Tennessee star defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam has been one of the best players in college football this season. Gilliam transferred to Tennessee from Penn State during the offseason and has excelled under Jim Knowles’ defensive scheme with the Vols. He’s been a driving force of Tennessee’s pass-rushing unit and is a player that opposing teams have to have a plan for.

Gilliam’s rise has been so noticeable that it’s garnered him high recognition from NFL Draft scouts. ESPN’s Mel Kiper tagged Gilliam as the sixth-best overall prospect in the class last week.

But while Gilliam’s name has been trending all over the college football and NFL Draft world over the last few weeks, his position coach Rodney Garner has kept a steady throughline while coaching him this season.

“He’s just the same person,” Gilliam said about Garner. “He doesn’t treat me any differently. He’s still on me every day. So I feel like it’s no different.”

Garner’s a longtime, experienced coach who has seen a lot of his players go to the NFL. He knows what professional prospects look like. But he’s also a coach who has a certain standard and specific expectations day in and day out, no matter the type of positive buzz a player is receiving throughout the season.

Gilliam has seen the praise and the hype online, but he tries not to pay attention to it. It’s all about the next game and the next opponent.

“Not really,” Gilliam said about whether he seeks out the outside noise. “Because at the end of the day, you’ve still got to come into practice. You’ve still got to come in and watch film. You’ve still got to come in and prepare for the next game. So there’s really no time to be sitting there on your phone like, ‘Oh, I’m so good.'”

Through eight games this season, Gilliam has racked up 25 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and two pass deflections – all of which are career highs for the junior from Maryland.

“No player in college football has improved his draft stock more since the start of the season than Gilliam, starting with a three-sack outing against Furman to begin the campaign,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper writes about Gilliam. “He has been terrific in his first season with the Vols after following defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and transferring from Penn State. He is incredibly quick and explosive at the snap, and he generates a ton of interior pressure as a result. For a defensive tackle to go early in the draft, he must be consistently disruptive. Gilliam checks that box.”

As Tennessee looks to finish out the season strong to secure a berth in the College Football Playoffs, Gilliam will undoubtedly be one of the Vols’ most key pieces in that quest. He has game-breaking ability, and the Vols have certainly taken advantage of it so far.

No. 13 Tennessee (6-2) will host No. 6 Kentucky (7-1) at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon in a rivalry clash at Neyland Stadium. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football news, notes, and coverage.