Austin Price: Hello everybody and welcome into episode three of season two of Vol Club Confidential. I'm your host Austin Price. We've got Tennessee linebacker, Aaron Beasley on the show tonight. Big defensive performance against Virginia this past weekend. Of course, we have Austin P coming up on Saturday. That game being at five o'clock, we bring in James Clawson now, and James, you think back to the tailgate in Nashville, obviously a huge, huge turnout, but it was more than just the tailgate for Vol Club members. You had the stuff at Barstool, you had a couple other different events, just a neat way to kind of bring in the new year. Yeah, James Clawson: It was awesome to see a bunch of familiar faces that we haven't seen in a while and just the number of people that were at Barsol on Friday night, it kind of blew us away. I mean, I know our membership has grown significantly since the last home game, but to see that take place Friday night and then to see the tailgate on Saturday and the amount of Tennessee fans that showed up in Nashville is pretty cool Austin Price: This weekend, first home game, you've got a new tailgate location, which will be on the other side of McClung Tower from Vault Village. A bigger footprint for the Vault Club. James Clawson: Yeah, bigger footprint between McClung and the library. So Checkerboard and up gets into the tailgate, so just be prepared to show your mobile wallet pass, but should be a big footprint. I think it's going to be a great time. It'd be much more room than Circle Park for Austin Price: Us. That's right, and James will be signing autographs starting at two o'clock. That's James Clawson: Austin actually Austin Price: Two to two 15. He'll sign autographs for 15 minutes and maybe I'll be there. He's James Clawson. I'm Austin Price. Let's bring in tonight's keyed guest, that being linebacker Aaron Beasley. Aaron, you've had this weird career arc, man. I mean you kind of played a little bit of everything, I mean on both sides of the ball since you've been here, there was a time when you were suspended and not around the team and then now you've come back and you're one of the team leaders. How much have you grown up? You've kind of done it in front of our eyes, but how much do you feel like you've kind of matured since you've been here? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I think that was the biggest thing for me. Coming in from high school to college, new scenery, new people. I feel like it took me a while to realize that and take that into consideration of my maturity levels and who I was as a person and where I was as a person. So I'm forever grateful for my time here. The past, all the ups and downs, it made me who I am today and it's definitely made me more mature and I couldn't want it any other way. I think that's the biggest thing is the stuff we go through and the good or the bad. It makes us who we are at the end of day, so we can only be grateful for it. Austin Price: Was there a particular person or a particular moment in time where it kind started to click for you as far as growing up a little bit and seeing what's in front of you? Aaron Beasley: A person, like a person? Yeah, Austin Price: Somebody have an impact on you or, Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I think a lot of people, people I come in contact with, a lot of people I've had friendships with, relationships with. I feel like all those people influenced me and made me gain that maturity. I wouldn't say anybody in particular, brother, there's so many of the name, but some of my teammates, some of my linebacker buddies I used to play with, even those guys, they really just learning from them and I feel like it really, really helped me a lot being able to grow. Austin Price: You go back to when you were away from the team and you were suspended, and I told you this story, I remember this. I think it was the open practice in 2021, spring Hypes first just got here and you're not around the team and I look up and there you are and you've got this hood on and you're at Kneeling Stadium and you're setting up by yourself. Nobody really recognized you up there sitting by yourself, but I did. And when you're sitting there, did that kind of put it all in perspective of like, okay, I've got this opportunity, I just got to do what I need to do to get back on the team and then go? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I feel like it is a cliche saying you never know what you have until it is taken away from you. So just getting a chance to go out there, it really made me realize what I was missing out on and the privilege I had to play this game at the University of Tennessee. Just seeing that I was really just soaking it all in because just seeing what I was missing and seeing what I could be a part of, I wasn't able to at the time, so it was a moment for me. Yeah, I think that's why I went there just to actually see what I was missing out on and just the time of being away, that's when it really hit me. Austin Price: You work your way back and you immediately really kind of connect with Brian, Jean-Marie, the linebacker's coach. What's he meant to you? Aaron Beasley: Man? He's meant a lot. I think the biggest thing a coach can do for a player is really believe in him, really have that trust in him. I think if a player feels that from his coach, I think the ceiling is high for him and coach BJ does a great job and believing in his players and trusting his players and giving him that confidence to go out there and play ball. So I forever got love for coach bj. Our relationship has grown and he's really a father figure to me. Being away from home, having a guy like bj, it really makes things easier when you're playing ball. Austin Price: When you came in, it was a different staff, but you came in and again, you bounced around. When did you know the linebacker was going to be it for you and did you ever kind of envision linebacker being it for you when you were in high school? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, they kind of put it in my ear. Some schools recruited me at linebacker. If you ever watched my high school film, a lot of it was I was hitting. I liked to hit. That was probably my favorite thing to do in high school was to hit people and still is, but I think that's what I showed a lot of was hidden. So I think a lot of people, including myself, saw myself being kind of a linebacker box player, so I was always optimistic and playing linebacker. I feel like I've always been, my awareness of football has always been pretty good. So my switch to it really, it really wasn't too bad. I had to learn the fronts and a lot of terminology, but I think moving to linebacker really fit my game and my style of play. Austin Price: Some of you older guys that have been here for four or five years, it's kind of seen the downs and then last year's obviously saw the ups to kind see where it started and now where it is and all the momentum for the program. How much does that mean to you to know you've been a part of that? A key part of it? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, it means a lot. You know what it's like when it is not going good. You know what it's like when everybody's scratching their head looking crazy. So I think going through that into where we are now and having those older guys who've been through that with me and with this team, it really sheds a light on who we want to be and who we don't want to go back to. So going through all that, it is really helped us. It's helped us show the other guys the way, especially the younger ones so that they don't have to go back through that. We don't have to go through that whole process again, again of being down and just not good vibes around. You know what I'm saying? Austin Price: You look in the linebacker room and you're technically the old man river, but I mean you're up there, right? I mean compared to these other kids, Aaron Beasley: They call me old man all the time. Austin Price: Do they really? How do you take that? Aaron Beasley: I laugh. I get it. Austin Price: Are you 22? Yeah, Aaron Beasley: I'm 22. Austin Price: I mean, you're not even that old. I Aaron Beasley: Ain't that old, Austin Price: But Kena is 25. He can rent a car. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, yeah. I laugh at it. I know one day they could be in the same shoes as me, so I joke with 'em about that, but it's all love. At the end of the day, I want the best for those guys and it is vice versa to everybody. Austin Price: Do you relish the chance to kind of be that old guy now? Aaron Beasley: Yeah. Yeah. I take pride in it. I just want them to, bro. If I'm out there doing it, bro, there's no reason why they can't do it. So I just want them to know, bro, they can do whatever they want with this game and if they really hone in and minimize the mistakes and just learn, always be willing to learn. Austin Price: You impressed by how much talent's in that room right Aaron Beasley: Now? I really am. I really am. Such young talent and the young talent and the off the field and the smarts all match it, so it is cool to see. Honestly, I haven't been a part of a young talented room like this one. What Austin Price: Do you like about the group as a whole from a jail standpoint? What do you guys do off the field? I mean, do you just hang out with the older guys? Do you find yourself hanging out with some of these younger linebackers? Take me through what it's like to be in that room. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, we hang out sometimes. I mean a lot of them were kind of like me when they first came to college. They really don't do much outside of ball as far as hanging outside, stuff like that. But we kick it sometimes we'll go over to each other's house, play the game, things of that nature. Just really chill. But yeah, it is good vibe for sure. Austin Price: What's been your best memory to this point? Everybody. It's easy to sit there and go Alabama, but I mean is it simply as that or is there something else that sticks out for you? Is it the Orange Bowl you had the two big sacks? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, Austin Price: I thought Pittsburgh last year was one of your really cool games. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, pits probably Pitt last year was probably one of my favorite games, honestly, because usually at the beginning of the season we started out getting beat 10 to zero, that game a slow start and usually the past teams, I've seen Tennessee, we'll lay down, we'll kind of give up, put our head downs and stuff, but that was the first time I actually seen us keep going and keep attacking and not put our head downs and just believe that we're going to come out on top at the end of the game. But other than that, honestly last season overall was probably the most fun I had. Being at Tennessee my first two years, it was brutal. I really didn't have that love for football anymore even though I did, but at the same time, I just didn't get that same feeling, Austin Price: Not playing and losing or playing very Aaron Beasley: Little and losing, not playing and losing was the big thing. So yeah, last year was, it was definitely the most fun I had, probably the funnest I had since I've been at Tennessee for sure. Austin Price: You make the move from 24 to six. Take me through the change. Why mean your brand was 24? I Aaron Beasley: Guess I really didn't realize the type of brand I have with 24, so I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Austin Price: You feel I'm saying once you start making plays, it all shifts, but when you go I and watch your career highlights, it's going to be like 24, 24, 6, 6. Aaron Beasley: Yeah. Austin Price: Trying be Kobe from 24 to eight, eight to 24. I Aaron Beasley: Wish I could, I'm a big Kobe fan. You go on my crib, you'll see Kobe on the wall, some more Kobe stuff, so I'm a big Kobe fan. I wish I could have went 24 to eight, but I let bt, she's going to let BT have the eight. I ain't even asking for it, so I got to know how people are with the numbers. We Austin Price: Talk about the belief and you talked about last year that Pittsburgh game was the first time you saw a Tennessee team push through when they have a little bit of adversity. This team talks about winning the east doesn't shy away from talking about, I mean every team's kind of, I always tell this to high school kids, every team's goal before the season starts to school, win a state championship right where you were oh and 10 last year, 10 and oh most Aaron Beasley: Definitely, Austin Price: But you all generally believe you can get to Atlanta. Where's the belief changed? Why does this belief, why is it different? Aaron Beasley: The work we've put in, you don't get that confidence in believing that you can win something without putting something into it, without putting no work into it. So I feel like that's a big part of it. Coach Heel has also done a good job of ingraining that into our minds that expect to win, not just believe but expect it and you get that also from your work and stuff and a lot of times he talks about hoping, trying and believing and expecting we expect to do what we say we're going to do and that's what we're going to stick to. Austin Price: What other expectations do you have, whether it be just for you individually? Aaron Beasley: Me individually? Yep. Honestly, just being the best teammate I can be on the field on Saturdays and even during the week just being the best teammate for the people around me and just doing what I can to do to help this team reach our goals. Austin Price: What do you like about this team that last year's team didn't have? Is there something you can pinpoint through one game and fall camp that this team has that maybe last year's team did not have? Aaron Beasley: I think we're more cohesive as an overall unit. Austin Price: Is that defensively or overall? Aaron Beasley: Just overall. I feel like we have more people overall on the same page and the same mindset and I feel like that's the difference. I think last year's team was phenomenal. We had a lot of good athletes, a lot of good players, but I feel like just this year's team still seasons just starting, so I don't want to speak too soon, but I feel like this team is more a cohesive unit overall. Offense and defense. I feel like we all have the same mindset. We're all on the same page and I feel like that's the biggest difference I see so far. Austin Price: What was your biggest takeaway from the Virginia game? Aaron Beasley: That we could be really good, honestly. I feel like we can be really good, but we just got to keep working, not get too high, get too low. I feel like that was another thing with last year. I feel like we got to a point where we kind of got a little relaxed, a little comfortable, which I feel like we got a little too high, so I feel like that's the biggest thing with us. I like what I saw. We just got to keep getting better, keep improving and not get too high. Austin Price: Some of those younger guys, I don't mean just the freshmen, I'm not talking about Ion Carter or David Hobbs. Obviously those players, being able to get on the field early is impressive, but I always said the all off season, I thought the best chance for the defense to take the next step is if the Elijah Herrings and the James Pierces and Josh Josephs and that group that's now sophomores, they take the leap from year one to year two. What do you think of that group? Aaron Beasley: Another group that's really talented and really cares about ball, really smart individuals and they just overall care themselves pretty well. Very mature for their age and it is crazy that they're sophomores bro because they don't look like it. They don't act like it and they definitely don't play like it. So it's really impressive to see the stuff that they've made since from last year to this year, especially James Pearson, Elijah Herring. I've seen them grow exceptionally, so it is real cool to see. I'm really impressed by him and the future's really bright for him. Austin Price: Are you a talker? I would say no. Right. You're pretty reserved. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I talk now, but I like to just sit back and listen to everything. Austin Price: Are you surprised knowing who Elijah is off the field? Were you surprised when you saw him on the field and how much he chirps? Aaron Beasley: Honestly, I was because I'm kind of the same way. I really don't talk that much off the field, but once we get in the war with another team, so he's kind of like me in that area. He gets real chirp. He might be a little more chirping than me, but ain't nothing wrong with that because his play backs it up for sure. Austin Price: Game you're looking forward to most this year, and I don't mean put bulleted board material out there, but just one that you're looking forward to playing in a stadium or you're looking forward to going against this type offense. Aaron Beasley: I'm really interested in Austin Peter's week. You might think I'm just talking, but no, the offense. Yes, Austin Price: I think you're just talking. Aaron Beasley: No, the offense Austin Price: Is very chapel's, very impressed by your ability to stay in the moment. Aaron Beasley: The offense is a lot like our offense, so I think it'd be unique to see another team Austin Price: Try to run tempo on you. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, try to run tempo on us, which we've seen. I mean our offense really didn't put it on us that bad other than the scrimmages and stuff and the little tipo peers we had in practice, but Austin p y splits, things of that nature, like our offense, they will go tempo. I don't know if they're as fast as our offense, but yeah, they resemble our offense a lot, so I'm interested in seeing that. That's a good one. This Austin Price: Guy, I'm telling you what a coach answer. Best uniform. You got the ones this weekend obviously. Your thoughts on that. Do you like what you wore last year at L SS U better than this weekend? Aaron Beasley: I like the classic Smokies. I do. I really do this. I got to see, I got to see 'em in person. I got to see him with it on. I think it'll look good. In all honesty, it's something different, something we ain't seen, but I think it'll look good. My all Austin Price: Face, I like the face mask with 'em in the pictures. Did you see the pictures? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The gray face mask. Yeah, Austin Price: The light gray face mask. Yeah, Aaron Beasley: I think that was a nice touch too. I think we'll just have to see when Saturday comes, what they really look like. No, my all time favorite is the all black for sure. My high school, my first high school I went to, I kind of watched them growing up and we was the bottom red devils and the high school we would play like our rivals. They were the Breman blue devils and so we would get it all black. Our team would get it all black, but when I got to high school there, they took the all black away, the black jerseys black pants away, so I never got to wear it all black until I got here. So all black my favorite. Austin Price: What were you thinking a and m for that? Aaron Beasley: I'm not sure. That's a good question. Austin Price: Makes the most sense to me. Either that or South Carolina. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I like South Carolina. I like wearing it against them. I think we should do that Austin Price: Probably. You heard him. Players' council, South Carolina. Alright, we're going to get to some rapid fire here. You brought up Kobe earlier. Jordan or LeBron Aaron Beasley: Jordan for Austin Price: Sure. You're not a big LeBron guy. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I'm not a big Austin Price: LeBron guy. Because you're a Kobe guy. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, they think, yeah, I think Kobe's the greatest though. If you have to ask me. Austin Price: It's us. He's got Kobe. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, Kobe's the greatest. Austin Price: You're not the first person to play Kobe Aaron Beasley: In that. I got Kobe, Jordan, LeBron. LeBron. He's really big, great size, athletic. Just I think Kobe had a little more skill in his game overall. Then LeBron, I think LeBron a lot of times uses his side to his advantage, which makes him pretty good too. Not taking him away from his guy, giving gifts, but yeah, I'm a Kobe Austin Price: Fan. Obviously you're in an era that plays a lot of PlayStation, Xbox, play, Madden, old ncaa. Have you ever played an old school Nintendo before? Aaron Beasley: Old school, like 94 Nintendo? Austin Price: No. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, growing up my pops, I forget the Austin Price: Game tech. My ball. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, tech, my ball. He split that. Austin Price: Your thoughts on it? How do you think your teammates would fare? We brought this up having they do on Twitch, they'll do the Madden games. Yeah, if we did that, but we did it with technical. Technical, do you think they'd be able to figure it out? Aaron Beasley: The younger generation, I don't know if they ever even laid eyes on that, like the freshmen and sophomores. I don't know if they ever laid eyes Austin Price: On, I mean you're only four years older than them, Aaron Beasley: But you'd be surprised now they were born in like 2005 now I was born in 2000. That's a big difference. But no, I think they'll get a hang of it. I think our games now are a lot more, it's a lot more to it than type. Austin Price: I just see him talking about graphics. Aaron Beasley: Oh yeah. They would hate the graphics. They would hate the graphics for sure. Yeah, the graphics. Yeah, they wouldn't farewell with that. Austin Price: What's something most people don't know about Aaron Beasley? Aaron Beasley: I think I've told some people this. I'm a big outside guy. I like to be outside a lot, whether that's just chilling with a nice little mountain view or taking a hike, fishing, being on the lake, I like that. I feel like I don't post that enough, but I do that on my free time a lot. Austin Price: Is there a spot on? Could you name a spot on campus where if you just needed to go and chill for 30 minutes and just clear your mind, that's outside? Yeah. Where would you go Aaron Beasley: Across the river from campus? The Bluffs. The Bluffs. Everybody know about the Bluffs? Yeah. That's a cool little spot I like to go to. There's some people that's always there when I go there. One dude, his name's Brian. He's always there when I go there, so it's cool to chop it up with him every time I go, so that's probably my favorite spot honestly. Austin Price: For you, what have you enjoyed most about Knoxville? Aaron Beasley: Just the energy evolving around football and sports in general. Just baseball, basketball, really all the sports, just the passion and energy that they have for it all around here. It makes what we do as student athletes more, we take it more into consideration of why we do it and what we're doing it for. It makes it a little easier to know that people really care about this stuff, so it makes us go harder for sure. Austin Price: When you're able to go and read to a elementary school or you're out in public having dinner and a little kid comes up to you and goes, the parents recognized you or they recognized you, do you take pride in that knowing like this little kid, I can have an impact on them? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, most definitely. I always enjoy talking to the kids. I think that's the biggest thing is just pouring into the generation coming up. I feel like they're the most important. They're coming up, they're up and coming, so I feel like anytime I get a chance to talk to some kids or even just fans in general, I take pride in. I take time out to do it. I know it could make the day. Austin Price: What's your drive, what's your purpose? Aaron Beasley: A lot of people where I come from a small town I come from, there's been a lot of talented people, a lot more talented than me, but they never got a chance to get out of the small town I was from. Whether that just be some off the field stuff, getting in trouble, not having the grades, things of that nature. So that really makes me go, I know if they had this opportunity, they'll make the most of it and the fact that they didn't have the opportunity, I know I'm the one that're looking to that they're looking for on Saturday, so that really makes me go. Just doing it for the people who really weren't able to, who just didn't get the chance to, that really makes me go. Austin Price: I know your parents are just over the moon for all your success here lately. What have they meant to you? Aaron Beasley: They meant a lot, man. I know I gave them a tough time growing up. I really did, but we got through it. We're here now. I know they're proud of me and I appreciate them. Without them, I really wouldn't be here without there. The resources that help their knowledge, it'd be hard for me to be in this position. Austin Price: The older you get, I'm the same way. The older you get, I think the more you appreciate 'em. Sometimes you probably didn't like what they had to say or their viewpoint on something, but in the end they probably just wanted the best, right? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, most definitely. I think that's how it goes for a lot of people. It is hard to realize it when you're young and think you know it all and they're bickering at you telling you to do this or that and you just kind of brush it off, not realizing that they're just telling you what's best for you. It's sad that some people, a lot of people really don't realize it until they go off to the school or move away from the people. What they was telling us the whole time was really what was best for us and I know me, I really didn't listen a lot of times, so I'm forever appreciative of him. Austin Price: What's the best advice you've been given since you've been here? Aaron Beasley: Be where your feet are. I say that a lot of times our mind can go all over the place, whether it be the past or thinking about what's the future, what's next. I think that was the best advice I was given. Just be your feet are, be in the moment, be here. I think that's the biggest thing, especially for me. It gets tough sometimes worrying about what's next or what could happen or even sometimes dwelling on the past, it's hard to or it's easy to do that, so I just try to remember just be where my feet are, be in the moment, be here. So I think that was some of the best advice I've been given. Austin Price: Every time you walk into Neland Stadium, because I mean your career's dwindling down here, I mean so many games you got left, but I mean do you soak it in more and more like when you're on the ball walk, when you're hanging out with your teammates after practice, do you soak up the moments? Do you ever think around and go, man, I mean when you're in Nashville Saturday and you got 65 of the 68,000 or Tennessee Orange and do you ever look around and go, man, this is just special? Aaron Beasley: Yeah, I did that Saturday. I took a little time and just looked around and was real appreciative of it. These are moments how I'd never be able to get back, so it is starting to get a little bittersweet for me honestly. But I'm still just trying to be in a moment every chance I get. Austin Price: You don't seem like the emotional crier type. Aaron Beasley: No, I will now. I try not to show it, but yeah, I can get emotional sometimes, but that's just part of it. That's part of life. We all get emotional, we all got emotions, so I think that's just Austin Price: Life the best part of the team. The fact that there's so many veterans. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, that's the best part of it. We got a lot of guys who've been through a lot, who've seen a lot at all different places, so I think just having that in the building is special, especially to the younger ones. We want to leave it better than we found it and just showing them the way and just teaching them things. I feel like that's the best part of this team is that we have that and I only makes it better. Austin Price: When you look around your teammates, is there one person that you're like, man, I'm so glad that it worked out for this guy. He's playing and he's having success and that type of thing. Is there one guy that you're more happy for than the rest? I know you're happy for all of 'em, but one that really kind of stands out. Aaron Beasley: I had to say, Joe, honestly, like you say, I'm proud of everybody on the team, but Austin Price: He stuck it out. Aaron Beasley: Joe stuck it out and I know what he went through when he first transferred here was it wasn't easy. Even though he probably made it seem easy, him and Hindu's relationship was pretty tight knit, but what he did wasn't really, wasn't easy to do. So I'm proud of Joe for that, for sticking it out and just being a great teammate no matter what's happening. Just being there for Hendon, being there for all the other teammates. I was really, really impressed with that and proud of Joe for that. Austin Price: When your time's done, what will you be most proud of and what core memories do you take with you the Aaron Beasley: Most? The growth of Tennessee football and myself personally, just a lot of adversities, but a lot of times adversity really, it doesn't define a person or a university. All it does is put you on the hot seat of what you're going to do next, so I feel like we've taken a step in the right direction in that way. A core memory, probably the Pru area. I feel like those two years really, it was a brutal two years. No disrespect to anybody who was around that time, but I'm forever appreciative of that time, although it wasn't all cookies and sunshine, but it was. I think it played a huge part into where I am now and where this university is now. Austin Price: Help define you. Aaron Beasley: Yeah, most definitely. Most Austin Price: Definitely. Cookies and sunshine. Baby cookies and sunshine. He's Aaron Beasley, we appreciate your time. Joining us on Vault Club Confidential this week. Next week we'll have Macallan Castles on episode four of Vault Club Confidential. We'll see you out there at Neland Stadium this Saturday for Austin. P.