Josh Heupel spoke at considerable length about the Saturday football adventure at Neyland Stadium without saying anything definitive.

Coach didn’t provide a clue about the Tennessee quarterback race, who will play center or what he’s going to do if all the receivers get stuck with Band-Aids.

He did say it was good to be back in the big arena, that the practice environment was as close as possible to game conditions and that he enjoyed seeing players’ parents and other relatives who came for “family day.”

Heupel did report that young linebacker Edwin Spillman made some plays and that running back Star Thomas is a “dramatically different player” from spring to now.

Boo Carter? He fielded some punts.

When asked if the quarterbacks did well, Heupel said yes, overall, but small adjustments will have to be made, as expected this time of year.

Heupel tossed in some philosophy about constant growth that doesn’t end with August.

“Good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the season.”

Coach didn’t mention scrimmage notes that others shared in whispers, that freshman George MacIntyre passes were crisp and accurate (against reserves), that Jake Merklinger didn’t have a great day and that walk-on cornerback Colin Brazzell picked off a Joey Aguilar throw and took it the opposite direction for a touchdown.

No panic. It’s still early. The Vols will end up with a quarterback. Alas, he may never have thrown to starting receivers. They are preoccupied with other matters, inactive, injured or recovering,

Oh well, Syracuse is still three weeks away.

Two old Vols, former offensive linemen, have just about convinced me that finding a capable center might be the single most important discovery Tennessee has in the next few days. They keep saying the offensive line requires coordination.

They remind me that centers are crucial, an absolute must. They have the ball at the start of every offensive play.

Of course, the Tennessee roster has a center possibility or maybe four. Line coach Glen Elarbee will hopefully identify the one most likely to succeed.

For the first time in four years, Cooper Mays is not the answer to who and when. Coop has flown the coop.

Sam Pendleton, William Satterwhite, Nic Moore and Max Anderson are willing, even eager, to fill the void.

Coach Elarbee has not completely recovered from Cooper’s departure.

“Coop, unbelievable just what he was able to do mentally and physically. So yeah, it’s a big set of shoes to fill.”

Cooper Mays was special, the first Vol center since Bob Johnson to be honored nationally. Mays, in 2024, was named a second team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and by The Athletic.

Through the decades, among all the centers that started more than one season, Mike Bevans, Robert Shaw, Lee North, Glenn Streno, Jeff Smith and Scott Wells made first team all-Southeastern Conference.

Other good centers just played. Spencer Riley, center for the 1998 national champions, never got what he deserved.

Elarbee knows what he needs to find. Heupel has helped. The head coach says experience would be helpful. The four prospects have very little (almost none).

Pendleton, transfer from Notre Dame, was a sometimes center in practice but never in a game. He’s good enough to play some position, maybe center.

Satterwhite was Cooper’s backup last season. He played 23 snaps against Chattanooga, six against North Carolina State, 16 against Kent State, suffered an injury and qualified for a redshirt.

Anderson played briefly against Texas-El Paso.

Heupel, to the rescue, says experience is not the deciding factor. He wants a center who can meet all obligations, not the least of which is communication.

“The ability to communicate at a really high level, get all five guys on the same page, pass protection, run game, snap it accurately and efficiently, play with fundamentals and technique.”

Heupel, as he often says “at the end of the day,” wants the center, guards and tackles, best five available linemen, to operate as one.

Elarbee says his prospects are competing.

“We’ll be there.”

The center position is often overlooked simply because it is not glamorous. Centers are very busy. They must stay in touch with the quarterback, read defensive alignments, coordinate blocking adjustments and snap the ball accurately. Really, the position is loaded with responsibility.

It is not happenstance that centers are almost always smart people.

No way to forget Bob Johnson, Doug Dickey’s first signee, senior in ’67, honors graduate in industrial engineering, the original Cincinnati Bengal, first drafted by the new franchise. He was the captain, a natural leader.

Bob lasted 12 years in the NFL. His jersey was retired. Just for fun, he did Bengals television.

Long before he was finished with football, Johnson launched what became a tremendous career in adhesive business. He started in sales, became president of the company, then owner. He sold out and became president again.

Later, he gave a great gift to his old school, the time it takes to serve as a leader. He was a perfect fit for the UT athletics board, multitalented man with keen insight based on rare experiences, one of the most illustrious student-athletes in school history.

Another example of a smart center is Norbert Ackermann Jr., UT bachelor of science 1965, master’s 1967, doctorate 1971 – then Department of Nuclear Engineering hall of fame.

Ackermann was a researcher for Oak Ridge National Laboratory while a student at UT, and then as a research staff member in instrumentation and controls from 1968-75.

He left ORNL to found the Technology for Energy corporation. He later helped several local start-ups. He was Knoxville’s Entrepreneur of the Year 1990.

In 1994, during the 200th anniversary of its founding, the university named him one of the all-time outstanding graduates.

Before all that, Bert was just a smart Vol center, all-SEC academic honors, 1963 and 1964.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com