Daniel Bituli was a safe guy starting at inside linebacker heading into spring practice, so him being a winner was only a testament to how great his spring performance was. But the other inside linebacker position remains up for grabs. Tennessee football is in a bit of a situation there.
Darrin Kirkland Jr. is still battling injury, meaning that Jeremy Pruitt needs immediate help there for a solid rotation. Guys like JJ Peterson, Will Ignont and newcomer Quavaris Crouch all had the potential to steal a spot there.
However, Solon Page III and Shanon Reid got the opportunities to start with the first team alongside Bituli. That was a huge deal going in, but the question is which guy will be the third man in the rotation if Kirkland returns or the starter if he doesn’t. There’s a significant difference between No. 3 and No. 4 and between No. 2 and No. 3.
Well, Reid gets the combination of spring recognition and his play in the spring game to be high on this list. The junior linebacker led the first-team defense in tackles Saturday with nine, while Page only had one. As a result, with both of them earning that first-team spot in the spring game, Reid’s performance combined with that and the need for the position puts him so high on this list.