Tennessee's top DT commits of the Rivals.com era

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

With the recent commitment of defensive tackle D’Andre Litaker, ranked No. 180 in our 2018 Rivals250, we thought it would be interesting to see how he stacks up with other highly ranked high school defensive tackles to commit to the Vols in Rivals.com history.

The skinny: With his father, Reggie McKenzie, having played for the Vols in the early 1980s, Tennessee was always considered the favorite for Kahlil. Not pulling any surprises, McKenzie committed to the Vols over Arizona during the summer leading up to his senior season. After a promising true freshman season in 2015, an upper body injury in October derailed McKenzie’s progress in 2016, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Now fully healthy, big things are expected from McKenzie in 2017.

Farrell’s take: McKenzie had arguably the best agility for a kid who weighed over 350 pounds (profile says 340 but he was bigger) that I’ve ever seen. That’s why he was ranked so high because he could do things few big men could do and we figured he would slim down and be even more effective in college. I still think he can be a star and start reaching his ceiling.

The skinny: Bolden took official visits to Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama before deciding to stay in-state and play for the Vols. However, academic issues led him to a season at Hargrave Military before he finally made his way to Knoxville in 2005. Bolden’s collegiate career was rather unremarkable. While he did start 23 games, he never met the level of expectation the fans and coaching staff had for him. After going undrafted in the NFL, Bolden has made a career for himself in the CFL, where he currently still plays for Calgary.

Farrell’s take: Bolden had a ton of talent and even as a taller defensive tackle, which was much rarer at the time, he played with great leverage and a mean streak. He had to do a year of prep but got even better after going against future NFL guys like Brandon Albert and Jared Gaither in practice so it was a surprise that he didn’t have a bigger impact at Tennessee. He was a tackling machine in high school for a big lineman.

The skinny: Tuttle trimmed his list down to Tennessee, North Carolina and North Carolina State before spurning the in-state programs by committing to the Vols in late September. Tuttle’s time in Knoxville has been marred by injuries to this point. After seeing his freshman season cut short with a broken ankle, Tuttle tore multiple ligaments in his knee during a late October game in 2016. He missed spring ball due to this injury and is still rehabbing to return for the 2017 season.

Farrell’s take: Like McKenzie, Tuttle hasn’t been able to get on track yet at Tennessee due to injuries and his comeback could be tougher. He showed flashes of his talent in both his freshman and sophomore seasons but time will tell how the injuries affect him. In high school he was a very active and athletic tackle who could not only stuff the run but also get after the passer. And we will always remember the mocked up Rolling Stone magazine graphic Tennessee created for him with Beyonce which was trend setting.

The skinny: Phillips originally committed and signed with Florida, but a few months later he was notified by the Gators that he was being denied admission into the program. Going back on the market, he then signed with Tennessee in July. Phillips only saw playing time in one game as a true freshman before being suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules in late October. This ultimately led to his departure from the program in early 2013. He re-emerged at Hinds C.C. before disappearing off the radar.

Farrell’s take: This was an interesting recruiting story at the very least. Phillips was all set to go to Florida, found out he was essentially dumped and ended up at Tennessee. The former U.S. Army All American was very athletic for his size and could have played defensive end or defensive tackle, but obviously ruined his chances as he showed up in Knoxville out of shape, unmotivated and clearly still disgruntled about being spurned by the Gators.

The skinny: Langley took senior season official visits to Tennessee, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Penn State and Texas A&M before committing to the Vols in November. Langley spent two seasons at Tennessee, before the Phillip Fulmer to Lane Kiffin coaching change led him to transfer. After a junior college season, he found his way to Texas Tech, where he totaled 35 tackles in two seasons. Going undrafted in 2012, Langley was never able to make an impact at the professional level.

Farrell’s take: Langley had a lot of talent and was an energetic and affable recruit back in the day with a high motor. He never got untracked at Tennessee before transferring which is a bit of a shame because I think he could have had success there. He wasn’t an elite pass rusher, but he ran things down well and was a leader.

The skinny: O’Brien committed to Tennessee over Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Alabama in early October after favoring the Vols for several months. O’Brien played in 42 games, making 18 starts, during his time in Knoxville, but off-field issues haunted him. After a third incident he was dismissed from the team in 2016, finishing his Tennessee career with 63 tackles and four sacks.

Farrell’s take: O’Brien was a very strong and powerful defensive tackle known for his prowess at the point of attack. He played out of position for his high school team as a defensive end and that made him a tough eval (he also played offensive tackle and fullback) but we liked his upside enough to have him ranked just outside the top 150. The kid had a major mean streak and was very intense but too many strikes off the field derailed a promising career.