Make a mold of Tennessee defensive tackles over the last two years and Matt McGlothlin would break it – if he was big enough that is.
Standing 6 feet tall in cleats and weighing in at 292 pounds, McGlothlin would look like a shadow next to any of the Vols’ starting offensive lineman.
But the walk-on from the hills of southwestern Virginia has emerged from ambiguity to working with the first-team defense in practice, something McGlothlin said he never saw coming.
“If you would have told me that a year ago I would have been just amazed,” McGlothlin said. “I’ve been busting my ass in practice.”
Tennessee coaches began noticing McGlothlin’s work ethic during spring drills. Defensive coordinator John Chavis said he had a “tremendous spring” and would get playing time in the fall despite being a freshman.
Getting noticed by a major Division I-A program like Tennessee can be a tough assignment when playing in tiny Richlands, Va. (population: 4,611), where he played on both sides of the ball in high school and made All-State as a center his senior year.
So to improve his college prospects, McGlothlin opted for Fort Union Military School.
He said it was there he learned the discipline it took to reach his goals.
“It was hell,” McGlothlin said. “They would get us up at three in the morning to run … I hate to run.”
The work paid off as the once thick, 280-pounder slimmed to a trim 240. The added quickness from the weight loss spurred McGlothlin’s permanent move to the defensive side of the ball after arriving at UT.
According to McGlothlin, the transition from running down quarterbacks, as opposed to protecting them, hasn’t been as difficult as those early morning jogs.
“Its not really the speed in general, (it’s) just being able to fly around an make things happen,” McGlothlin said. “Offensive guys just protect the quarterback …It’s hard once you do your job to fly around.
“That’s about the only difference I see.”
Like Chavis, UT defensive line coach Dan Brooks began noticing McGlothlin flying around in the spring. Brooks said no one should be surprised by McGlothlin’s progress after seeing how hard he works.
“He’s one of those guys that’s got something to prove,” Brooks said. “He’s undersized, and maybe a lot of people have told him he can’t.
“He’s just not willing to accept that.”
McGlothlin’s ascension to the starting rotation has come partly from hard work, but also from injuries and lackluster play of behalf of his fellow tackles.
He said he’s not shy if someone else isn’t pulling their end.
“I pretty much just speak my mind,” McGlothlin said. “I’ll tell it how it is.”
Following the Vols’ first scrimmage of two-a-day practices, McGlothlin pointed out fellow tackle Mondre Dickerson would play much better if “he could get his head screwed on right.”
According to the mince-no-words McGlothlin, though, that perspective comes from honesty, not attitude.
And while the fresh face for the Vols D-line may paint the picture of a rough country boy, the face McGlothlin puts on in the classroom is nothing but serious.
A pre-med major, McGlothlin hopes to be a cosmetic surgeon once his time on the field concludes.
Until then, he says he work even harder to prove himself.
“I’m just out there playing, to be honest,” McGlothlin said. “It doesn’t matter if its first-team or second, I just want to be out there and play.
“I’m going to go watch film and do whatever it takes to keep that position.”
