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Are Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle Taking The Pressure Off Others?

By Seth Norris

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Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle are going to help the Tennessee Vols with more than just their play on the football field.

To the tune of “Shots”, by LMFAO featuring Lil Jon – Hype, Hype, Hype, Hype, Hype, Everybody! This is what this off season and fall camp has consisted of for the entire University of Tennessee team, but freshman defensive tackles McKenzie and Tuttle have been the center of a large portion of the attention themselves.

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McKenzie coming in was the five-star kid who is not afraid to talk trash on Twitter, and be the best recruiter for the 2015 class. Shy Tuttle, the 4-star defensive tackle who will pair up with the hype train of McKenzie, and they will become the best duo since Albert Haynesworth and John Henderson. Sound like too much too soon?

At this point through fall camp, this comparison does not seem so crazy. Obviously, it is probably a little much because they have not played a single snap in the 2015-16 season, but the hype is real. McKenzie is a physical freak making national headlines for his size as a 327 pound freshman (Coach Jancek noted he needs to be at 335), and his legs/thighs have somehow managed to create their own Twitter account.

Shy Tuttle was an early enrollee who was able to make the best of the early reps. Tuttle came in with some baby fat on him in the spring, but looks like a guy in shape ready to play. Tuttle to this point has performed a little better than McKenzie in practice, but that may have something to do with his extra time in the program. Regardless, both guys are beating out upperclassmen on the field, and it would not be a surprise for one of them to end up in the starting lineup.

So, what does this have to do with the headline of this article? How is this taking pressure off of others?

A prime example came Monday when Kyle Phillips had his stripe removed from his helmet.

The defensive end has demonstrated that Coach Butch Jones and the upperclassmen believe he has done enough to earn a plain white helmet with his performances in practice.

This is an example of McKenzie and Tuttle taking pressure off of the other players because nobody has been paying attention to Kyle Phillips. Whether the media’s fault, or just the nature of the hype beast, we managed to not focus on a guy that from a talent stand point, is near that of McKenzie and Tuttle.

The first freshmen to get the stripe removed last year includes a guy by the name of Derek Barnett, so one could confirm that Phillips is a decent ball player.

It was mentioned by a player that the former five-star recruit ran down wide receiver Alton “Pig” Howard on a go route during a session that was not available to media. Phillips, a defensive end, ran down one of the best wide receivers on the roster. Hopefully, we will somehow be able to see footage.

As the media (myself included), continues to keep their eyes on McKenzie and Tuttle expect for more “surprises” like Phillips.

Who is the next freshman to get his stripe removed? It has to be McKenzie or Tuttle right?

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