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Tennessee Vols Football Notes: Could Kyle Phillips Start on the Defensive Line?

By Caleb Calhoun

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Tennessee Vols Freshman defensive end Kyle Phillips is making the most headlines of any newcomer at defensive line through preseason so far. Could he win a starting role?

Since preseason camps have started, we have been hearing about Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle at defensive tackle as the newcomers who could wreak the most havoc, and for good reason.

Both are elite players, and in two years, we could have a John Henderson-Albert Haynesworth duo. But those two players in practice right now have taken a back seat…to Kyle Phillips.

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Through two weeks of practice, Phillips has already had his black helmet stripe removed, which are placed on all newcomers’ helmets and can’t be removed until teammates vote to remove them, according to The Tennessean.

"Phillips, the son of Tennessee State athletics director Teresa Phillips, had his stripe removed earlier this week.“I am very, very proud of Kyle Phillips,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said Tuesday. “He gets better every single day.”"

He may be flying under the radar, but do not forget that Phillips was a five-star defensive end and highly touted coming out of high school from Hillsboro in Nashville.

The 6’4″ 255 pound defensive end enrolled in January but missed spring practice due to injury. Now that he is healthy, he has apparently been tearing it up in spring practice.

So could he start on the line this year?

That would be very difficult. While Phillips has been very impressive, Derek Barnett will not lose his spot, and Curt Maggitt is likely to line up much more often on the edge than at linebacker. And Phillips probably can’t play in the middle.

Still, he has a chance to get a starting spot, and he will definitely be in the rotation right there with McKenzie and Tuttle. What is evidently clear is that in two years, Tennessee could have the best defensive line of all time with these guys lining up together.

But while McKenzie and Tuttle deserve their praise, don’t forget that Phillips is a budding superstar as well.

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