Derek Owings was hired as Tennessee’s director of football sports performance on Jan. 20.
He served as Indiana's director of athletic performance from 2024-25, winning a national championship in 2025 with the Hoosiers.
Owings was also James Madison's director of strength and conditioning (2020-23), Texas Tech's associate director of strength and conditioning (2019-20), UCF's assistant strength and conditioning coach (2018) and a graduate assistant at Utah State (2016-18).
He played wide receiver at Eastern Michigan from 2012-13 and tight end at Mercer from 2014-15.
Ahead of fall training camp kicking off Aug. 5 and the season on Sept. 5 for the Vols, Owings released weight progress for offensive players. Below are student-athletes he highlighted
on Instagram who have increased their weight with lean mass.
- Running back DeSean Bishop is up 13 pounds of lean mass
- Wide receiver Travis Smith Jr. is up 14 pounds of lean mass
- Running back Justin Baker is up eight pounds of lean mass
- Running back Javin Gordon is up 11.5 pounds of lean mass
- Wide receiver TK Keys is up 14 pounds of lean mass
- Quarterback Faizon Brandon is up 19.5 pounds of lean mass
- Wide receiver Deon Hardin is up 14.5 pounds of lean mass
- Offensive lineman Jeremias Heard is up nine pounds of lean mass
- Tight end DaSaahn Brame is up 14 pounds of lean mass
- Offensive lineman Kamari Blair is up 19.5 pounds of lean mass
Josh Heupel details hiring Derek Owings at Tennessee
"Physical and mental toughness is paramount in everything we do year-round as a program," Heupel said. "No one understands this better at a championship level than Derek. He will elevate our strength and conditioning program with a relentless mindset and forge strong relationships with our players.
"He has a proven track record of utilizing modern training methods to maximize speed and strength, while specializing in injury prevention. He also understands what it takes to build an elite nutrition program to ensure our players are set up for on-field success and durability. We are thrilled to welcome Derek and his wife, Riley, to Rocky Top!"
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Derek Owings details Tennessee's offensive lean mass weight upgrades
