UT starting to look thin at linebacker position
Vols deficient in depth at inside linebacker
KNOXVILLE — The position group with arguably the most healthy talent on Tennessee’s defense just three weeks ago now appears unsettled as the Volunteers’ season opener with West Virginia approaches.
Tennessee’s inside linebackers group is likely to be anchored this season by three experienced juniors in Quart’e Sapp, Daniel Bituli and Darrin Kirkland Jr., but the stability of Kirkland’s right knee is raising questions about how many snaps he will be able to play against the Mountaineers on Sept. 1.
That issue, combined with the continued absence of highly touted freshman linebacker J.J. Peterson, means the Vols could be an injury or two away from reaching deep into the roster for help in the middle of the defense early in the season.
“We’ve got to develop some depth there,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said on the “Vol Calls” radio show this week.
Fifth-year senior Dillon Bates, who spent time with outside linebackers during preseason practices, has been working with the inside linebackers again in recent practices.
While the inside linebackers ran through drills under the direction of defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer in Wednesday’s practice, Kirkland wore a bulky knee brace and pedaled a stationary bicycle about 100 yards away under the direction of the strength and conditioning staff.
Kirkland’s absence from positional work during open periods of practice this week came after he was held out of a scrimmage last weekend at Neyland Stadium.
“He wanted to (scrimmage) and felt great,” Pruitt said, “but going back to what we decided to do before camp started, we were going to work him a certain amount of days and give him a certain amount of days off just for recovery and building him back.”
Kirkland’s workload appears to have
decreased since just three weeks ago, when he worked with Tennessee’s top defense — without wearing the knee brace — during an open practice at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols seemed to have robust depth at inside linebacker entering preseason camp. With the trio of juniors and two highly touted underclassmen in Peterson and sophomore Will Ignont, there were five promising players in line to compete for snaps at two positions.
However, Peterson’s delayed enrollment almost ensures that he will not be a factor for the Volunteers in 2018. The four-star linebacker from Colquitt County High School in Georgia had yet to enroll at Tennessee on Wednesday, which was the first day of classes for the semester. Pruitt has said that Peterson is “finishing up a class,” an assertion that he reiterated Wednesday.
“It’s the same deal, you know,” Pruitt said. “That’s the good thing about any student-athlete. Once they finish up their requirements and pass the NCAA Clearinghouse, you know as long as it’s not a deadline past entering school, they can start school. We’re still expecting him to be here.”
Optimism persisted throughout the summer that, even though Peterson did not enroll with the rest of the signing class in time for summer conditioning drills, he would arrive in time for preseason practices.
Now, even if Peterson does join the program soon, he will be months behind on conditioning and weeks behind in learning Tennessee’s defensive system. He would also have to undergo the NCAA-mandated acclimation process that restricts players from fully participating in practices until their fifth day on the field.
If Peterson is not cleared for enrollment this semester, he could still end up playing for Tennessee. One prominent example of delayed enrollment is former Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough, who was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2014 signing class but was not cleared until that October. He enrolled in January 2015 and played the 2015 season.
With Kirkland’s tenuous health and Peterson’s absence, Ignont is primed for an opportunity after making five tackles in six appearances last season. Bates, sophomore Shanon Reid and redshirt freshman Solon Page III are the other scholarship players at inside linebacker.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.