Tennessee linebacker Chris Weatherd, right, and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, left, tackle Utah State running back Joe Hill during the Vols' season opener against the Aggies at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville in this file photo.KNOXVILLE - Chris Weatherd was the last member of Tennessee's touted 2014 recruiting class to arrive on campus.
He was the first of the newcomers to make a play once the season began.
After finishing some academic work and a couple of online classes this summer, the junior college transfer linebacker finally received clearance to join the Volunteers in the middle of July, more than six weeks after the rest of the class arrived on campus.
He made his collegiate debut, though, on the second play of the Vols' season-opening win against Utah State and combined with Jalen Reeves-Maybin for a tackle for loss.
"The guy that showed up the latest played the earliest," Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek said giddily Wednesday. "Chris is a dynamic pass-rusher. He's got some really good physical characteristics in regards to pass rushing. He doesn't know a lot about the package, but you've got to find a way.
"I think that's the key to coaching, is get your athletes on the field. If they don't know everything, find something that they do know and adapt it and mold it and move it around, so that you can get some guys on the field."
It's clear Tennessee's coaching staff has done that with the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Weatherd, a four-star prospect who spent the last two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.
The Vols were in a 3-3-5 defensive look early and often against the Aggies on Sunday, with Weatherd coming in for a defensive tackle and lining up alongside Reeves-Maybin and A.J. Johnson in a situational defense.
Head coach Butch Jones alluded to Weatherd having his own packages midway through training camp last month, and the Vols showed the alignment some during their preseason practices.
"He brings something that we don't have," linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen said. "He has an uncanny knack for rushing the passer. He's as slithery as they come. He's got really good balance, and it's really hard to get him off his feet. He plays well, great burst, so we've got a role for him.
"We put him in a third-down package, and we've got some first- and second-down packages for him as well, so he's a guy that gives us a little more speed on the field, and that's something we were lacking last year."
The early play in the backfield was the only tackle that showed up in the box score for Weatherd in Tennessee's opener, but there were a couple of other times he was near the ball or in the backfield pursuing the quarterback off the edge.
"Chris is a very talented young man," Jones said. "As he continues to grasp the knowledge of the defensive scheme, and also on special teams, you'll see his role continue to be elevated within our schemes. He's very explosive and can run. He's a big-bodied individual who can run, and that's the type of individuals we need to recruit here to improve our roster.
"Football's very, very important to him, and he's done a great job of picking things up. When you look at it, it's kind of remarkable. Chris didn't arrive until August, and to be doing what he's doing in a short period of time, I'm excited to see what he can do when he gets a couple of weeks of true practices, not just training camp."
Tennessee's coaches are encouraged by Weatherd's upside, but they're not alone.
"What I see from him is a guy that's focused," linebacker Curt Maggitt said. "He wants to get better; he wants to learn. Any time I tell him something or the coaches tell him something, his ears are open and his eyes are real big.
"He's gotten a lot better since he's been here in that short amount of time, and he's got some ability. He's got some freakish ability that's going to help us. I can't imagine if he was here since January, but he's got some great ability."
Weatherd mainly played off the edge in junior college, and had he arrived earlier, Tennessee probably would have liked to have added weight to his frame to make him more of a true outside linebacker.
During the preseason, Tennessee's coaches were wowed by his physical abilities, and Jancek even scoffed at the notion of him playing early since he got to campus so late. His absence forced him to miss the classroom time with coaches, allowed by a new NCAA rule, the rest of the Vols received.
"We wish we would have had him here this summer," Thigpen said. "He probably would have been a lot further along, but he's got something that a lot of guys on our football team don't have. He can rush the passer, and he can hold up when we put him inside the line.
"There's a lof of things we can do with him, and we're going to continue to be creative with it."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.