Wells’ familiarity could help Vols
KNOXVILLE — One of Tennessee’s new assistant coaches for football isn’t really all that new to the Volunteers, and two of the players most affected by the change said they’re just fine with a familiar face now leading their position group.
As a quality control coach last year, Walt Wells helped with Tennessee’s offensive line, and the former Western Kentucky, South Florida and New Mexico State assistant now takes over as the offensive line coach after Tennessee elected not to renew Don Mahoney’s contract.
“Going into a transition with Coach Wells, it definitely shouldn’t be something that’s a huge alternative,” guard Jashon Robertson said before Tennessee’s annual VFL Career Night event Thursday. “He’s a guy who’s going to bring energy to our room and excitement to our room. Changes, I mean, we all experience change. That’s life.
“That’s the way things go, but we’re really excited about Coach Wells and the opportunity to work with him this year.”
Wells came to Tennessee in a part-time position after one season at Eastern Kentucky, and he quickly built a strong rapport with many of the Vols’ offensive linemen.
Those players also had a strong relationship with Mahoney, who recruited and coached
many of them for nearly all of their careers, but center/guard Jack Jones, who will be a junior this season, said he believes “the transition’s going to be great.
“Coach Mahoney, I love him a lot. He recruited me here and he pushed me every day, but I’m glad the transition is how it’s going, because Coach Wells, he knows his stuff. He did a great job last year developing some of our guys. I’m real excited for Coach Wells.”
Offensive linemen are inherently loyal, and many of them likely were unhappy when the decision was made regarding Mahoney.
“I know Coach Mo, he’ll do well wherever he ends up,” Robertson said. “He’s a good dude. I loved having the opportunity to work with him, and like I said he’ll do well. Really right now for me, it’s about focusing on what’s ahead. What’s
done is done, and I’m just looking forward to this season with the coaches I have and the teammates that I have right now.”
Tennessee returns 11 scholarship offensive linemen from last season, including Jones, Robertson and fellow multigame starters Venzell Boulware, Chance Hall, Brett Kendrick, Drew Richmond and Coleman Thomas. Also back are the second-year quartet of Ryan Johnson, Nathan Niehaus, Marcus Tatum and Devante Brooks, a converted tight end.
Freshmen Trey Smith, a former five-star recruit, and Riley Locklear enrolled in school last month and quickly integrated themselves into the position group, which will have to carry a heavy load with a new quarterback and newer faces stepping into bigger roles at the skill positions.
Wells, who greatly aided Richmond’s development last season, will be a key figure in the unit’s progress.
“He knows a lot about football,” Jones said. “He’s really going to help us in the classroom. On the field he’s doing a great job so far with what we’re able to do. It’s been really awesome. … He just has a good way of connecting with guys and gets them to work really hard in practice.
“Kind of like with (new strength training coach) Rock (Gullickson), I hang on every word he says, because he knows the game so well. It’s been awesome. The transition has been really good.”
Wells, who played at Austin Peay, earned his degree from Belmont and began his coaching career at the high school and small college level in the midstate area, also will be vital to Tennessee’s 2018 recruiting as the Vols try to capitalize on a loaded crop of in-state talent.
“Coach Wells brings a nice dynamic to the room,” Robertson said. “He has a huge ability to relate to a lot of guys in a room, especially somebody like me. He’s from Nashville himself, so he has that same kind of pride in this place, like I have and also like a lot of us Tennessee natives have. For him, it’s a dream job.
“It’s a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see what he does with the opportunity.”