Tennessee football: Ranking Vols position groups by spring practice play
2. Inside Linebacker
Position coach: Kevin Sherrer
Notable players: Daniel Bituli, Shanon Reid
Darrin Kirkland Jr. missed spring ball due to injury. There are questions as to whether or not he’ll be able to play this year because of it. Early on, that was a worthy concern surrounding the Tennessee football inside linebackers.
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Instead, though, the Vols still broke out at inside linebacker. Kevin Sherrer has a ton of options at the position, and Jeremy Pruitt has to be thrilled about the situation. After all, he needs more bodies to run the 3-4 scheme, and inside linebacker is a crucial position to do it.
Solon Page III was a surprising guy who stood out. Then there was Shanon Reid, who became a breakout star in the spring. The coaches touted his play consistently to the point that he looks like a potential star. Both Reid and Page were starters in the Orange and White game to validate that. Reid provides a ton of excitement for Vol Nation overall.
But then there’s Daniel Bituli. Already the best overall linebacker, he was named most improved defensive player as well. That’s the key thing that shot this unit up in our book. Bituli showed signs of becoming a superstar, and the unit was already loaded. He can play all four linebacker positions as well, which allows him to be a major threat. So being the most improved makes the prospects of how good he can be insanely high.
Top 10 winners from Vols spring practice. light. Related Story
So if you’re keeping track, the Vols have a guy who could be the superstar on defense this year at inside linebacker and another player who stood out for his key performance. Inside linebacker only has two slots. That makes the spring play of the unit a very big deal, and if Kirkland does get healthy, this has the potential to live up to its spring hype as a unit.