KNOXVILLE – For most college freshmen, December bowl practices are about speeding up their development.
For Darrin Kirkland Jr., this month has been about catching his breath.
The Tennessee linebacker and All-SEC Freshman selection just completed his first season with the Volunteers, and it was far more taxing than anything the Indianapolis resident experienced in high school.
After admitting he was worn down “mentally and physically” from the grind of the season, Kirkland said after Saturday’s practice that he feels a lot more refreshed with things slowing down this month as the Vols prep for the Outback Bowl.
“It’s been a lot different, mostly mentally with a lot more meetings and a lot more film study,” he said. “Really how we game-plan people, it’s a whole process and it’s really continuous. But it’s really good we got this time off.
“We really recuperated, and we feel healthy and focused.”
In 12 games this season, the four-star recruit started nine times and finished with 60 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
That production earned the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Kirkland a spot on the All-SEC Freshman team alongside Dre Greenlaw of Arkansas and Mississippi State’s Gerri Green.
Kirkland is the first Tennessee linebacker to land on that team since A.J. Johnson and Curt Maggitt in 2011, and he and right tackle Chance Hall give the Vols a total of seven All-SEC Freshman team selections in the last three seasons, joining Marquez North and Cameron Sutton in 2013 and Derek Barnett, Todd Kelly Jr. and Jashon Robertson last season.
“I’m really proud of my body of work,” Kirkland said.
The Vols feel the same way.
“Darrin was obviously really key, because he’s right in the middle of our defense,” defensive coordinator John Jancek said Thursday. “He calls the defenses for us. He sets the fronts. He has a lot of food on his plate, and he really is mature beyond his years.
“The future is really bright for Darrin and for us as a whole, and we’re just going to keep getting better.”
Kirkland’s 60 tackles are the fifth-most by a freshman in program history, as only Eric Berry (86 in 2007), Johnson (80 in 2011), Barnett (72 in 2014) and Jonathan Hefney (65 in 2004) had more.
He laughed off his struggles against Alabama and Arkansas, two teams that threw run-heavy approaches and road-grading offensive linemen at him.
“A lot of those games,” Kirkland said, “I felt like, ‘Wow, I kind of feel like a freshman right now.’ That (strength) just comes with time. I feel like I held my own.”
Kirkland became increasingly comfortable in Tennessee’s defense and in his role as the season progressed, and it showed as he began playing faster and developed into a “student of the game.”
“Here’s the thing I love about Darrin, is that you know what you’re getting every single day,” Jancek said. “He comes, and he’s not moody. He’s not up one day and down the next. He is very consistent, he has a workmanlike approach, he’s very coachable and he’s got a great personality.
“He’s loud, and that sounds weird, but you don’t want your Mike linebacker out there (making calls quietly). You want a guy that has some command about him, and he has that and takes pride in that. I remember even early on when he got here. He was letting the older guys know, ‘I’m the middle linebacker and I’m in charge of this thing.’
“That’s been awesome to get from Darrin, and he’s just improved as the weeks have gone on.”
Kirkland said once he got his defensive assignments down, his teammates’ confidence in him grew.
“In the beginning I really had to learn the defense for myself to have that command presence with other players,” he said. “Once I was able to be on the field and make plays, the guys, their comfort level with me really helped a lot.”
Kirkland will start focusing on his future after the Vols battle Northwestern on Tampa. For now, he’s just glad for the chance to get rejuvenated after a demanding season.
“I’ve got a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “My physicality and my mental capacity for the game is going to grow. Really I’m just excited for the future, and next year’s going to be a big year for me.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com