Tennessee defensive lineman Corey Vereen (50) tries to block a pass from Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton during the Vols' season opener on on Aug. 31 at Neylenad Stadium. He had an excellent game Saturday in the loss at Ole Miss.
Tennessee freshman linebacker Austin Smith runs through a drill during the Vols' open practice at Neyland Stadium on Aug. 15, 2015.KNOXVILLE -- Defensive end is one of the deeper positions on Tennessee's roster, and the depth there will be tested with Curt Maggitt sidelined indefinitely.
The Volunteers will be without one of their star players for indefinite period of time after Maggitt suffered a hip injury in Saturday's loss to Oklahoma, and they'll need other players to step up on the defensive line.
According to defensive coordinator John Jancek, three players -- junior Corey Vereen, sophomore Dimarya Mixon and freshman Kyle Phillips -- will get snaps in Maggitt's absence.
"Those guys will get some time in there," Jancek said after Tuesday's practice. "In today's game you have to roll a lot of players in. There's really who gets the first four reps and the second four reps is basically how it works itself out. We'll roll those guys in throughout the week."
Vereen got most of the work after Maggitt went down in the first half against the Sooners, and Mixon has played in both games this season.
That duo played well in the season opener against Bowling Green.
The freshman Phillips is a former five-star recruit who drew rave reviews during preseason practices, but he didn't play until the fourth quarter against Bowling Green and did not play against Oklahoma.
"Kyle's done a good job," Jancek said. "He's a really smart player. He's a fine young man. He works hard. He's got a lot of ability."
Maggitt also played linebacker for Tennessee, and freshman Austin Smith will fill his strong-side linebacker position when the Vols going into a 4-3 defense.
Tennessee normally doesn't use that look against spread offenses, and the Vols went with a hybrid look with three defensive linemen (two ends and a tackle), two linebackers (usually Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Colton Jumper) and the versatile Chris Weatherd extensively against the Sooners.
Smith, an underrated former three-star recruit out of the Atlanta area, earned a role on multiple special-teams units for the Vols.
"He's done some really good things throughout camp," Jancek said. "He's going to make mistakes, but he's a good football player. He just needs time to develop and get ready, and that's what we plan on doing."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.