Tennessee Freshmen Ready to Answer the Call

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — From the moment Kahlil McKenzie stepped foot on campus in Knoxville, the hype has been big enough to fill Neyland Stadium and beyond.

The 6'3", 344-pound defensive tackle and former 5-star prospect from Walnut Creek, California, came to Tennessee as the next big thing along a Tennessee defensive line that helped the Vols finish second in the SEC in third-down defense in 2014 and returns seven of eight members of the two-deep.

It didn't matter.

McKenzie was the first man up in the "circle-of-life" drill on the 50-yard line in front of more than 40,000 orange-clad Vol fans at open practice at Neyland Stadium, and he received the biggest applause from the fans.

The monster with tree trunks for legs stayed low in the one-on-one drill, and set the tone for a defensive line depth-chart battle on Rocky Top that could transform the Vols defense from solid in situations, to one of the most complete units in the SEC.

Another defensive lineman—early enrollee Kyle Phillips—looks fully recovered from an injury that kept him out of spring practice. He not only won his one-one-one circle-of-life drill but ran his man back 10 yards, earning a big round of applause from the crowd.

"Kyle plays really hard," defensive lineman Derek Barnett said. "Last year, I messed up a whole lot. Kyle, he messes up and still makes plays. I don't know how he does it. He has a great passion for the game."

High praise from a guy like Barnett, who finished second in the SEC with 20.5 tackles for loss as a freshman in 2014.

That defensive line is in a place that is unlike anything head coach Butch Jones has seen on Rocky Top.

"Can never have enough depth, particularly up front. We do have a luxury at the defensive end position that we've never had since we've been here," he said. "We talk about power in performance in being nine strong, and that group takes great pride in their performance."

RICHARD SHIRO/Associated Press

It wasn't just the defensive freshmen who stood out, though.

Jauan Jennings, the true freshman early enrollee who played quarterback in the spring, won several battles at the line of scrimmage and hauled in pass after pass, including a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone for a touchdown during red-zone work.

"He's been doing a great job," quarterback Joshua Dobbs said. "Every day, he comes in hungry and ready to learn. He might make a mistake, but he makes it full-go and corrects it the next time—which is great to see."

Another freshman, 5'10" Vincent Perry, made several stellar catches including a couple on third-down work and one back shoulder fade for a touchdown in red-zone action. 

"Vincent's an individual who's progressively and continuously gotten better each and every day," Jones said. "Vincent has done a very good job. I think he's playing with confidence right now. So much goes into the development when it comes to the speed of the game, and we always talk about not letting the mind tie the feet up."

In a wide receiving corps that includes Marquez North, "Pig" Howard, Jason Croom, Josh Malone and Von Pearson, it's going to be very difficult for Jones and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord to keep those two off the field.

As for how many freshmen will play for the Vols in 2015, head coach Butch Jones doesn't want to put himself in a corner.

"As camp goes on, individuals will continue to define their roles with putting their identities on video," he said.

Several key freshmen showed under the lights on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium that they can play key roles on a Vols team that appears ready to make a big splash on a national level after nearly a decade of absence.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93 XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter: @BarrettSallee.