Vols’ McKenzie leaving for NFL draft
“I want to say thank you to the city of Knoxville and the ENTIRE VolNation for embracing me through the ups and downs through these past 3 years. Knoxville will always be my second home and I will love y’all tomorrow as much as I do now and have my entire life.” – KAHLIL MCKENZIE
KNOXVILLE — When Jeremy Pruitt swaps his Alabama cap for a Tennessee cap this morning, he’ll have one fewer former five-star defensive tackle on his new roster.
Kahlil McKenzie Jr. announced in a post on Instagram on Sunday night that he is planning to forgo his final season of eligibility at Tennessee and enter the NFL draft.
McKenzie played in every game for Tennessee except the season finale this past year, recording 35 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. His father Reggie, a former Tennessee linebacker, is the general manager of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
“I want to say thank you to the city of Knoxville and the ENTIRE VolNation for embracing me through the ups and downs through these past 3 years,” McKenzie wrote in the post. “Knoxville will always be my second home and I will love y’all tomorrow as much as I do now and have my entire life.”
Barring additional offseason roster turnover, McKenzie’s departure will leave Shy Tuttle as the Volunteers’ most-experienced returning defensive tackle as Tennessee transitions to a 3-4 defensive scheme under Pruitt.
Tuttle, who will be a senior in 2018, played in 10 games this past year, recording 27 tackles as he worked his way back from a serious knee injury.
Pruitt’s scheme employs a nose tackle and two defensive ends and will require some players to change positions and all to learn a new system. In Alabama’s defensive scheme this year, the nose tackle was Da’Ron Payne, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 308 pounds.
Tuttle would appear to fit
that mold well. He also is listed at 6-2, 308.
At 6-4 and 300 pounds, Alexis Johnson is another Vol who received playing time at defensive tackle in 2017 and could compete for time at nose tackle during his senior season under Pruitt.
In Pruitt’s time as the defensive coordinator at Alabama, even defensive ends weighed near the 300-pound benchmark, which would be considered heavy for a player at that position in a 4-3 scheme that former Tennessee coach Butch Jones used.
Jonathan Kongbo, who played defensive end for Jones in 2017 at 264 pounds, is training to play a hybrid linebacker position, according to videos of his offseason workouts that have been posted to social media.
Defensive ends Darrell Taylor and Kyle Phillips also are expected to return for Tennessee, though it’s not immediately known if they will also train at linebacker.
The Vols added three defensive linemen in December’s early signing period who weigh 280 pounds or more. Another player from the early signing class, junior college defensive end Jordan Allen, is listed at just 230 pounds and appears likely to play linebacker in the 3-4 scheme.
McKenzie is the third player from Tennessee’s junior class to declare for the draft, joining defensive back Rashaan Gaulden and running back John Kelly.
In the 2015 recruiting class, McKenzie was ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect by Rivals and the No. 3 overall prospect by 247Sports. He played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2015, recording 14 tackles. A pectoral injury ended his 2016 season after seven games.
McKenzie started alongside redshirt senior Kendal Vickers in the 2017 season. He set a career high with eight tackles in Tennessee’s season-opening win over Georgia Tech.