Tennessee football's off-season focus included a significant move: hiring a new strength and conditioning coach. They ultimately chose Derek Owings from Indiana, who recently celebrated a national championship with the Hoosiers.
Owings is set to become the highest-paid strength and conditioning coach in the history of college football, as reported by Matt Zenitz. Interestingly, the University of Southern California also pursued Owings last season, but he opted not to take that opportunity. However, the offer from Josh Heupel and the Vols was compelling enough to entice him away from the reigning national champions.
"Physical and mental toughness is essential in all aspects of our program throughout the year," stated Heupel regarding Owings' hiring. "Derek embodies this philosophy at a championship level. His relentless approach will undoubtedly enhance our strength and conditioning program while fostering strong bonds with our players. He has a solid track record of employing modern training techniques aimed at maximizing both speed and strength, with a keen emphasis on injury prevention. Furthermore, he knows how to establish an outstanding nutrition program that prepares our athletes for success and longevity on the field. We are excited to welcome Derek and his wife, Riley, to Rocky Top!"
With this announcement, a flurry of comments emerged on Instagram from former players at Indiana who benefited from Owings' coaching.
Here’s a sampling of their reactions:
WR Charlie Becker expressed his thoughts with a light-hearted remark: "Gotta good one, guess I gotta be a little vol now🤦♂️"
DB D’Angelo Ponds kept it simple with a strong endorsement saying, "HIM."
OL Carter Smith added, "Vols got a good one… gonna miss ya DO."
DB Amare Ferrell declared, "best in the business."
OL Mike Katic humorously cautioned, "Better make sure Tenn has a good ping pong table 😓."
DL James Carpenter enthusiastically responded with, "Yessssir🤝🤝."
TE Zach Horton shared, "Motion is medicine!!"
LB Jailin Walker chimed in with excitement: "start stops otw 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥."
DB Bryson Bonds simply exclaimed, "Da 🐐."
DL CJ West joined in with his own goat reference, "🐐."
WR Myles Kendrick’s response was emotional: "🥲."
LB Isaiah Jones echoed the sentiment with a goat emoji: "🐐."
DL Rolijah Hardy added a hopeful note, saying, "🤞🏾🥲."
DB Tyrik McDaniel showed enthusiasm with fire emojis: "🔥🔥."
WR Miles Cross wrapped up the comments succinctly with a thumbs up: "💯."
QB Coach/Co-OC Chandler Whitmer affirmed Owings’ capabilities, stating, "The best in game. Do your thing @owingsderek."
