Jones: Vols 'really, really excited' about freshman Kyle Phillips

Tennessee freshman defensive end Kyle Phillips stretches before the Vols' practice at Haslam Field on Aug. 11, 2015.
Tennessee freshman defensive end Kyle Phillips stretches before the Vols' practice at Haslam Field on Aug. 11, 2015.
photo Tennessee freshman defensive end Kyle Phillips stretches before the Vols' practice at Haslam Field on Aug. 11, 2015.

KNOXVILLE -- Amid the preseason hype surrounding Tennessee's first-year defensive tackle duo of Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle, another freshman seemingly got lost in the mix.

That doesn't appear to be the case anymore, though.

Defensive end Kyle Phillips, like McKenzie a former five-star recruit, became the first freshman to lose the black stripe on his helmet on Monday night.

Losing the stripe, which under third-year coach Butch Jones all newcomers have worn until they earn the right to remove it, is a sign of respect and recognition from the player's teammates.

"I have been very, very proud of Kyle Phillips," Jones said after Tuesday morning's practice. "Kyle Phillips gets better every single day. He has a motor. He's actually made our teaching clips about three times this training camp in terms of effort and swarming to the football and running to the football.

"He's a young man who's getting more and more confident. He's coming off of surgery, didn't have spring football and comes in here, and he's being mentored by our older players, but I have been really, really excited. I know we all are excited about Kyle Phillips, just his work ethic, his attitude, his demeanor, his style of play.

"He continues to get better and better."

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Phillips, out of Nashville's Hillsboro High School, sat out spring practice after undergoing shoulder surgery shortly after his arrival in January.

With LaTroy Lewis out of preseason practice after knee surgery, Phillips is taking advantage of some extra opportunities and appears to be making a push for a role in Tennessee's defense behind Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt at end.

As a senior at Hillsboro, Phillips made 58 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks and impressed during practices at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, all of which earned him a five-star rating from 247sports.

"He's really working hard outside," cornerback Emmanuel Moseley said. "He's sprinting to the ball every play. He's really out there grinding."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events