9. Who will the linebackers be?
Darrin Kirkland Jr. rebounded nicely in the Music City Bowl after battling an ankle injury all season. He can be penciled in as the starting inside linebacker for 2017. But there are plenty of questions at the other spots, where the Vols never truly found a suitable replacement for the injured Jalen Reeves-Maybin last season. Senior Cortez McDowell, who got most of the action, will likely get the first shot. But there will be a host of others such as Dillon Bates, Quart’e Sapp, Elliott Berry, Daniel Bituli, Gavin Bryant, early enrollee Shanon Reid and the versatile Colton Jumper who will all be looking for playing time. Sapp, who might not be fully recovered for spring practice, is a name to watch after he missed most of 2016 with an ACL injury.
