Rodney Garner discusses how Vols cannot be '100 percent coach-led'

Tennessee has practiced six times during fall training camp. The Vols will have their third practice in pads on Friday before holding their first scrimmage in fall camp.

Following Wednesday’s practice, sixth-year defensive line coach Rodney Garner met with media and discussed what is leading to a lack of consistency in preseason camp.

“It’s just, we have to be tough enough,” Garner said. “We have to keep grinding. We have to keep working. When you lose that many guys, and you had older guys in the room, we need guys to be more, I guess, assertive.

“It can’t be 100 percent coach-led. I know I haven’t been around many good teams at the line of scrimmage that were coach-led. We’re pushing them to be more player led, OK, and those guys have to take ownership, alright? That’s on me as a coach. We have to demand them. I have to coach better and they have to do better. That’s all of us. There’s nobody that’s immune from it. We all can be better and that’s what we must do every day.”

The Vols will kick off their season Sept. 5 versus Furman. Tennessee’s season opener is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT at Neyland Stadium (SEC Network+).

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