What Jalen Reeves-Maybin's Injury Means for Tennessee's Spring

Make no mistake: It's never a positive thing when a key contributor suffers a spring practice-ending injury, especially when he is an irreplaceable star senior like Tennessee outside linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

But, as long as the 6'0", 225-pound future NFL draft pick who eschewed the pros to return to Knoxville for his final year to be the linchpin of new coordinator Bob Shoop's ultra-talented defense only misses the spring, Tuesday's news of JRM's  undisclosed shoulder injury isn't that big of a deal.

UT coach Butch Jones confirmed after practice (via Rocky Top Insider) that he didn't expect the setback to cost his star linebacker any of the season:

That was more of a relief than anything for Vol Nation, especially after a nervous couple of hours from the time the news started trickling out without a recovery time frame. 

Fans refreshing message boards and Twitter didn't see any concerns alleviated when they saw a cryptic tweet from JRM himself earlier in the day: 

Thankfully for the Volunteers, JRM's setback appears to be just a spring storm rather than one that'll leave any lasting damage.

Intense competitors like the Vols' defensive star don't like to miss any time, and it's unfortunate he'll have to be rehabbing the injury rather than polishing up on the Xs and Os of former Penn State coordinator Shoop's new scheme.

But Shoop's defense isn't much different than former UT coordinator John Jancek's 4-3 base package. If anything, Shoop's attacking philosophy better fits JRM's speed-based game, and there's little doubt he'll thrive in the heat of action with the new calls and concepts.

In other words, JRM has nothing to prove this spring. If anything, he needed to be placed in bubble wrap (or at least a no-contact jersey) and preserved for the beginning of the regular season. There's nothing he needs to do besides brush up on the new language and audibles that come from any regime change.

Shoop and JRM are extremely familiar with one another, dating back to Shoop's recruitment of the Clarksville, Tennessee, native from his days as the leader of James Franklin's Vanderbilt defense. They know what to expect from one another, so time lost on the practice field isn't a major net loss.

This situation is a bummer for JRM, who obviously wants to play. It's also frustrating for those spectators who will be on hand for the annual Orange and White Game and won't get to watch Tennessee's tackles leader or the other 12 Vols who already are out this spring.

But it's far from a crippling development.

If there aren't any lingering effects of the shoulder injury, JRM's hiatus could wind up actually benefiting a Vols linebacking corps that is long on talent but short on experience. 

The grayest news to go along with Reeves-Maybin's shoulder being in a sling—as captured in a picture tweeted by the Chattanooga Times Free Press' Patrick Brown—is the news Dillon Bates will miss the spring, too:

Bates is a former 4-star legacy who was highly recruited before following in father Bill's footsteps. His career has been riddled by setbacks so far. After cracking the rotation as an outside linebacker two years ago, he was injured and lost for the year.

Last season, Bates moved to middle linebacker in the spring and never really was a factor. As a redshirt sophomore, he was moved back outside and would be poised to recoup some much-needed reps this spring if he were healthy. Unfortunately for him and the Vols, he isn't.

So, Cortez McDowell and Quart'e Sapp will have golden opportunities to showcase their talent to the coaching staff. Shoop may also diversify his scheme by having athletic defensive ends Austin Smith and Darrell Taylor stand up in some situations.

McDowell is a junior who has waited his turn and consistently shows up on special teams, while Sapp is a redshirt freshman who looked the part on special teams a year ago before an injury cost him much of the season.

Jones also told the Tennessean's Matt Slovin Colton Jumper and Gavin Bryant could see more snaps because of a lack of linebacker depth.

"It's opportunities for other players to really assert themselves and put their football identity on video," Jones said. Then, later: "We have linebackers that need those repetitions. We have individuals vying for playing time."

The Vols have a lot of players to mix and match, and with JRM out, it's a perfect opportunity for Tennessee to find another player or two it can depend on come the fall. If their star returns at full strength, the injury could wind up helping the future as well as the present.

Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Finally, the loss of Tennessee's defensive superstar could herald the ascension of middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr.

The super-intelligent sophomore began to gobble up information early in the season when he was inserted into the starting lineup and became a tackling Pac-Man soon after. He wound up fourth on the team with 66 tackles and No. 2 among all SEC freshmen.

By the end of the year, the budding star was a vocal defender.

Without JRM on the field, this is Kirkland's defense. Gone are the days when he can hide behind that "freshman" tag, and he's not trying to, according to GoVols247's Wes Rucker:

Though it's just spring practice, a lot of JRM's leadership role will now fall to Kirkland. He may not feel many more schematic responsibilities, but Kirkland's response to the added burden of being "The Man" on the second level of UT's defense could wind up being a hidden benefit of JRM's setback.

No coach is ever going to be excited about his top player being hurt, and the injured player himself certainly isn't; there are too many negatives that could linger, eventually affecting meaningful game reps.

But if JRM can take his time off the field, honing his knowledge of Shoop's scheme, and still have time to rehab the shoulder and get it back to full strength for the 2016 season, there are benefits Tennessee can reap from this bad news.

The best thing about spring injuries is there's still more than five months to get back to normal.

If JRM returns to his all-conference form (and there's nothing to suggest he won't), the Vols know they can depend on him to be a defensive star. They may just find another one in his absence. 

All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered at UTSports.com unless otherwise noted.

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