Tennessee Football: Vols Spring DL Injuries Building Depth

Tennessee football has gone through spring practice with a very thin defensive line unit. But that is helping to build depth there for the Volunteers.

Tennessee football defensive line coach Brady Hoke was probably the most high-profile hire during the offseason. However, with the Vols so thin among defensive linemen, it was hard to know if he could show anything this spring.

After all, Kyle Phillips, Shy Tuttle, and Kendal Vickers have all missed the spring due to injuries. And Kahlil McKenzie has been severely limited.

Those are four for the main linemen the Vols expect to rely on this year. They all date back to injuries last year that decimated Tennessee down the stretch of the season. But the program is now building depth in the spring as a result.

Hoke and Bob Shoop are clearly taking advantage of the situation to find other guys to step up. And it seems to be working.

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The headliner is a former five-star junior college transfer in Jonathan Kongbo. Last year, he had to move around a lot when he stepped into the lineup due to injuries elsewhere.

This year, he’s solely focusing on defensive end. And he’s working to become an elite playmaker along the lines of Derek Barnett.

Kongbo has been featured in numerous spring stories. And many coaches have pointed him out.

Mike Griffith of SEC Country reports that although Kongbo got banged up this past Saturday, he’s been one of the top performers throughout the spring.

And Hoke and Shoop have sung his praises.

But we expected this from Kongbo. A more pleasant surprise has been Darrell Taylor.

Bob Shoop said on ‘The Nation’ with John Brice and Chris Low that Kongbo and Taylor have both had really good springs.

Grant Ramey of GoVols247 reports that Taylor’s name has come up in spring camp as much as or more than anybody else’s. Noting that he arrived in Knoxville having played wide receiver in high school and needing to add weight, Taylor’s progression has been amazing.

The defensive tackles, meanwhile, are also drawing attention. Before last Saturday’s scrimmage, Quay Picou’s name kept coming up.

As Patrick Brown of GoVols247 noted, Picou was one of the top weight-room guys and is working to translate that onto the field.

But that strength combined with getting more reps can only make him better.

Then there’s Alexis Johnson. This guy was a four-star junior college transfer last year but never got into proper football shape after an off-the-field incident kept him indefinitely suspended last offseason.

However, we know he has talent, and Ryan Callahan of GoVols247 reports that Shoop said Johnson is doing all the right things.

We can also add that out of nowhere a practice squad guy, Paul Bain, recorded a tackle for a loss in his second straight scrimmage Saturday, according to another Mike Griffith report on SEC Country.

All of this makes one thing clear: the injuries that the Vols are suffering at this position are a blessing in disguise.

The way Hoke and Shoop have sung the praises of these defensive linemen spells good things. Those guys have plenty of potential.

And they’re getting a ton of reps with the first team.

Conceivable, Picou and Johnson in the middle with Kongbo and Taylor on the outside would be a great starting lineup up front.

But when you combine them with the four guys coming back, it spells much-needed depth for the program.

And due to the injuries, Tennessee football is certainly building that depth at this position during this spring.

Given what happened last year, that’s something they desperately needed to do.

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Tennessee Football: Spring Injuries on DL Could be Building Vols Depth

By Caleb Calhoun | Apr 11, 2017

Tennessee football has gone through spring practice with a very thin defensive line unit. But that is helping to build depth there for the Volunteers.