KNOXVILLE — Kyler Kerbyson readily admits he's better suited for a position he didn't play much on Tennessee's offensive line this season.
The versatility he showed for the Volunteers, though, is a source of pride for the fourth-year junior.
In his first year as a starter, Kerbyson began games at three positions -- left and right tackle and left guard -- and even played all three in one game and a fourth position in another as injuries and a lack of depth, particularly at tackle, forced Tennessee to shuffle its offensive line continually throughout the season.
"I like for people to think that they can depend on me," he said earlier this week. "I don't want somebody to say, 'I don't know if we can put Kyler over there; it's probably not the best idea.' I want them to say, 'You know what, yeah, Kyler can go there and it's not going to change anything, because he's going to be just as good.'
"I definitely feel that I'm better suited for guard," Kerbyson added. "I think have the body type for it, but I also think I have athletic enough feet to play tackle when they need me. I do feel like I'm at a little bit of a disadvantage. I'm not as tall and long as most tackles. I wish I was as big as Ja'Wuan (James, former Vols tackle), but that's how it works."
The 6-foot-4, 312-pound former Knoxville Catholic High School standout started the season's first two games at right tackle before the injury to left tackle Jacob Gilliam prompted the Vols to flip him to left tackle for the game at Oklahoma.
He spent the next five games there before an injury to left guard Marcus Jackson forced him inside against Alabama, and when Jackson returned the following week, Kerbyson was back at left tackle and finished the season there.
In Tennessee's loss to Missouri, both Gilliam and Jackson were shaken up and missed brief stretches, forcing Kerbyson to move across an offensive line that struggled mightily nearly all season.
After freshman right guard Jashon Robertson missed a stretch at Vanderbilt, Kerbyson slid over to that spot.
Kerbyson said the side-to-side switches were more difficult than going from tackle to guard.
"My first few games at left tackle were a little hard," Kerbyson said. "At right, I was comfortable. I played (there) all through high school. I played here at right behind Ja'Wuan, so I knew what I was doing, but once I got to left, I remember the first week I was so frustrated with myself.
"I was yelling at practice at myself because I couldn't get this stuff right. I couldn't get the footwork right. Thankfully I was able to understand what I was doing and figure it all out, and I've been able to play for my team."
Kerbyson and Jashon Robertson, who was named to the All-SEC freshman team Thursday, were the only two offensive linemen to start every game for Tennessee this season.
The Vols surrendered an SEC-high 42 sacks this season, the sixth-most nationally, and Tennessee's 97 tackles for loss allowed were the second-most in the FBS.
After allowing 30 sacks in the season's first seven games with Justin Worley at quarterback, the Vols allowed just 12 in the five games with the more mobile Josh Dobbs, and half of those came against Missouri, which boasts one of the SEC's best defensive lines.
Tennessee overcame its struggles up front to get to six wins and earn a bid to the Taxslayer Bowl, where the Vols will face an Iowa team that featured two All-Big Ten selections on its defensive line and ranked ninth and 11th in the conference in sacks and tackles for loss.
After a full week off for final exams this week, Tennessee will return to practice Sunday for the first of six workouts before a five-day Christmas break (Dec. 22-26). The Vols will practice the first two days back from the break and travel to Jacksonville on Dec. 28. There, Tennessee will practice at the University of North Florida.
The Jan. 2 game will provide Tennessee's offensive line a chance to build some confidence going into what will be an important offseason for the unit.
"I think we improved a lot," Kerbyson said. "I think our confidence really helped us. Josh, he pulled another element out of the game that we didn't have before. He always supported us no matter what. If we did let him get sacked, he was right back up saying, 'We're going to score next drive, don't worry about it, we're all good.' He's grown into a really good leader."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com