Josh Heupel breaks down comparison between Theo Jackson and Trevon Flowers

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•07/23/22•

NickSchultz_7

Last year, Tennessee safety Theo Jackson became a sixth-round NFL Draft pick. But the Volunteers have to replace his production, and Trevon Flowers could step into that role.

But Tennessee coach Josh Heupel talked about the comparison between the two, saying it won’t be easy to replace Jackson.

Jackson, now a member of the Tennessee Titans, had 78 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for the Volunteers last season. But now, Flowers is going to try and build off a 2021 season that saw him total 82 tackles, a sack and an interception for the Tennessee secondary. Replacing Jackson won’t be an easy task, but Heupel thinks Flowers could still be in for a big year.

“Theo was a great player for us a year ago and played at such an elite level,” Heupel said at SEC Media Days. “But Theo’s a sixth-year guy that hadn’t played a lot of football, really only special teams. His ability to understand every position on defense — not just the secondary, but every position on defense — allowed him to play extremely fast and physical and anticipate and have his eyes on the right spot and led to him playing at a really high level, which is why he got drafted and why he’s going to have a great career in the NFL. I firmly believe that.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“But who he was off the field and how he approached going into our building every single day is why he made those strides. And Tre, I think after the season, coming back, kind of reset, relooked and saw what happened with Theo and said, ‘Man, I know that there’s more out there for me.’ I’m really proud of what Tre’s done, man. Physically … he looks completely different. His movement on the football field is different because of how he’s worked and his best football’s ahead of him. We have high expectations for him this fall.”

Tennessee went 7-6 last season — Heupel’s first in Knoxville. The Volunteers appeared in the Music City Bowl, where they lost to Purdue 48-45.