One position that has flown under-the-radar on the 2018 Tennessee football team is the group of linebackers.
There is plenty of talk about who will start at quarterback, how the offensive line will mold around Trey Smith and what the young secondary will look like. At linebacker, the Vols have a mix of veterans and former defensive ends.
Tennessee is expected to line up in a 3-4 defensive package, an adjustment from last year’s nickel base. Through that transition, head coach Jeremy Pruitt and linebackers coach Chris Rumph have moved some pieces around.
One player who did not move from defensive end is Darrin Kirkland Jr. As a freshman in 2015, Kirkland was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. He then missed five games in 2016 with an injury and missed the entire 2017 season with a knee injury.
Now Kirkland is looking to regain his prior form and start as an inside linebacker under the new staff this season.
“It’s difficult; it takes a lot of mental focus,” Kirkland said. “My teammates really helped me a lot, so I’m happy to be there for them now.”
Pruitt said Kirkland has done a good job learning the new defense.
“First of all, he (Kirkland) is a smart guy,” Pruitt said. “He has a really good understanding of the defense. That says a lot about him because he didn’t take hardly any reps in the spring. He picks things up fast, and I think the guy’s instinctive; I think he shows some toughness, and he’s got quickness.”
“Every day that he’s out there, I see him improving and gaining confidence with himself and what he can get done.”
The other inside linebacker position is likely going to be occupied by junior Daniel Bituli, who led the team in tackles last season. Junior Quart’e Sapp will also be competing for playing time at inside linebacker.
On the outside, senior Jonathan Kongbo is projected to be a starter. Kongbo played defensive end under the previous coaching staff, but after meeting with Pruitt, he made the switch to linebacker.
“Coach Pruitt just asked me about it, and he thought it better suited me and my type of body,” Kongbo said. “I’ve always told him from the moment he got here that I was willing to do anything that he wanted me to do.”
Junior Darrell Taylor is making the same adjustment and is projected to be starting as the other outside linebacker. Taylor picked up a career-high 12 tackles in the season opener against Georgia Tech last year.
Taylor finished with 3.0 sacks last season, good for second-best on the team. He recorded 27 tackles over the season and is looking to produce at outside linebacker this year.
“I think it’s been great,” Taylor said. “Working with Coach Rumph and Coach Pruitt, I think it’s been great making that transition from defensive end to outside linebacker.”
It can be difficult to learn a new scheme, but the Tennessee linebackers said Rumph has made it as straightforward as possible.
“I think we adjusted pretty well because he (Rumph) came in and told us what we needed to do and everything he needed us to do in the defense, what we needed to bring to the table,” Taylor said. “So I think we adjusted pretty well to it.”
As Tennessee makes its final preparations for the season opener on Saturday against West Virginia, the linebackers are continuing to push one another.
“A lot of guys on this team take a lot of pride in Tennessee, so we’re just holding each other accountable,” Bituli said. “If I’m ever down there not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, they’ll do the same to me. That’s what we expect from each other.”
