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Tennessee Vols 2015 Football Season Preview by Position: Linebackers

By Caleb Calhoun

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Previewing the Tennessee Vols 2015 football team at every position, here is a look at the defensive line situation.

The Tennessee Volunteers have some serious talent returning at the linebacker spot. And they also have a serious hole to fill.

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The return of Curt Maggitt and Jalen Reeves-Maybin allows for two superstar, irreplaceable outside linebackers. But the loss of A.J. Johnson, who was actually lost toward the end of last year, still leaves a major opening in the middle.

Reeves-Maybin could take that spot, but then there will be inexperience on the outside. The truth of the matter is that the linebacker position has lots of raw talent, and a good bit of experienced. But experienced talent is lacking.

Still, that could change this year in the depth chart as long as a few people who need to get healthy actually get healthy and the new class of incoming freshmen help enhance the roster.

The starters could help give Tennessee at least the nastiest pass rush in all of college football if things go right. And the coverage would not be bad either.

But expect quite a few guys locked in a serious position battle this preseason trying to capture that final starting spot, whether it be at middle linebacker or weak side linebacker. The strong side linebacker is pretty much set. Assuming that everybody is healthy, here is how we project the depth chart at the linebacker position is going to stack up going into the opening game Sept. 5.

Starters

Strongside Linebacker: Curt Maggitt, Senior (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

The most raw talent on the unit and the most experienced player, Curt Maggitt is expected to be a do-it-all superstar who can line up as a rusher at linebacker or on the end. Maggitt came off an injury last year that caused him to miss the entire 2013 season and still managed to rack up 11 sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble. With Derek Barnett on the end, he will help lead a dominant pass rush throughout the year if he can stay healthy.

And if he does stay healthy, imagine just how great he could be. Maggitt was a little off early last year coming back from injury, and he came on extremely strong at the end, so imagine how great he can be with a full season. This is the stand-out player at linebacker to rack up the stats and make the amazing plays, so expect him to be a superstar if things go right.

Middle Linebacker: Dillon Bates, Freshman (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)

After battling an injury that eventually sidelined him for the whole season, Dillon Bates appears to be the guy in line to take a starting job at linebacker. And middle linebacker is the spot for him to line up at. Coming in at 6’3″ 225 pounds Bates has the size for the part, and despite missing the year, he is at least experienced in the system.

Going into the season, it appears to be a lot for Bates to call the shots for the whole defense as a redshirt freshman, but he does have some raw talent and should eventually develop into a great linebacker. So he’s got to start somewhere, right? Bates is a legacy player who you know loves Tennessee and will give everything he has, so there should be no problem putting him in this position.

Weakside Linebacker: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Junior (Clarksville, Tenn.)

While the move to middle linebacker could offset such a loss in A.J. Johnson, Jalen Reeves-Maybin needs to stay at weakside linebacker. He can be a star in this situation and wreak so much havoc that it is something you do not want to pass up. Reeves-Maybin is listed at 6’1″ 225 pounds and definitely has great speed, and he really blossomed as a linebacker last year.

For the season, Reeves-Maybin had 101 tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery, an interception, and 11 tackles for a loss. He is a versatile linebacker who is in the perfect position on the weak side. Going into this year, he could be a superstar on this side if he stays healthy, and he could be a major force in coverage or as a rusher.

Backups

Kenny Bynum, Junior (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Kenny Bynum stepped in late last year at linebacker after A.J. Johnson had his issues and was pretty serviceable, but he was a bit out of his element having to be thrust in at outside linebacker. Bynum since then had a steady spring and does have experience, so there is good reason to believe he will be able to be the first guy to fill in at back-up. At 6’1″ 250 pounds Bynum definitely has the size to play in the middle, and he will definitely be reliable at the position. But he will likely forfeit his current starting role to Bates this preseason.

Chris Weatherd, Senior (Carrollton, Texas)

Chris Weatherd is another experienced player who saw action every game last year and will be able to play multiple roles this year. Like Maggitt, he can line up at outside linebacker or end at 6’4″ 217 pounds. Last season Weatherd was a solid player on the field with 12 tackles and two and a half sacks, and he did start a game at Arkansas State, so the experience is there. He may be a back-up but he will definitely be used on the field a lot this year.

Darrin Kirkland, Jr., Freshman (Indianapolis, Ind.)

At 6’1″ 233 pounds, Darrin Kirkland, Jr. is another guy who has been considered for the starter at middle linebacker and clearly has elite talent. But the four-start recruit on Rivals missed spring reps due to medical repairs that were needed. Still, the raw talent and size are there, and he will definitely be able to see the field if he gets fully healthy. Only Bynum at this point has more size and more experience, so it’s hard to see Kirkland jumping over Bynum.

Jakob Johnson, Sophomore (Stuttgart, Germany)

Jakob Johnson also missed last spring due to injuries, but he did see some experience playing last year, getting in 12 games and starting for two of them. The only problem? He was awful in both of them. Johnson is a 6’4″ 240 pound linebacker with lots of potential, but coming from Germany he is still very raw. He still needs to develop some, and missing the spring didn’t help. But the talent is certainly there.

Cortez McDowell, Sophomore (Locust Grove, Ga.)

Another talent on the outside, Cortez McDowell converted from defensive back to linebacker and last year was very effective. At 6’1″ 227 pounds, McDowell played in 13 games and had 19 total tackles along with a fumble recovery. He is an athletic player who will likely play a good bit again this year, particularly when the Vols are more spread out on defense and need more athletes.

Elliott Berry, Sophomore (Fairburn, Ga.)

The brother of elite NFL defensive back Eric Berry, Elliott Berry is another player who made a switch from defensive back to linebacker, but that does not mean he can’t be solid. And he can play the same role McDowell will play. Berry saw action in nine games last year, but he will likely once again be a special teams contributor. Still, at 6’0″ 217 pounds, he should be a solid player if called upon.

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    • Gavin Bryant, Freshman (Jackson, Ala.)

    A redshirt freshman who did not play last year, Gavin Bryant is actually another player who is in the running to fill the void at middle linebacker. He’s got the size at 6’2″ 230 pounds, and he could definitely fill in on some plays this year. But the position as a whole is simply too deep, so he will likely be a specialist as well.

    Quarte Sapp, Freshman (Alpharetta, Ga.)

    Another four-star outside linebacker, Quarte Sapp is a freshman with a ton of potential who could provide solid reps. But he is a bit undersized to this point at 6’1″ 197 pounds and might need to develop some, so with the large amount of players on the roster, redshirting might be a good idea for the freshman. He’s got a future, though.

    Austin Smith, Freshman (Buford, Ga.) 

    Austin Smith is another outside linebacker listed at 6’3″ 220 pounds, but he is developing to play the hybrid role that Maggitt and Weatherd do so well. Despite only being a three-star, he does have potential, and doing that will be open next year. As a result, Smith this year could be used on some special teams plays, but he won’t see much action. Redshirting him might be a good idea as well.

    Final Take

    The linebacker position is actually incredibly deep, and there is plenty of talent and experience, just not together. Still, Butch Jones, John Jancek, and Tommy Thigpen should be able to find a solid rotation with two superstars already in place on the outside, a clutter of great choices to pick from to fill the void at inside linebacker, and at least three solid players who could fill the backup roles.

    The position overall should be very good this year for the Tennessee Vols. The only issue will be whether or not they can fill that middle linebacker spot quickly enough.

    Middle linebacker issues will cause some growing pains for the linebacker unit at the early part of the season, but when Dillon Bates or perhaps somebody else settles into the role, there should be no problem late in the year.

    Expect this group of linebackers to be one of the hearts of this team by October.

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