Spring Primer: What will Tennessee’s front-7 look like this spring?

Perhaps no unit will undergo a bigger transformation over the next six weeks than Tennessee’s front-7.

Under Jeremy Pruitt and Kevin Sherrer, the Vols will transition to a base 3-4 scheme, instilling the tenets that made Alabama and Georgia’s defenses so successful the last few seasons.

The Vols will still utilize plenty of sub-packages — including 2-man fronts, nickel, 3-3-5 and dime — but with the alignment changes, lots of guys will be sliding into different roles.

Shy Tuttle will get a look at nose tackle. Jonathan Kongbo will see if he can finally fulfill his promise as a 3-4 end. Tennessee will likely test out a cast of players at defensive tackle and inside linebacker. Meanwhile, Darrell Taylor, Ryan Thaxton, Austin Smith and others will also transition to hybrid outside linebackers.

The Vols will hardly answer every positional question up front this spring, but the goal for Pruitt & Co., is to find out who can actually help them come the fall. While a few reinforcements will arrive in August (namely nose tackle Emmitt Gooden and linebacker JJ Peterson), the bulk of Tennessee’s front-7 pieces are already on campus.

In Tennessee’s new two-gap, 3-4 system (the same style that Alabama and UGA play), Tuttle is arguably the most important player up front for the Vols this spring.

“You’ve got to be good up the middle,” Pruitt said in January. “You work from inside out. You have to be able to stop the run. If you can stop the run, you’ve got a chance to have success.”

Well, Tennessee’s run defense has been disastrous the last two seasons — among the worst of all Power 5 teams ranking No. 104 in 2016 and No. 126 last season. Can a heathy Tuttle turn things around?

Right now, he only has Eric Crosby behind him at nose tackle, so Tennessee must determine if the former Top-50 recruit has his old juice back and can anchor a defense. In Pruitt’s scheme, the nose tackle isn’t simply asked to be a space-eater. In a two-gap system, it’s critical the NT can also add disruption as a pass rusher on early downs.

One would think Tuttle’s skill-set and size would translate well here, but it’s a question that won’t be answered until the Vols actually take the field.

Meanwhile, Kongbo will have to prove he can occupy space as a bigger defensive end. The former 5-star recruit hasn’t displayed a consistent ability to shed blocks as a pass rusher, but perhaps playing more like a DT who is tasked with holding the point of attack to give lanes for linebackers to make tackles will play more to his strengths. Matthew Butler, who saw snaps sparingly in 2017, and Kyle Phillips could be utilized at multiple spots up front for the Vols, too.

Both lineman are natural candidates to line up at end in Tennessee’s base defense but slide inside to tackle (either as a 1- or 3-technique) when the defense shifts to 4-man fronts.

The battles at linebacker — both inside and out — stand to be among the fiercest at any spot on the roster this spring. Unlike most other positions, Tennessee actually has depth there, but there’s plenty to sort out with the scheme change.

Taylor and JUCO newcomer Jordan Allen seem like natural JACK linebackers, while Darrin Kirkland Jr. returns to the field after missing the entire 2017 season. The former All-SEC freshman standout has been hampered by injuries the last two years, but Kirkland Jr. remains a prime candidate to start at one of the two inside linebacker spots due to his ability to direct a defense.

Daniel Bituli and Quart’e Sapp will definitely find roles, too, but an X-factor this spring could be Will Ignont. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker was also recruited by Pruitt at Alabama — he was even a former Tide commit briefly — and the scheme change fits Ignont’s tools (a physical, downhill linebacker) perfectly.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Vols experiment playing Kirkland Jr. and Ignont together in some packages. Pruitt prefers his linebackers to be able to play multiple spots, and Ignot could project as a Dont’a Hightower-type player, who plays inside on early downs and as an edge rusher on obvious passing situations.

Finally, where do guys like Shanon Reid, who saw limited snaps on special teams late in 2017, and Solon Page III fit in? Both were undersized WILL linebackers recruited for a 4-3 system. Can they find a role in a new defense?

We’ll see.