A year ago, Joshua Josephs was Tennessee football’s budding young pass rusher and James Pearce hadn’t found his footing yet.
When they swapped roles and Pearce became a star last season, Josephs didn’t handle it well.
He was candid about that misguided emotion on Wednesday during his first media appearance of preseason practice.
“Honestly, I feel like last year it was a little jealousy in me,” Josephs said. “I could see my boy James, he was turning up. And I felt like I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to play.”
Pearce and Josephs arrived at Tennessee together. They were both four-star recruits, roommates and arguably the top two defenders in the Vols’ 2022 class.
But their trajectories went in different directions in their first season and then changed course again as sophomores. Now Pearce is one of the best defensive players in college football and Josephs is his backup.
But Josephs’ jealousy turned to motivation when he had an epiphany this offseason.
“Instead of worrying about the next man, you’ve got to worry about yourself. Strive for yourself and not to impress other people,” Josephs said. “And do it for God because God has blessed me with this opportunity.”
“I feel like I took it from (jealousy) to competitiveness when I had a lot of conversations with God. I talk to God a lot, and he’s revealed a lot of things in my life. I should focus on myself, and his plan is going to work out for me.”
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How James Pearce rose as Joshua Josephs faded
Josephs had a hot start as a freshman edge rusher. He had 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries in 2022 as Pearce mostly watched from the sideline.
But in 2023, Pearce exploded into the spotlight and Josephs regressed.
Pearce led the SEC with 10 sacks. He dominated the Citrus Bowl, earned All-SEC honors and enters this season as a projected top 10 NFL Draft pick.
Josephs had a solid sophomore year with three sacks and three quarterback hurries. But his momentum had clearly slowed as Pearce rocketed past him.
Josephs said he’s never talked to Pearce about the jealousy that distracted him last season. But their relationship is strong heading into their junior season.
“I don’t know if he could tell (that I was jealous),” Josephs said. “That’s my brother. We were roommates our freshman year. This is our third year going through it, and he’s an elite player.
“We teach each other stuff in the film room and on the field. We back each other. That’s my guy, and I’ve got mad respect for him.”
How Josephs has regained momentum for junior season
Veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner said Josephs is coming off a resurgent offseason.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder gained strength in the weight room but retained his lightning-quick explosiveness. And Garner said Josephs is hungry like he was as a freshman.
“Josh is closer now to what he was when he first got here,” Garner said. “Last year, he took a dip and went into that sophomore lull. Now he’s coming back more energized, more focused and with more attention to detail.
“I’m excited about this Josh Josephs that’s here right now.”
Garner has coached 32 defensive linemen who were drafted during his career, and Pearce should be the next. But if Josephs is truly back to his old self, he could be drafted in 2025 or 2026.
How Vols can attack with Pearce, Josephs together
There’s an easy way for Pearce and Josephs to share the spotlight: Put them on the field together.
The two speedy edge rushers have been part of UT’s rabbit package, which includes multiple edge rushers on the defensive line in obvious passing situations.
It worked well last season. And with Pearce and Josephs surging, expect them to play together more this season. When they line up on opposite ends, it creates problems for the opposing offense.
“They’re scared,” Josephs said. “You can’t double him or chip him because you’ve got me on the other side. And if you want to put a guard on me, we’ve got Omarr (Norman-Lott) or (Dominic) Bailey on the (interior).
“You can’t do nothing with that. So when the offense sees us, they’re scared. Everybody is worried. So it feels good when we’re all out there.”
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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Publish date : 2024-08-07 07:27:00
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