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Flipping Drew Richmond 'completed' '15 class for Vols UT Vols find 'missing piece' with strong D-line class Tennessee's 2015 football signees Highlights of Tennessee's 2015 signing class Signing day around the SEC Georgia inks defensive-minded class Amaechi arrives at Georgia with unique name Georgia's 2015 football signing class Georgia's signing class at a glance Chattanooga Mocs complete another solid signing class UTC's 2015 football signing class Talent, character highlight UTC signing class Chattanooga produced a mixed bag of success from its 2011 class Alabama lands highly rated class with quiet signing day * Reports have Drew Richmond dropping Rebels for UT Vols* Wiedmer: We need different dreams for today's signees* East Hamilton's Martez Durrah switches from UTC to MTSU* McCallie junior Nygel Edmonds already has 22 offers* High Tide again: Alabama closing in on seventh No. 1 recruiting class in the past eight years * Irish's Kareem Orr to play for Arizona State Sun Devils * Area coaches, players like early signing proposal * Auburn-Florida battles could highlight signing day * List of 2015 SEC football commitments * McKenzie eager to continue family heroics with Vols * UTC 'fighting battles' for 'difference-makers' * Tennessee Vols avoiding recruiting fallout from Bajakian's departure * Brady's recruiting path is different * Toser, Brewer finding scholarships scarce for kickers
Updated lists of all the signees
* Local Commitments/Signees * UT Commitments/Signees * UGA Commitments/Signees * UTC Commitments/Signees
KNOXVILLE - As Kyle Phillips wrestled with the decision of where he wanted to play college football, the defensive end from Nashville noticed one thing about one of the potential recruiting classes he considered joining.
Tennessee's class included two touted defensive tackle in Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle and some other solid prospects at defensive end.
It probably wasn't the main reason Phillips, chose the Volunteers over Ole Miss and LSU a little more than a month ago.
"It definitely didn't hurt," Phillips said after enrolling early at Tennessee last month.
McKenzie, Phillips and Tuttle headlined an impressive defensive-line haul, rounded out Wednesday by ends Darrell Taylor and Andrew Butcher and tackle Quay Picou.
"I think the sky's the limit for us," McKenzie said. "However good we want to be is how good we're going to be. That's how we all look at it. We know that we can be anything as long as we just get to working and all that stuff. We're all excited. We all know what we've got to do."
Tennessee's defensive line class was ranked the best in the country this week by 247sports.
"It's a deep class, for one," 247sports scouting director Barton Simmons said. "It's got a bunch of really good players coming in with two kids that we consider five-stars on 247sports. I think it's a mix of guys that can come in and play early and help right away, and some guys that are going to be able to develop and contribute long term.
"I just don't know that there's another class in the country that has multiple guys the likes of Kyle Phillips and Kahlil McKenzie that can immediately impact the game in the SEC."
Steve Stripling, Tennessee's veteran line coach, showed his coaching prowess last season when he turned a group that lost all four starters from 2013 into a unit that recorded Tennessee's highest sack total in 14 years.
The Vols managed to survive the season with just three defensive tackles, while freshman Derek Barnett and end/linebacker hybrid Curt Maggitt each made double-digit sacks.
Now Stripling will have a fresh crop of players to develop.
"I think it's a really cool and fun time to be a defensive lineman," McKenzie said. "You've got a lot of elite-level guys at the position putting the position on the map. I think it's really cool we have all this attention on us right now, but definitely, the guys coming in, it should be a lot of fun.
"We're going to be all fired up, a lot of guys with a lot expectations. We're just going to put the nose down and get to work and do the best we can and work to get that spot and contribute as early as we can."
More and more true freshmen are making immediate impacts along SEC defensive lines.
Barnett finished with the fifth-most tackles for loss by any Tennessee defensive lineman as a freshman in 2014, and Texas A&M's Myles Garrett, a former five-star recruit, finished second in the league with 11.5 sacks.
Leonard Floyd (Georgia), Robert Nkemdiche (Ole Miss), Carl Lawson and Montravious Adams (Auburn) helped their teams as true freshmen in 2013, and Jadeveon Clowney starred as a freshman for South Carolina in 2011.
"You're going to see the same kind of impact from a couple guys in this Tennessee class," Simmons said.
The expectations are high for this crop of defensive linemen, and while the players are aware of those and excited for what their futures hold, they know it will take work.
"I think this group can do really well," Phillips said. "We still have a lot work to do, and there's a lot of high expectations for our freshman class, but we have to put in work in the classroom and on the field just to show you guys how good we can be. I think as the season progresses, we'll see how it goes.
"We have definitely enough talent to be as good as people say, but we still have to work hard just to get to that point."
Landing top-tier high school talent on the defensive front long has been a struggle for Tennessee, but the Vols broke that trend this year.
"When you get a group like that on the defensive line, that's going to improve your defensive back class, that's going to improve your linebacker class, that's going to improve your defense," Simmons said. "Every program, you've got to build from the inside out, and I think Tennessee's been really fortunate to recruit some skill players that have helped them early.
"This defensive line class is going to be - it has a chance to be - the missing piece here defensively to really take that defense to the next level."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.