Tennessee head coach Butch Jones parted ways with his longtime defensive backs coach Willie Martinez this offseason after the Vols finished the season ranked No. 72 in the nation in passing defense. Considering the school is paying defensive coordinator Bob Shoop over $1 million a season to coach up the defense, it’s safe to say the defensive backs failed to do their part in 2016.

With the hiring of defensive backs coach Charlton Warren from North Carolina, the ACC’s No. 1 ranked pass defense last season, the Tennessee coaching staff is looking for an immediate upgrade to its secondary entering a crucial season for Jones on Rocky Top.

While the Vols have plenty of talent to work with in the secondary, several of the key contributors are still relatively new to the college game. Regardless of their experience, or lack thereof, all the defensive backs on the roster are having to adapt to their position coach this spring. Following Tuesday’s practice, Warren gave his initial thoughts on this new unit entering his second week of on the field training.

“No one has shown me enough for me to be happy yet,” Warren said. “They’ve shown me enough to know they are hungry and working to get better. In spring ball, that’s all you can ask for.”

Warren has asked to share his comments on what he’s seen from his players when viewing last season’s somewhat disappointing film.

“I saw a bunch of young guys,” Warren answered. “I saw the Nigel Warriors, the Baylen Buchanans, the Marquill Osbornes, man those guys were just coming out of high school. So, I saw a lot of youth playing against very good competition and the good part about that is they are back and they have reps, some good, some bad but every rep is a lesson… Now you see in spring those guys communicating forcefully and that says they are confident in what they are doing and what they are seeing.”

When asked if any players would be working specifically at one spot or another, Warren said it was his preference to train his players at multiple positions in order to best prepare them for when the bullets are flying in the fall.

“I like double training guys, making them versatile,” Warren revealed. “I don’t want a guy saying ‘I can only do this.’ This game, you have to teach these guys football IQ and they have to know the package. You have to teach them concepts. Whether you are playing nickel or corner, you should have a concept of the coverage scheme or the blitz package and go from there.”

One player fans are hoping can finally maximize his potential under his new position coach is senior cornerback Justin Martin. After signing as a touted junior college prospect, Martin has failed to deliver on his hype during his first two seasons on Rocky Top. Despite having all the tools to be an elite SEC corner, Martin has been plagued by careless mistakes on the field and often been a liability in coverage.

While he has yet to live up to the hype, Warren sees the talent that everyone else sees in Martin and is working to bring that out in him. According to his new position coach, Martin is doing everything necessary in order to make his final season in Knoxville his best one.

“I see a long athletic guy that’s really really trying to buy-in and really trying to focus on the attention of his position,” Warren said. “I’ve challenged him to be a technician. You have length, you have speed and all that but if you don’t have techniques and fundamentals, it really doesn’t matter. He’s a guy that’s really taken that to heart and focused on the details of his position.”

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