MLB Darrin Kirkland Jr. 'feeling really good,' ready to lead Vols defense
Darrin Kirkland Jr. knows the question is coming.
After all, Tennessee’s junior linebacker has been a one-man M.A.S.H. unit since arriving on Rocky Top.
Before an outstanding freshman year in 2015, Kirkland Jr. had shoulder surgery. A high-ankle sprain ultimately torpedoed his sophomore season, and then late in spring practice this past April, Tennessee’s 6-foot-1, 238-pound middle linebacker tweaked his hamstring.
Finally, Kirkland was limited to open training camp this summer due to a minor knee injury.
So naturally, how healthy are you these days?
“I’m feeling really good,” Kirkland Jr. told VolQuest.
“I had a really good summer finishing up the rehab I had to do. I was limited to start camp, but I’ve been full-go the last couple weeks and it’s going really well. I feel great."
Tennessee fans certainly hope so.
A year ago, the Vols’ defense suffered mightily during Kirkland’s absence, as Tennessee was shredded by Texas A&M and Alabama without its defensive point guard on the field.
After missing five games with the ankle injury, Kirkland returned to action but the overall results weren’t much different against Kentucky, Missouri or Vanderbilt with a still visibly-slowed middle linebacker.
Looking back, Kirkland Jr. acknowledges last season was really “tough” — especially following a rookie year with 10 starts, 66 tackles and All-SEC Freshman honors. The 2016 season was supposed to be Kirkland’s coming out party and sophomore surge.
Instead, it was setback season.
“It was difficult,” Kirkland Jr. “I learned a lot about myself.”
It wasn't until the Music City Bowl against Nebraska that Tennessee’s No. 1 middle linebacker resembled the same sideline-to-sideline playmaker from last season’s opener against Appalachian State. He led the team in tackles in the bowl win down in Orlando, and now, finally with a clean bill of health, the junior is ready to spearhead Tennessee’s defense this fall.
“I always feel important to the team. I want to push myself to the highest level,” he said. “I want to be the best unit and best defense we can possibly be. I hold myself to a high standard.”
During the spring, Kirkland called himself “the last of the Mohicans” with former leaders Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton no longer around. He knows he’s being counted on to step up even more this fall, with the staff really challenging his leadership responsibilities.
Although there's confidence in veterans like Colton Jumper and Elliott Berry, Kirkland Jr. offers a stability and dynamic upside Tennessee's defense truly needs if it hopes to improve this fall.
“I find myself being the main guy, the leader of the defense and I’ve embraced that role,” he said. “I know I have to bring it everyday.”
With his health no longer in question, Kirkland Jr. has used this preseason to embrace the expectations set by defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Tennessee’s second-year coordinator has tabbed Kirkland Jr. as the unit’s extra eyes on the field, and their relationship has grown in Year 2.
“We’re comfortable,” Kirkland Jr. said. “We’re just really confident in everything he has planned. I feel like we're just on the same page in every scenario that we get in. It’s been going really well this camp.”
While Kirkland Jr. has his own lofty goals of becoming an All-SEC standout, he’s mainly focused on making sure the entire defense plays as one unit this fall.
“The defense is a really cohesive unit right now,” he said. “A lot of guys haven’t been main guys, but we have a lot of guys with playing experience. A lot of guys will get their name out there this year. It’s going to be fun.”