KNOXVILLE – Danny O’Brien was once in the same shoes Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle now find themselves wearing.
Granted, those cleats were much smaller.
Tennessee is a week into preseason camp, where the Volunteers are trying to prepare McKenzie and Tuttle, touted recruits-turned-freshmen defensive tackles, to be ready to make meaningful contributions right away.
O’Brien, now a fourth-year junior, was once a freshman defensive tackle, too, though he was afforded the luxury of a redshirt year.
“I’m sure what Kahlil and Shy are going through is a little bit harder, because when I was a freshman we didn’t have to emphasize too much running down the field after the ball,” O’Brien said after Saturday afternoon’s first practice in full pads.