KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Competition is a component that stands out among the Vol secondary this year. The same opportunity is present for each player in the group, and this spring has been all about seizing that opportunity.

Secondary coach Willie Martinez is pleased with the progress of the secondary, crediting the competition factor for the group trending in that direction.

“We don’t have a first group, we don’t have a second group and that includes everybody, you know whether that’s Tamarion McDonald or Jaylen McCullough or Wesley Walker, they all are competing and we’re kind of moving everybody around and giving them an opportunity because we want the competition you know you gotta be better. We’ve said that from the get-go here. It’s been really good, it really has because we’ve been able to evaluate a lot more reps of everybody,” said Martinez.

The level of competition has come from the secondary being healthy, as well as the freshman and transfers coming in.

While the competition is strong, the bond between the players is stronger. Junior Christian Charles says that this is a close group, and they’re all trying to see each other be great.