Tennessee Football: Freshman Shy Tuttle Letting His Play Do the Talking

The first time the glare of television spotlights and flashing digital recorders shone on freshman Tennessee football player Shy Tuttle back in January, he was a quiet man of few words.

Turns out he makes most of his noise when the pads go on.

The 6'3", 315-pound mid-term defensive tackle spent most of this past recruiting cycle comfortably in the shadow of 5-star Kahlil McKenzie. But with the expected jewel of UT's recruiting class not arriving on campus until this summer, spring is Tuttle's time to perform.

Thus far he's putting on a show.

"

Butch Jones already raving about #Tennessee freshman war daddy Shy Tuttle. http://t.co/BYKytFHWTw @KingTut_90 @RyanCallahan247 @jcshurburtt

— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) March 29, 2015"

Already, there had been a buzz around his performances during individual workouts, team drills and weight room sessions the past couple months. When the pads went on, Tuttle went off.

He is living up to his rating as the nation's ninth-ranked DT, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. 

Following the first day of live-action hitting, Tennessee coach Butch Jones—a man from the throwback days of cautious optimism—gushed over the Lexington, North Carolina, product to GoVols247's Wes Rucker: 

"

The one individual who I thought really stepped up and really made his presence felt was Shy Tuttle. I thought he had a very, very productive and a very good first day. He had an unbelievable interception with a tipped football and then finished it off with making the catch, as well.

He came off the football, and you could see the disruptive quickness, you could see the explosiveness, you could see the use of his hands. The thing I really liked about it was you could see his competitive nature. You could see his competitive character, and you could see his confidence. And he’s very, very athletic. You could see instincts.

"

The praise from Tennessee's coaching staff, and just his hulking presence at practice, have set off a mini firestorm on Twitter.

Tuttle is a personable kid whom players, coaches and analysts gravitate toward, and he is also a massive human, so it makes him a character people enjoy talking about.

Like most college freshmen linemen, Tuttle brought some bad weight with him to Knoxville that needed to be redistributed. Though he was only in a college weight program for a couple of months, the body change is already noticeable. 

So, too, is his prowess on the field, according to coaches.

At this rate, he'll almost assuredly make an immediate impact. That's huge news for a team that already had penciled in help from the powerful McKenzie, who looks about as close to a "can't-miss" prospect as they come out of high school.

If the duo can help in the middle right away, that adds nearly 670 pounds to the interior of a defensive line that needs beef against the run.

Neither 2014 starter (Jordan Williams or Danny O'Brien) broke 290 pounds. Though both had admirable years, that's a key reason why UT was ninth in the SEC in rush defense. Unlike in 2013 when teams ran around the Vols' ends with ease, most of the rushing yards allowed last season were up the gut.

Name	Height/Weight	Class
Danny O'Brien	6'2", 282	RS Jr.
Owen Williams	6'2", 295	RS Sr.
Kendal Vickers	6'3", 288	RS So.
Trevarris Saulsberry	6'4", 308	RS Sr.
Charles Mosley	6'5", 350	RS Fr.
Shy Tuttle	6'3", 315	Fr.
Kahlil McKenzie	6'3", 354	Fr.
Quay Picou	6'2", 271	Fr.

Tuttle and McKenzie will help that considerably.

In a spring where the Vols are without starters O'Brien, Owen Williams, Derek Barnett or Curt Maggitt, they needed somebody to step up and challenge the offensive line. Tuttle is doing that, and he is living up to the expectations he set for himself once deciding to become a mid-term enrollee.

For some players, arriving early isn't a big deal. For a guy like Tuttle who needed a head start in the weight room and playing at a perfect position to get early exposure, coming in time for the winter semester was ideal.

He told Rucker for a story back in January about coming to school early: "It's one of the things I looked forward to [during recruiting], just getting my name out there and starting it off early, I guess. 

"I feel like it’s very beneficial," Tuttle said of being a mid-term enrollee. "I mean, looking forward to next season, I'll be ahead and just be comfortable with the coaches and the playbook."

Every day isn't going to be praise-worthy for a first-year player manning one of the most difficult positions for freshmen to contribute, but Tuttle is proving he belongs—to teammates such as LaTroy Lewis and even former Vols like Miami Dolphins first-round offensive tackle pick Ja'Wuan James.

Considering the Vols played with what was essentially a three-man rotation at defensive tackle a year ago, just big bodies help. And Tuttle is more than just a big body. You don't garner that kind of praise from coaches, teammates and former players if you are.

If he continues to develop, he can be a valuable piece of a UT defense expected to be much stronger than it was a season ago.

What little time Tuttle has spent in front of reporters this spring proves he hasn't really gotten over the stage fright. But just because he isn't a big talker doesn't mean he will freeze when the biggest stage lights come on up in Neyland Stadium this fall.

Really, that's the only thing that matters.

He has been the talk of camp thus far. Veteran defensive line coach Steve Stripling perhaps summed his start up best to Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Patrick Brown:

"

A lot of times, and it'll be the same with Kahlil, young men get away with things, because they're so big and strong in high school. What was really refreshing about Shy is as soon as he got here, we were still recruiting, and the older guys we just calling me like, "I love this kid."

He's got a great attitude, really wants to be good. That's really refreshing. I think he's got a great future ahead of him.

"

The present seems to be going just fine, too.

All statistics gathered from UTSports.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information via 247Sports.com, unless otherwise noted. Quotes and observations obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.