Defensive End
1. Kyle Phillips
As our biggest winner from spring practice, Kyle Phillips was named Tennessee football’s most improved player during that time. He was already a five-star who simply struggled with productivity due to injuries. But like Shy Tuttle, he’s now fully healthy. And after spring ball, it’s clear the sky is the limit for him entering his senior year.
Add in the position conversions of other ends, and Phillips is clearly the guy entering the Fall for the Vols at defensive end. Whether or not they use two defensive ends or one in Jeremy Pruitt’s and Kevin Sherrer’s 3-4 system, Phillips will be the one guy to always see the field. He should be ready to explode for the Vols, and he’ll have the key role of opening things up for the edge rushers.
2. Jordan Allen
This is a leap of faith. But with the defensive end position getting so depleted after so many conversions, Jeremy Pruitt has another guy in Jordan Allen who can double as an edge rusher either way. A four-star junior college transfer, we have him starting up front at the times Pruitt does use two ends now.
Allen is another guy Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide wanted badly, and Pruitt plucked him right out from under them. Given that fact, they clearly have high expectations for him. As a result, so do we. And that’s what puts him here.
3. Matthew Butler
The only other returning defensive end who has experience at the position from last year, Matthew Butler is going to be the third guy on the list for Tennessee football. And after you see what we did with the outside linebacker spot, there’s a chance he’s second on the list. Butler fits in with the position and what Pruitt and Kevin Sherrer are looking for.
4. Austin Smith
Austin Smith, like Jordan Allen, can double as an outside linebacker and at defensive end. Given the personnel needs, we have him here at defensive end for Tennessee football. He’s fourth on the list and hasn’t shown much but is indeed a body on the roster.