Tennessee
How Jim Knowles, Tennessee football hope to fix tackling with unflattering film
Live tackling in college football practices is nearing extinction, which means teams with tackling issues like Tennessee must find creative solutions.
The Vols’ latest approach is making players watch every tackle they’ve ever missed in their college career. Every diving whiff. Every misfired bump. Every time a ball-carrier ran over them.
They watch it again and again.
This offseason, veteran special teams coach John Bonamego and UT staffers created an individualized tackling film for each defensive and special teams player on the roster. They can watch every made and missed tackle ever captured on film in college.
The project was an eye-opening discovery for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles when he arrived at Tennessee.
“When I came here, (Bonamego) had a whole tackling report he did along with the individual cutups, so you can sit there and watch,” Knowles said on March 19 during spring practice.
“You can put (the tackles) into categories on the ones that were successful and why they were successful, the ones that weren’t and why they weren’t. You can show each guy their own tackling reel throughout their career.”
Jim Knowles: ‘You have to mentally tackle’
Presumably, those tackling films were created under coach Josh Heupel’s direction. He knows poor tackling was among the key factors that took UT from a dominant defense in 2024 to sub-par in 2025.
The Vols missed 147 tackles in the 2025 season compared to only 118 missed tackles in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Granted, missed tackles are subjective, and those figures come from an independent scouting service.
But even the untrained eye could see the growing problem of missed tackles for UT last season.
That’s where coaches hope detailed game film can help. Breaking down how players missed tackles and teaching them proper techniques is a step toward improvement, especially since live tackling is limited during practice.
“We don’t tackle anybody in practice, right?” said Knowles, who endorses UT’s approach to coaching tackling. “So you have to really be coaching body position, and it becomes more of a mental game. I try to teach the guys like, ‘You have to mentally tackle.’”
Why don’t Vols tackle in practice? They do, sort of
Of course, that raises an obvious question: Why not tackle in practice?
The truth is that few college football teams these days have “take to the ground” tackling in practice like they do in games. Instead, “thud” tackling has become more common to teach fundamentals while preventing injuries.
“Thud” tackling means a defender initiates contact with the ball-carrier at full speed using proper tackling form, but he never takes him to the ground. Coaches believe all the elements that make for a good tackle can be done in “thud” tackling. Tennessee mostly uses “thud” tackling throughout spring and the season.
In past eras, “take to the ground” tackling was a staple of building toughness like three-a-day practices and limited water breaks. Whether the modern approach is good or bad for the game is in the eye of the beholder.
Coaches don’t want players suffering injuries in practice and being unavailable for the game. And it can’t be overstated that NIL plays a part, too. Players are paid big bucks to play on Saturdays, so a serious injury in practice can decrease their value.
What Jim Knowles thinks about new approach to tackling
Knowles has witnessed the erosion of old-school tackling in practice over his nearly 40 years of college coaching. He doesn’t believe it will ever return.
“I don’t think so. I’m sure Coach Heupel will put us in some live tackling situations, but you don’t do it that much because you’re trying to save the player on both sides, offense and defense,” Knowles said. “And even when you’re live against your own team, you’re not going to cut tackle or tackle low. That can build bad habits.”
Knowles has consistently coached some of the best defenses in college football, most recently at Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Penn State.
In 2024, his Ohio State defense missed only 8.4 tackles per game, according to Pro Football Focus, en route to winning the national championship. Compare that to Tennessee’s average of 11.3 missed tackles per game last season.
Knowles thinks limiting live tackling in practice is a positive step for the sport.
“It’s a difficult proposition. I’m glad we’ve adjusted to it for the health of the player,” Knowles said. “But now you have to be creative in how you teach them with these tackling breakdowns, drills and even in a non-tackling situation, your body position.”
How Tennessee uses tackling film to fix problems
That’s where film of tackling can help. UT players watch their good tackles and missed tackles. They review their best form and their worst.
And the individualized nature of the film allows coaches to correct problems that only plague that particular player.
“You can build an individual tackling reel and teach for each player, which is really unique,” Knowles said. “You can put the film up there (and say), ‘What kind of tackle were you going to use right here?’ He says one thing, but your body is not in a great position to use that tackle.
“So I think that’s the best you can do. It’s good for the game. It makes it more difficult, but as coaches we have to adjust to that.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Tennessee
Tennessee Football Hosted SEC Cornerback Commit on Official Visit This Weekend | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee football is continuing to make pushes for top targets on its board despite prospects’ commitment status. On Saturday, the Vols flipped Alabama commit Kenneth Simon II to join the 2027 class. On Sunday, Dayon Cooper decommitted from Florida State after his official visit to see the Vols.
UT has its eyes set on another currently committed target, as well. Mississippi State commit Brandon Allen Jr. just completed his official visit to Knoxville this past weekend, according to his Instagram story.
Allen ranks as a three-star recruit, according to 247 Composite. He is the No. 627 recruit in the nation, No. 65 cornerback and No. 76 player from the state of Georgia. He plays for Westlake High School in Atlanta. That’s the same school that current UT receiver Travis Smith Jr. played for.
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Tennessee isn’t the only team trying to flip Allen, though. According to 247, along with the Vols and Mississippi State, Allen is also taking official visits to South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. Ironically, UT will face all of those teams, except the Hokies and MSU, next season on its 2026 schedule, with each being played on the road.
Tennessee is a bit late to join the recruitment of Allen, but it could make a big enough impact to reel him in. UT offered him on May 7 of this year. This came from new cornerbacks coach, Derek Jones, who was hired to join the staff of newly hired Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles this offseason.
Tennessee currently holds 15 commitments in the 2027 class and sits outside the top 25 nationally in both 247 and Rivals rankings. However, with official visits continuing to be held, the Vols are putting themself in a position to bolster the group and climb the rankings.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Indiana man who traveled to Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has been found after he was reported missing for over 48 hours.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department previously issued a statement asking for the public’s assistance in locating 28-year-old Trevor Lines.
Lines reportedly left a short-term rental on Douglas Avenue, where he was staying with friends early Thursday and never returned.
Lines’ friends told law enforcement that they left around 5 a.m. to search for someone’s phone, when they returned within an hour, Lines and his vehicle were gone. His phone and medication were left inside the residence.
His 2016 Lexus with a Purdue University plate was picked up by license plate readers east of Nashville in Mt. Juliet around 7:30 a.m. on Friday and later at 4:30 p.m. in Goodlettsville, which is north of Nashville. Although Nashville does not use LPRs.
Lines had reportedly been visiting Tennessee for the Bonnaroo festival in Coffee County. Nashville police have alerted the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Coffee County authorities to be on the lookout for Lines.
Lines’ older brother, Kyle Smith, told FOX59/CBS4’s sister station, WKRN, he’s worried. Lines is reportedly from the northern part of Indiana, so he’s unfamiliar with Middle Tennessee.
“We’re hoping that maybe he ended up in a local hospital somewhere… The doubts are definitely creeping in, and it feels more and more likely that something bad has happened,” Smith said.
However, shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, the MNPD announced Lines was discovered in his car outside the Goodlettsville Skate Center, adding that he’s being reunited with his family.
No additional details have been made available at this time regarding the circumstances surrounding Lines’ disappearance or his discovery.
Tennessee
Tennessee Football Lands Four-Star Offensive Line Commitment Q’Mari Hudson | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee Football continued its big recruiting day on Saturday with a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Q’Mari “Big Q” Hudson. The class of 2027 prospect is Tennessee’s second commitment of the day after flipping legacy linebacker Kenneth Simon II away from Alabama in the morning.
Tennessee beat out Virginia and Virginia Tech, Hudson’s two in-state programs, for the commitment over the weekend. Hudson was in Knoxville for an official visit last weekend and all seemingly went well enough for him to bump his commitment date up from July and make his pledge to the Vols.
Following his trip to Knoxville, Hudson landed a prediction from Rivals insider Chad Simmons. The four-star prospect also made one of his visit pictures his profile picture on Instagram, leading to speculation that today’s announcement would favor the Vols.
Rivals‘ Rankings have Hudson tabbed as the No. 281 prospect in the class, the No. 22 offensive tackle in the cycle, and the No. 7 player from the state of Virginia. He currently plays for Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, VA.
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The 6-foot-5, 300-pound prospect is a beast in the trenches. While he is being recruited as an offensive lineman at Tennessee, Hudson has played on both sides of the line at Western Branch. His highlight tape shows off the versatile athleticism and power to be a force on both sides of the ball at his current level.
Hudson is now Tennessee’s 15th commitment in the cycle after landing Simon earlier in the day. He’s Tennessee’s second offensive lineman in the class after landing four-star offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo as an early building block for the class last November.
Tennessee began the day ranked No. 33 in Rivals’ team rankings. After two four-star commitments, though, the Vols have bounced up to No. 27 on the list.
The Vols’ class consists of four-star WR Kesean Bowman, four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, four-star offensive tackle Q’Mari Hudson, four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo, four-star TE Malik Howard, four-star DL Kadin Fife, three-star CB Dylan Haley, three-star S Jaden Butler, three-star LB J.P. Peace, three-star CB Slim Leavell, three-star QB Derrick Baker, three-star CB Carter Jamison, three-star LS Sam McKeown, JUCO defensive lineman Christian Mays, and kicker Ford Fehling.
Here’s a look at some of Big Q’s highlights in the trenches:
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