattanooga, you've got good players in the Knoxville area, Jackson, all over.
46:51
SPEAKER_06: But in terms of the concentration, if you look at year after year, the top 25 prospects in the state, because of what the population is there now, you're going to have the majority of the top 25 prospects in the state come from the mid-state.
47:08
SPEAKER_06: Tennessee is doing a great job there.
47:11
SPEAKER_06: They have a really good plan there, and they've got to stay with it.
47:14
SPEAKER_11: Let me sneak one more in here from Williamson County.
47:17
SPEAKER_11: Big storyline, obviously, is phase on Brandon.
47:19
SPEAKER_11: Yes.
47:20
SPEAKER_11: True freshman starter.
47:20
SPEAKER_11: Yes.
47:21
SPEAKER_11: First since 2004.
47:22
SPEAKER_11: Brent Schaefer.
47:23
SPEAKER_11: Brent Schaefer, yes.
47:24
SPEAKER_11: Right.
47:24
SPEAKER_11: I was at that game.
47:25
SPEAKER_11: I was too.
47:26
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
47:26
SPEAKER_11: That was that's one of the first I remember.
47:28
SPEAKER_11: No kidding.
47:28
SPEAKER_11: Yeah.
47:29
SPEAKER_11: Start of uh Eric Ainge's uh his freshman season as well.
47:32
SPEAKER_11: He came in right after.
47:34
SPEAKER_11: That's right.
47:34
SPEAKER_11: Yeah.
47:35
SPEAKER_11: So obviously a lot of expectations being a true freshman.
47:38
SPEAKER_11: You've never been in a collegiate game before.
47:40
SPEAKER_11: What can we expect from Faison Brandon early?
47:43
SPEAKER_11: I know Furman will probably see a mix of a lot of different things.
47:46
SPEAKER_11: Georgia Tech's obviously the one that you're going to really circle first, but what can we expect realistically?
47:51
SPEAKER_06: He has great size.
47:53
SPEAKER_06: He has tremendous athleticism, but he is truly a quarterback in terms of the way he plays the position.
48:00
SPEAKER_06: He has he has a good fundamental knowledge of what you're supposed to do with the footwork, the handoffs, things like that.
48:08
SPEAKER_06: He can take a snap under center.
48:10
SPEAKER_06: He can play from the gun, you know, whatever he needs to do.
48:13
SPEAKER_06: His throwing motion is very compact.
48:16
SPEAKER_06: He can throw on the move.
48:17
SPEAKER_06: He's a very accurate passer, understands concepts.
48:21
SPEAKER_06: I think that's what's really exciting about him is him having grown up as a quarterback and the incredible coaching and training that he has clearly had make him just different.
48:33
SPEAKER_06: Now, this is going to get a lot faster.
48:36
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
48:37
SPEAKER_06: And some of it is going to be like the first time your mom or dad took you out driving on the interstate.
48:45
SPEAKER_06: You remember they had you drive, you're learning to drive and you're driving in the neighborhood, and it's okay.
48:50
SPEAKER_06: You come to a stop and a car goes past you the first time and you're scared, but it happens, it's okay.
48:56
SPEAKER_06: And then the first time you go out on the interstate, you know, learning to drive, remember how freaked out you got.
49:04
SPEAKER_06: Yep.
49:04
SPEAKER_06: Wasn't great.
49:05
SPEAKER_06: It wasn't great.
49:05
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
49:06
SPEAKER_06: And you, you know, I I remember I wanted to pull off to the side.
49:10
SPEAKER_06: Well, fortunately, Faison Brandon's a little more brave than we were at that point.
49:14
SPEAKER_06: But but the point is, think of it that way.
49:17
SPEAKER_06: When you watch him play in September, just understand he's driving on the interstate for the first time.
49:23
SPEAKER_06: Even though he played 7A competition in North Carolina, even though he's been here for eight months, and even though he's been going against Jim Knowles' defense, he hasn't seen anything like what it's going to be at Nealand Stadium or at Bobby Dodd Stadium because of just the atmosphere and the adrenaline and everything that goes with it.
49:47
SPEAKER_06: So there are going to be some moments.
49:49
SPEAKER_06: But I think him as a human being and as a quarterback is so prepared for this.
49:56
SPEAKER_11: Um, I think he's I think he's got it.
50:00
SPEAKER_11: One more.
50:01
SPEAKER_11: Deshaun Bishop.
50:02
SPEAKER_11: That's the other name.
50:02
SPEAKER_11: I'm aware of him.
50:03
SPEAKER_11: You're aware of him.
50:04
SPEAKER_11: Yes.
50:04
SPEAKER_11: He's been on the show a couple of times.
50:05
SPEAKER_11: He's been, yes.
50:06
SPEAKER_11: He needs 860 yards to be the top 10 in Tennessee career rushing history.
50:11
SPEAKER_06: That will be a surprise if he doesn't get there.
50:13
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
50:13
SPEAKER_11: Talked about that in January is something that he's aware of as well.
50:16
SPEAKER_11: Yes.
50:16
SPEAKER_11: Takes very seriously.
50:18
SPEAKER_11: Do you think he's underappreciated by Tennessee fans?
50:20
SPEAKER_11: This is from Williamson County again.
50:22
SPEAKER_11: Do you see that changing throughout the season?
50:24
SPEAKER_06: I don't think he's underappreciated by Tennessee fans.
50:26
SPEAKER_06: I think Tennessee fans understand what he is and his journey.
50:30
SPEAKER_06: I think he's underappreciated by people outside of Tennessee fans.
50:35
SPEAKER_06: Correct.
50:35
SPEAKER_06: I I don't because he's he's not been on he had less than 200 carries last year, which is hard to believe.
50:43
SPEAKER_06: He averaged five nine to carry, but he he only had, you know, 190 something carries.
50:49
SPEAKER_06: Wow.
50:50
SPEAKER_06: So it's not like he was this spectacular talent who gets into the whole statistical thing.
51:00
SPEAKER_06: You know, it wasn't like he put up 1,900 yards because he got 35 carries a game.
51:06
SPEAKER_06: So I think the rest of the country is going to continue to learn about Deshaun Bishop.
51:12
SPEAKER_06: And I think that's going to be really, really exciting to see him get the regional and the national hype that he deserves.
51:19
SPEAKER_06: Tennessee fans know and understand, and they're really excited about what he's going to bring.
51:25
SPEAKER_06: Had some memorable runs last year.
51:27
SPEAKER_06: He did.
51:27
SPEAKER_06: He did.
51:28
SPEAKER_11: Helped win that game in Starkville.
51:29
SPEAKER_11: Oh, yeah.
51:30
SPEAKER_06: Fantastic down the stretch.
51:32
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
51:32
SPEAKER_06: Andy asks.
51:33
SPEAKER_06: Hey.
51:34
SPEAKER_06: Presented by First Horizon.
51:35
SPEAKER_06: I like this set.
51:36
SPEAKER_06: Some good questions together.
51:38
SPEAKER_06: We need more.
51:38
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
51:39
SPEAKER_06: For Andy Brock, I'm Mike Keith.
51:41
SPEAKER_06: Thanks so much for joining us for this edition of the Mike Keith Show delivered by Uber Eats, and we'll see you next time.
51:51
SPEAKER_04: All the way welcome to the latest from the Temple.
51:54
SPEAKER_04: Mike Keith Show.
51:56
SPEAKER_04: Delivered by Uber Eats.