Titans rookie guard Fernando Carmona Jr. leans into a physical style as training camp heats up

Tennessee’s rookie guard Fernando Carmona Jr. has started camp with the kind of message that fits the trenches, keep grinding and keep playing hard. In a team feature published Aug. 14, Carmona described how he has been approaching his transition to the NFL from a college routine built around physical, no-nonsense play.

Carmona’s background, as Tennessee framed it, is that he started 49 of 50 college games over three seasons at San Jose State, then added a fourth college season where he started one game at Arkansas. During that stretch, he played multiple roles along the line, working both at tackle and guard, a versatility that matters when an NFL roster is searching for reliable bodies at every position in the front.

In Nashville, Carmona’s adaptation is not just about scheme. He said he has a new look, a shaved head, as a practical adjustment to the Tennessee heat. The point in the team’s telling was straightforward, preparation includes the small things that help you stay consistent day after day, especially in a sport where conditioning and recovery are tested in practice.

On the field, Tennessee emphasized Carmona’s “physical style of play.” That label matters because offensive line prospects in the NFL are judged not only by technique, but by whether they can sustain effort through contact, match the pace of the league, and continue to play with leverage and physicality in space and in the run game.

The team’s update also made it clear Carmona’s mindset is built for incremental improvement rather than a finished product. He “plans to keep working,” Tennessee wrote, indicating that his role right now is about earning more reps, sharpening his reads and hand work, and continuing to translate what he did in college into the tighter, faster NFL environment.

For the Titans, a rookie who has already shown the ability to start repeatedly in college provides a tangible foundation. Starting is rarely automatic for interior linemen because the position demands both physical toughness and day-to-day discipline, so Tennessee’s focus on Carmona’s college starts positions him as a player who can be coached and developed without needing to be taught how to handle the mental demands of consistent playing time.