Six months into his college career, Tennessee freshman defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie already knows what advice he wishes he could dispense to his former self --- or to upcoming prospects.

"I didn't even recognize that it's been six months, to be honest," says the budding star McKenzie, a linchpin in the Vols' 2015 signing class and emerging cog along the defensive interior. "Time flies, but you're just having fun. It's fast, but you've got to get adjusted to it pretty quick.

"That's something that I think if I could tell my younger self or other recruits: Just be ready to come in, put your head down and get to work. That's the best way to look at it. Don't try to come in and do too much. There's plenty of time to do all the things you want to do, but if you really just focus on coming in and getting to work that's pretty much the best way that you're going to have the best result if you do that."

McKenzie's best results are still to come but flashes of potential dominance dot his rookie campaign. Playing in all 12 games, McKenzie's best stretch stems from the Vols' games against Arkansas and Georgia when he combined for nine tackles.

"One thing that was constant, Kahlil McKenzie continued to grow and get better and better and better and improve week in and week out; I'm proud of how far he's come," Tennessee coach Butch Jones says. "It was a difficult path not getting to play high school ball last year, getting hurt in the preseason, but to his credit, and it speaks to his character, he just kept working. He takes great pride in it, and the older players pushed him. He welcomed that."

McKenzie embraces the challenge rather than leaning on any excuses. The California High School Association's decision not to allow McKenzie to play his final season still lingers, and his only high school action for the final 18 months before enrolling on Rocky Top stems from McKenzie's dominance in the U.S. Army All-American game.

"I mean, like Coach Jones kind of said during camp, it's never really an excuse but yeah, it was tough," McKenzie says of rounding back into playing form. "I never like to use it as an excuse or anything like that, but getting back into football --- first off, I was just excited to be getting back out there again --- and I mean, workouts and getting into training camp, being able to play football again was just a great feeling.

"It was tough, getting back into football conditioning and learning playbooks. You go from high school, where you know you might have a playbook but where, you know, if you're a little bit better than everyone you might just do your own thing, to here having to know every play, every pressure, all that kind of stuff. The mental aspect of it and the physical aspect of it is something you've got to really hone in on. Just focus on it and train yourself to get good at it so that it's not a hurdle."

Like Jones, McKenzie credits his teammates.

"Older guys, they're always here to help. You've got guys like Danny O'Brien, Kendal Vickers, even Owen (Williams). He's only been here a year but he knows what he's doing out there, too," he said. "And on top that you've got all the d-ends; they pretty much know everything throughout the line. D.B. (Derek Barnett), LaTroy (Lewis), D-Mix (Dimarya Mixon). All those guys. And then you've got Trevo (Trevarris Saulsberry) in the room, and he's been here five years. You don't really have to worry Coach Strip as the only person you can talk to. You can talk to him or the G.A. or all of the guys. And they were always quizzing us during training camp, which helped a lot."

By slimming down and reshaping his body, the son of former Vols standout Reggie McKenzie actually is growing into a greater role.

"When I came here, I was overweight. That kind of thing," McKenzie says. "I think it was just after that getting myself into shape where I could be out there on the field for a significant amount of time to be able to help and contribute to my team. That's what I'm really most proud of myself for, is getting myself into pretty good shape. Our nutritionists will talk about that and how my body has changed and I'm proud of that. I take pride in that. But I've still got a long way to go, working in the offseason to be that much better. But I'm proud of how I changed and how much better I'm taking care of my body now.

"Right now I'm at 325-330. If I dip under that, my body feels a little bit off. Offseason, I'm trying to get down to 315 and whatever else can come, will come."

McKenzie's first collegiate sack arrives late in Tennessee's season, part of the Vols' second-half surge and 8-4 finish. On his first snap of play at Missouri in late November, McKenzie engulfs Tigers quarterback Drew Lock. He still gives Barnett the assist --- and says his father, there in Columbia, Mo., for the game, knows he can do even more.

"It felt good; waiting all season for it," says McKenzie, who owns 20 tackles while the Vols await their bowl game. "Couple opportunities had passed up, but it felt good to get that first one. Always feels good to get your first sack. Appreciate D.B. flushing that guy up in the pocket. Always gotta thank him for that because he stays around the quarterback.

"I just remember getting in there and making a play. (Dad) was happy I got my first sack, but he said, 'Next time make sure it's not an opportunity sack. Make sure it's your sack.'"

The McKenzie family takes every opportunity to gather, and it's partly that bond helping Kahlil through his first collegiate season. Family members are at almost every Tennessee game, home or away.

"Having family here has been awesome," McKenzie says. "My mom's been to Bowling Green, Georgia, Arkansas and my dad's been to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma (and Missouri) and my brother was here for South Carolina and so was my sister.

"It's been great to always have family around being from so far away. It's been cool to be around family and have them close by. It helps, it helps in this first year still being able to see my family a little bit."

Now that the Vols have tasted a bit of success and, McKenzie freely admits, some bitter disappointment, he's eager for more of the former and to help eliminate the latter.

"Our program goal is to win the national championship, so that's what we all strive for," McKenzie says. "That takes all those things; we talked about that in recruiting, it takes brick by brick to get through the process and to that prize.

"Now getting this eighth win and a ninth in the bowl game, that (would) be huge for what we've been through and the games that we were so close in this year. You look back at that and you're like, 'Man.' But we've just got to look back at that and take from it that we're getting back, we're getting back there. I think that bodes really well for what Coach Jones is doing and what us players are doing. How much guys have bought into it and care about bringing Tennessee back. That's going to be really good for us, freshmen contributing this year and some of us redshirting and some of the older guys who will still be around. I think it will be really good."

McKenzie believes the Vols are pleased with their season's close but motivated for more in 2016.

"Oh yeah, most definitely. Winning is always great, but when you lose that puts a different type of fire in you," he says. "Especially when it's close like that. I think if we could go back and get any one of those [opponents from the losses], we would all be fired up to go get any one of them (again). That puts an extra little fire in you when you take a loss, but getting wins is all good, too.

"We're never going to complain about winning."