Tennessee’s cornerback room is relying on its depth already in fall camp. Miami transfer Jadais Richard suffered a season-ending upper-body injury, and projected starter Ty Redmond has been out due to illness.
While it’s not ideal to be without experienced players on the practice field, it’s been beneficial for some other guys to step up and take extra work.
“I think Tim Merritt and Tre Poteat III in particular,” cornerbacks coach Derek Jones said. “Those guys are going to have to be counted on this year for us, and they hadn’t played a lot of snaps in the SEC. Kayin Lee is a guy who has played more football than anybody in that unit, so he’s experienced, but those guys could very well—if something were to happen to our starters—become our instant starters.”
Lee is a leader in the secondary and the projected starter opposite Redmond. The senior spent three seasons at Auburn, where he played under defensive coordinators Ron Roberts and D.J. Durkin.
The cornerback said it took him some time to adjust to Jim Knowles’ complex scheme, but now he feels fully acclimated after spending time in the film room.
“When I first got here and transferred here, I didn’t feel like I had a good feel for the playbook,” Lee said. “There’s a lot of plays you have to be focusing… when we’re installing plays and stuff like that, pay attention to little things, attention to detail. I felt like during the offseason, I took that next step.”
The veteran defensive back continues to hammer home what the cornerbacks call “44,” which translates to alignment, assignment, key and technique. It serves as a motto that runs through the defensive backs’ heads before they even line up, helping them play faster.
“This is year 28 for me, and I’ve been in about every situation that you can imagine, but when you are a corners coach, when you’ve played corner, the one thing you have to understand is confidence and composure,” Jones said. “And for me, I have to walk so that they follow me.”
Jones isn’t adjusting his coaching style based on a player’s experience level, but he is keeping a close eye on the unit to see who can take on a larger role if further injuries strike.
