TAMPA, Fla. -- Standing in the Florida sunshine before Tennessee's practice Wednesday, freshman linebacker Rico McCoy smiled as he let his mind drift away from Penn State and the Outback Bowl.

McCoy, who will likely start his second consecutive game at weakside linebacker, saw visions of himself and teammate Jerod Mayo on the field at the same time.

And he liked what he saw.

"It's going to be crazy. There's going to be competition on the field to see who's going to make the play first," McCoy said. "It'll make the team better overall."

Monday's Outback Bowl (TV: ESPN, 11 a.m.) against the Nittany Lions may well be the last time for a long time that McCoy and Mayo aren't on the field at the same time.

Mayo, a third-year sophomore, is just returning from a knee injury suffered against Vanderbilt when cornerback Jonathan Wade's helmet hit his left knee early in the first half.

What was feared to be a cracked kneecap turned out just to be an old injury that didn't heal right from his high school days. While it didn't require surgery, Mayo watched the Kentucky game from the sideline and missed all of UT's bowl practices in Knoxville.

On Tuesday, he returned to practice for the first time in nearly a month, and the reviews were good.

Mayo participated in every period of practice, with only a little stiffness and no swelling in his knee.

"He did a great job," UT defensive coordinator and linebackers coach John Chavis said. "It was good to see him back out there because he brings so much experience and his fundamentals and technique. We're going to ease him back into it."

McCoy didn't need much time to ease into the starting lineup.

Without Mayo, who finished third on the team with 82 tackles and led the Vols with 12.5 tackles for loss, McCoy took over at outside linebacker and led the Vols in tackles in the final two games of the regular season.

Largely on the strength of those two games, McCoy was voted on the coaches' freshman All-SEC team.

Now he's positioned to start against Penn State, although Mayo is expected to play in reserve barring any setbacks this week.

"I'm happy for him," he said. "He's done an excellent job filling in for me. Hopefully I'll get to play with him next year."

Tennessee's 10 practices in Knoxville, as well as six practices here have helped give McCoy a foundation for spring practice, which begins in late February.

The physical workouts, which included a live scrimmage in Knoxville as well as full-contact here drills Tuesday and a 20-play scrimmage Wednesday, haven't hurt.

"We've said all along we thought he'd be a good player," Chavis said of McCoy. "He's still growing and he's getting better. He's doing that right now."

UT fans shouldn't have much trouble getting used to McCoy and Mayo playing together, either.

"It will be hard to keep him and Mayo off the field," Chavis said. "I think those two guys will be on the field for us next year, and he's (McCoy's) getting a little head start, which is good."

Even better would be getting two playmakers on the field at the same time.

Mayo is the likely candidate to move inside, which he did at times when senior Marvin Mitchell was injured.

Ask Mayo about playing alongside McCoy and he'll give the same grin as his teammate.

"With all that athleticism at the linebacker position, that's one thing coach Chavis thrives on," Mayo said. "I'm sure with both of us on the field at the same time, a lot of good things will happen."