Rookies Get Numbers
The Titans announced on Thursday the numbers for each of the players signed in their 2025 draft class. The biggest news surrounding numbers came the other day when Warren Moon publicly gave Cam Ward his blessing to wear No. 1 during the Titans introductory press conference. Moon’s number was retired in 2002 after he spent 10 years with the Houston Oilers.
The numbers:
QB Cam Ward: No. 1
WR Elic Ayomanor: No. 5
WR Chimere Dike: No. 17
S Kevin Winston Jr: No. 23
DB Marcus Harris: No. 26
RB Kalel Mullings: No. 28
OLB Oluwafemi Oladejo: No. 53
OL Jackson Slater: No. 64
TE Gunnar Helm: No. 84
Big Orange Caravan
The Big Orange Caravan is a a collaborative fan appreciation tour hosted by Tennessee Athletics and the UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Affairs. It happens every Spring/Summer where Tennessee coaches and the athletic director make stops across the state in Memphis, Nashville, and the Tri-Cities.
The Voice of the Vols usually hosts the event, and this will be Mike Keith’s inaugural trek across the state. At every stop the coaches provide fun stories, insight and a Q & A with UT guests.
On Wednesday, the Caravan made its stop in Nashville, having their event at Geodis Park, the new stadium for the Nashville Football Club. Josh Heupel had this to say regarding the team:
“When we start in the beginning stages of the summer, you’ve got to start at ground zero and you’ve got to continue to build. The players have got to put in a bunch of time, too. That’s part of their road map to get where they need to be by the time that we get to training camp — not just kickoff. There’s a spot you’ve got to be when you get to training camp. We’ve had our exit meetings with our guys, and we’ve got a clear road map for all those guys, and now they’ve got to go chase it every day.”
Heupel went on to speak about the state of the QB room:
“I’m excited about the guys that are in the room — highly competitive. They’re smart. There’s a lot of growth that goes in where we’re at as a position room and individually where they need to get to before we get to training camp. Joey (Aguilar), obviously, got to get him here and start the process of learning everything that we do, from fundamentals to scheme to what he’d see on the defensive side of the ball and matching all those things. Our young quarterbacks, Jake (Merklinger) and George (MacIntyre), are going to continue to grow in that process, as well.”
Specifically, on Joey Aguilar:
“He’s got experience in it, and then you look at the traits of the player. He’s got the ability to push the ball down the field. There’s some things fundamentally that I think he can continue to grow in that will elevate his game — consistency. He’s got the ability to stand and make plays outside of the pocket, and can use him in the run game, too. Those are traits that we feel like we try to recruit to and that we have inside of the room.”
And around the opportunity this Summer:
“At the end of the day, it’s every player’s responsibility to learn it, earn it and take the job. And that’s always true for anybody. There’s nothing good or bad from the previous year that comes forward with you. Those three guys are going to embark on that. As a quarterback, the extra piece of it is you’ve got to develop respect and trust and expectations from the guys around you, too, and that’s a part of the guys who are the trigger guy.”