Vols T logoKNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's football defense returns almost entirely intact next season.
There's a big void to fill in the middle of it, though.
For 46 of 49 games over the last four seasons, A.J. Johnson manned the middle linebacker spot at the heart of the defense for the Volunteers, and though he was suspended for the final three games of the 2014 season, the competition for his replacement figures to be a big storyline this offseason.
And freshman Darrin Kirkland could be an important part of it.
"It is definitely a great opportunity for myself," the early enrollee from Indianapolis said Wednesday. "I'm just looking forward to showcasing my abilities in spring practice and the spring game and the rest of the summer and going into the fall. We'll see what happens."
When Johnson, a two-time All-SEC selection who led Tennessee in tackles in 2012 and 2013 and piled up more than 100 stops in nine games in 2014, was suspended in November pending an investigation into an alleged rape and sexual assault, the Vols turned to Jakob Johnson and Kenny Bynum.
Jakob Johnson, a German-born freshman in his second year of football in America, started against Missouri and Vanderbilt. Bynum, a third-year sophomore, finished the win against the Commodores and started in Tennessee's rout of Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
The Vols like Johnson's potential and Bynum played well against the Hawkeyes, but the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Kirkland will have the opportunity to show the coaching staff he's the answer.
"Darrin is a perfect linebacker in today's game in terms of his speed and size," linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen said last week. "He can play in space and is very physical versus the run. His football IQ is better than most second-year players."
Tennessee has some nice young players at outside linebacker. Jalen Reeves-Maybin finished his sophomore season, his first as a starter, with 106 tackles and 11 for loss, freshman Cortez McDowell led the Vols in special-teams tackles and Dillon Bates made six tackles in four games on defense and special teams before having season-ending shoulder surgery in September.
Curt Maggitt thrived playing both defensive end and outside linebacker last season, and Chris Weatherd filled a specialized role on passing downs.
Kirkland, a four-star prospect who played well in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio earlier this month, is more of a prototypical inside linebacker in the mold of current NFL star Patrick Willis and future NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, two players he said he liked to watch while growing up.
"Those two guys, I feel like they played the game really well," Kirkland said, "and those are the kinds of guys I want to emulate in my career."
During his three-year career at Lawrence Central High School, Kirkland piled up 367 tackles, and he finished his senior season with 121 stops, 13 for loss and three interceptions.
He committed to Michigan in May, and Tennessee backed off in its pursuit until he opened his recruitment back up when the Wolverines underwent their coaching change.
"Coach (Butch) Jones definitely honored my commitment to Michigan," Kirkland said, "but when I opened things up, he was very straightforward with me and allowed me to come on board with him and join his family.
"It was a difficult transition, but I definitely did enjoy the process," he added, "and I'm glad it ended up me being in a home that I'm really happy to be at."
While he chases early playing time, Kirkland also hopes to please his parents by maintaining a 3.0 grade point average while pursuing a finance degree.
Kirkland said Reeves-Maybin and Bates have helped him become acclimated to Tennessee and credited defensive graduate assistant Larry Knight for teaching him how to break down video.
He said the number of freshmen Tennessee has played under Jones and his staff factored into his choice.
"That was really big for me and my family," Kirkland said, "because I can come in and learn from the best and get that experience early."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.