KNOXVILLE – After first-year Tennessee defensive line coach Brady Hoke mentioned recently that he would like to rotate 10 ends and tackles in games this year, coordinator Bob Shoop acknowledged the merits of that idea Thursday.
Shoop called it “an error” that the Volunteers did not get more defensive linemen game action early in the 2016 season before injuries rocked their depth at defensive tackle.
“There’s things we could have done differently, rotating guys differently than we did,” Shoop said. “Guys just played too many snaps.”
The topic led to Shoop’s explanation of his optimism for Tennessee’s overall defensive depth this year, even after the departure of three leaders to the NFL.
“We may not have that Derek Barnett, Cam Sutton or Jalen Reeves-Maybin, but we’ve got a lot of guys where there’s not a significant drop-off between the one and the two anymore,” Shoop said. That is really kind of exciting to me.”
Taking turns talking
With former Michigan head coach Hoke and former Air Force defensive coordinator Charlton Warren added to this year’s staff, Tennessee’s defensive coaches are taking turns verbally leading the unit instead of having Shoop present each situation.
It’s part of an effort to “keep the players stimulated,” Shoop said.
“Each time a situation comes up, a coach is responsible for that situation and he’s presented it to the group, which I think has helped maybe emphasize it,” Shoop said. “Then we’ve done it in practice and reinforced the message.”
Freshman DBs impress
Warren, who coaches the secondary, bristled when asked about freshmen who could be candidates to crack the Vols’ two-deep depth chart.
“I don’t know about the two-deep,” Warren said.
With depth and experience at cornerback and safety, it’s unlikely that a freshman will play on the back end of the defense early in the season, but some newbies have caught the coaches’ attention.
“The guys that have been really consistent,” Warren said, “if I had to name them, Theo Jackson has been really consistent for us and is still learning and Shawn Shamburger has been consistent.”
Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 178-pound safety from Nashville, and Shamburger is a 6-foot, 191-pound cornerback from Moultrie, Ga.
Infirmary update
Shoop provided an update on middle linebackers Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Daniel Bituli, both of whom started preseason camp limited due to injury.
“Bituli has not been 100 percent,” Shoop said. “Kirkland these last few days has really stepped up to where we would expect him to be.”
Kirkland is expected to start at middle linebacker if healthy. The coaches have noted that former Baylor School standout Colton Jumper is having a strong training camp at the position.
Shoop also noted that junior defensive tackle Quay Picou has been out but did not specify when he is expected to return.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com