KNOXVILLE -- With Tennessee set to start spring football practice Tuesday, the Times Free Press is taking a position-by-position look at the Volunteers as they continue preparations for the 2015 season. After wrapping up the offense on Thursday, the preview moves to the other side of the ball, starting with the defensive line.
WHO'S BACK
> Derek Barnett (So.): The former four-star defensive end recruit was a revelation for Tennessee as a freshman last season. Barnett finished fourth among SEC defensive linemen with 72 tackles, set the program's freshman record for sacks (10) and recorded the fifth-most tackles for loss (20.5) in a single season in Vols history. The All-SEC selection will miss spring practice, however, after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
> Curt Maggitt (R-Sr.): Neither injuries nor splitting time between defensive end and outside linebacker could slow Maggitt last season after he missed all of 2013. Rather, he thrived in the dual role to lead the Vols in sacks (11) and finish fifth in the SEC in tackles for loss (15). Maggitt, too, will miss spring practice after offseason shoulder surgery.
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> Danny O'Brien (R-Jr.): The former four-star recruit quietly had a solid season in his first year as a starter at defensive tackle. O'Brien finished with 23 tackles, 4.5 for loss and one sack, with most of those coming late last season. He'll miss spring after offseason surgery as well.
> Corey Vereen (Jr.): In his first year in a full-time starting role, Vereen finished with 24 tackles, four for loss and 1.5 sacks. His best game was at Ole Miss, when the hard-working, undersized defensive end had six stops, 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Vereen is expected to be limited this spring after offseason surgery.
> Owen Williams (R-Sr.): The junior college transfer made an immediate impact as one of the Tennessee's three defensive tackles. Williams finished 2014 with 21 tackles and had two sacks, both against Arkansas State. He's another player expected to be limited this spring after offseason surgery.
> LaTroy Lewis (R-Jr.): In his third year in the program, Lewis was productive in the limited action at defensive end and finished the season strong. He earned his first career start at Vanderbilt and played well in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Five of his eight tackles last season were for loss.
> Dimarya Mixon (So.): After spending most of the season practicing and playing sparingly at defensive tackle, the 6-foot-3, 282-pound Mixon spent bowl practices working at defensive end and played well there in Jacksonville.
> Trevarris Saulsberry (R-Sr.): It's been one unfortunate injury after another for Saulsberry, who's played in just 13 games the past three seasons because of multiple knee injuries, and his football career appears uncertain due to his health.
> Kendal Vickers (R-So.): A late addition to the 2013 class, the former South Carolina pledge played in five games as a reserve last season and moved inside to defensive tackle late in the year. It's a big spring for the 6-3, 262-pounder.
> Charles Mosley (R-Fr.): There are two big questions facing "Big Charles." First, will the 6-5, 350-pounder play on offense or defense? Secondly, how healthy is he after breaking his leg in a car accident in July?
WHO'S GONE
> After putting on more than 20 pounds last offseason to play defensive tackle, Jordan Williams started every game as a senior, played through a broken wrist the last half of the season and finished with 27 tackles, four for loss and two sacks.
> The Vols lost two players to transfer. Dewayne Hendrix, a promising four-star recruit, decided to leave after his freshman season. Jaylen Miller elected to leave before the bowl game after two seasons at Tennessee.
> Michael Sawyers, the four-star defensive tackle Tennessee swiped from Vanderbilt in 2014, was dismissed from the program earlier this offseason for violating team policies.
WHO'S NEW
> Three of Tennessee's 10 January enrollees: Kyle Phillips, the five-star defensive end the Vols landed in December, will miss spring practice after -- you guessed it -- offseason shoulder surgery, and tackle Shy Tuttle and end Andrew Butcher were both touted recruits, too.
WHO'S COMING
> Five-star defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, a can't-miss player and the crown jewel of the 2015 class, headlines an incoming freshman trio that includes tackle Quay Picou and end Darrell Taylor, two prospects with upside.
DID YOU KNOW?
Curt Maggitt (3rd) and Derek Barnett (T-4th) were the first Vols to finish in the top five in the SEC in sacks since 2005. Parys Haralson (8.5 sacks) and Jason Hall (7) were fourth and eighth in the league in sacks that season, and only Nevin McKenzie (2008) and Corey Miller (2013) cracked the top 10 in the SEC in sacks before last season. Maggitt and Barnett combined for 21 sacks in 2014, the third-most by any duo in the country, as Tennessee finished with 35 sacks, its most in a single season since 2001 (34).
KEY QUESTION
How does Tennessee work around having just five fully healthy defensive linemen? On one hand, it's good for stars such as Barnett and Maggitt and potential starters such as O'Brien and Vereen to get healthy now so they're ready for the season. On the other hand, all the injuries and surgeries will significantly hamstring the Vols in multiple ways.
The Vols know what they're getting from the likes of Barnett and Maggitt and will welcome the chance to give younger players such as Mixon, Vickers and the two freshmen as many opportunities as they can handle. Still, you can't develop when you can't practice, especially in Phillips' case. The defensive line injuries won't help the offensive line's development, either.
Defensive line coach Steve Stripling's focus, though, will be on the guys he has healthy. Lewis and Mixon will have the chance to continue the progress they showed late last season, and the two healthy freshmen will get enough reps that it should expedite their learning curve. The situation isn't the ideal one, but the Vols will try to make the most of it.
ONE TO WATCH
Tennessee somehow managed to make it through all of last season with what essentially was a three-man rotation at defensive tackle of O'Brien and the Williamses. In the rough-and-tumble SEC, that's almost unthinkable. Though those three played about as well as anyone in the program could've expected, it's clear Tennessee needs help there.
So the Vols went out and signed two of the top defensive tackle prospects in the country. Only one of them is already on campus -- Tuttle, the No. 64 overall player and No. 11 defensive tackle in the 2015 class according to 247Sports. The 6-3, 315-pounder's readiness and development are certainly worth watching this spring
"Just from a size standpoint and quickness and natural ability," 247Sports analyst Barton Simmons said last month, "he is certainly a guy that can give them depth in the middle, and I think that he's going to be a contributor early on as well."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com