KNOXVILLE - Bob Shoop believes he's inheriting a Tennessee defense that's very close to being a championship unit.
That doesn't mean the Volunteers' new coordinator is entering his first spring practice devoid of concerns and questions that need to be answered.
Chief among those concerns, Shoop mentioned Thursday, is depth at defensive tackle.
While many in the program are excited to see what steps Kahlil McKenzie takes as a sophomore, the health of Shy Tuttle and the off-field situation with Alexis Johnson mean Tennessee could be a little shorthanded there both this spring and beyond.
The Vols have a couple of veteran performers in Danny O'Brien and Kendal Vickers, and this spring will be important for sophomore Quay Picou, a late arrival last summer who participated very little in preseason practice last August before appearing in five games in 2015.
"Depth at the D-tackle is a little bit of a concern," Shoop said Thursday. "Kahlil and Shy and Danny O'Brien (and Vickers) are guys that have played a lot for us inside. Behind them, we need to continue to develop some of those guys."
There's quietly some concern regarding Tuttle's availability for the 2016 season as he continues to recover from a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments he suffered in October. The four-star recruit was coming into his own as a freshman when his season was derailed by a low block by a Georgia offensive lineman.
Since then he's had a pair of surgeries, and he continues to wear a protective walking boot and use a knee scooter to get around. Knee, ankle or foot injuries with 300-pounders are always dicey and require more recovery time, so there's no clear timetable on when Tuttle may return to the field.
Johnson's future remains up in the air as well. He'll remain suspended until the pending legal process from his aggravated assault and false imprisonment charges reaches a conclusion. Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this week, and a preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for April 21.
The Vols may experiment with sliding some of their bigger defensive ends inside to compensate for those potential absences.
Shoop likes Tennessee's depth at defensive end, where the Vols have a desirable mix of players. There's one star player in Derek Barnett and other reliable veterans in Corey Vereen, LaTroy Lewis and Dimarya Mixon. There's young talent, too, with Kyle Phillips, Darrell Taylor and Austin Smith, who spent his freshman season playing linebacker.
Shoop believes Smith and Taylor have bright futures and "are bona fide big-league SEC guys."
Behind the defensive line, Shoop is eager to see what he has at linebacker beyond Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Jalen Reeves-Maybin and hopes the Vols can develop depth behind that All-SEC duo.
"Everybody knows who Darrin Kirkland and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are," Shoop said, "but I'm excited this spring to watch Colton Jumper, to watch Dillon Bates, to watch Quart'e Sapp, to watch Cortez McDowell, to watch Gavin Bryant. I'm excited about that."
Regarding the secondary, Shoop called cornerback a "position of strength" thanks to the experience and ability of Cameron Sutton, Justin Martin, Malik Foreman and Emmanuel Moseley.
"Justin Martin has tremendous talent," Shoop said. "If he could be a bit more consistent, he could take his game to the next level."
Moseley and Micah Abernathy, a sophomore who will get looks at safety this spring, are two players who Shoop said have "excelled" so far this offseason.
"A guy who's caught my attention this winter is Stephen Griffin, who played a little bit last year," Shoop added. "Now he looks like he's a bona fide big-league SEC safety potentially."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.