Tennessee's coaches have tried numerous methods to keep their football players out of trouble off the field. One isn't having much of an effect.

"I tell them to pull out the Think Card, but it doesn't work," junior safety Jonathan Hefney said when asked how to help fellow teammates avoid problematic situations. "It doesn't work at all."

The "Think Card" is a small piece of plastic about the size of a credit card. It's imprinted with important phone numbers to call - including coaches contact information - when a UT athlete finds himself in a potentially volatile social situation.

Hefney knows about such situations. Admittedly, he was a bit wilder in his younger days. Now, he said he's a different person.

It wasn't a "Think Card" that changed Hefney; it was the recent birth of daughter, Tylee Hefney.

"It made me realize that I have a responsibility," Hefney said. "It makes me put it in perspective on what I have to do on the field. It motivates me to go out there and work hard and to be able to take care of her and my family."

The new Hefney seems more intent on keeping other players out of trouble than finding his own. His main target: sophomore Demetrice Morley.

"I try to teach him everyday," Hefney said. "I try to look over him so he won't get into trouble. When I was younger I got into everything. I feel like he'll do the same thing, so I watch over him."

Head coach Phillip Fulmer has repeatedly stated that Morley is a key player as the Vols prepare for the 2006 season. Leadership could be key as UT tries to rebound from a 5-6 season in 2005.

"We've got pretty good leaders," Hefney said. "People are going to step up and say what they've got to say instead of holding back."

UT's offseason had its fair share of off-field issues. Four players (Marvin Mitchell, Jim Bob Cooter, Lee Smith and Marsalous Johnson) have been arrested. Two (Smith and Raymond Henderson) were dismissed from the team. Hefney said some problems are easy to avoid.

"If they want to go out there and do something real stupid like drink and drive, why would you do that when you've got teammates that would take you home?" he asked.

Hefney hasn't been perfect lately, but he has shown the composure of a more mature young man.

He was one of four students asked to leave the T-Rec Center on July 26 after freshman defensive back Ricardo Kemp was admittedly hanging on a basketball rim

According to the UTPD report, Hefney had to be asked several times to produce a student ID before admitting he had used another student's ID to get into the center.

Cooler heads prevailed and Hefney walked away. Hefney said he would have done the same even in the old days, but it's hard not to wonder.

"I've got responsibility on the field and off the field. I can't get in trouble. I have somebody to take care of," Hefney said, referring to his daughter. "You've got to walk away."

To some of his teammates, Hefney might not exactly fit the part of a leader. He's always smiling, has a partying past and is one of the smallest players on the team. Still, he's focused on helping Morley

"He'll listen to me," the 5-foot-9, 190-pounder said with his trademark grin. "Everybody else (says) 'He's too little.' "

Hefney said safety feels more like home than it ever has. He moved there from cornerback to begin the 2005 season.

Still, he said he'd like a shot at cornerback or wide receiver. He's often seen jumping into drills for other positions.

"Whenever somebody doesn't run out there to play corner, I run out there quick," Hefney said. "The coaches say 'Get back!' "

Hefney likely won't be moved to corner soon so he'll focus on some lofty goals at safety. He said he'd like to register 100 tackles and five interceptions this season.

That would be just fine with defensive backs coach Larry Slade, who never wants Hefney to completely forget that attitude of the past.

"He's got that thing in him that we like," Slade said. "He's still got a little bit of that wild horse rider in him.

"We love his spirit."