KNOXVILLE - The Times Free Press is taking a daily positional look at the Tennessee football team, leading up to the first day of practice Friday. So far we've previewed the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends and offensive line. Today we move over to the other side of the ball, starting with the defensive line.
Who's back
The group starts with senior tackle Emmit Gooden, who was third on the team with seven tackles for loss in his first season in the program. He represents the extent of players returning who have been productive, as the Volunteers primarily played four seniors in the rotation last year. John Mincey and Matthew Butler played some on the end, while Kivon Bennett and Kurott Garland played in four games each and were redshirted. Kingston Harris and Greg Emerson project to be in the mix at defensive tackle.
Who's new
Well, a lot in terms of importance. Junior college defensive tackle signees Darel Middleton and Savion Williams will be asked to be productive from the first day of practice, with the Vols' limited experience returning. Williams could end up as one of the starters at defensive end, while Middleton could push him for that start - and that's without having gone through a single practice with the program. Michigan transfer Aubrey Solomon could be in line to start at the other spot if he's granted a waiver from the NCAA to play immediately; he went through the spring with the Vols and has plenty of college experience with 18 games played while with the Wolverines. Elijah Simmons made some waves on social media this summer, dunking a basketball and making a full-court shot and also receiving a shoutout from J.J. Watt while at the NFL draft in April, but he looks more like a project who could make an impact down the road as opposed to immediately.
Strengths
Gooden is the top commodity and showed flashes of his potential last year. Three of the four primary newcomers - Middleton, Williams and Solomon - have the ability to make plays in the base 3-4 defense that the Vols employ. Although the others have yet to perform consistently, that's been more due to a lack of opportunity than a lack of potential. There's plenty of upside, especially if Solomon gets eligible.
Weaknesses
This is by far the position group with the most uncertainty, starting with the fact that Solomon's eligibility status remains in the air. Is anybody good? Rankings are a subjective way to answer that question, but the fact remains that the defensive line is an unproven commodity. Gooden is the only known quantity, and a leadership role will be a new one for him. It's not going to be clear how good these guys are until they've been tested in game action, which won't be for a while.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.