Tennessee football: 5 Vols 2018 seniors who had the best careers
No question about it, Kyle Phillips is the best Tennessee football senior in 2018. It took him a little while, but he’s finally lived up to his five-star billing. And he joins Alexis Johnson and Shy Tuttle to make up a defensive line that has thrived in Jeremy Pruitt’s new system.
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Phillips arrived in 2015. And his first two years went just like Tuttle’s. He saw action both seasons before suffering back to back season-ending injuries. They didn’t come before him racking up a sack and three and a half tackles for a loss, though.
Then, in 2017, Phillips was one of the guys to burst onto the scene. He had four and a half tackles for a loss, two sacks, and 33 tackles overall along with two pass deflections. That was without an offseason to really refine his craft since he had to get back into football shape after an injury.
This year, though, he finally had a full offseason. And Pruitt tasked him with being the one main defensive end contributor from last year to stay at his position full-time. In the process, Phillips managed to excel.
He’s picked up 53 tackles, six tackles for a loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and even a pick-six. The guy has been all over the field for the Vols and may be the team’s best defensive player of the year overall.
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Tennessee football has a bright future with so much returning talent, but this list shows that replacing the defensive line is going to take some work. Phillips has been the brightest spot of the defensive line, and he’s one of the top performers on the team. His four years show that he’s had the best career on Rocky Top of any Vols senior.