UT position analysis: Defensive line Front four has a tough act to follow

Based on the past 10 years, that's some heady territory.

Consider some of the other guys to hold that title in the last decade: Leonard Little, Jonathan Brown, Shaun Ellis, Darwin Walker, John Henderson, Albert Haynesworth.

It's a virtual who's who of NFL standouts.

Last year's departed group of Parys Haralson (San Francisco), Jesse Mahelona (Tennessee Titans) and Jason Hall (Buffalo) already has followed in those footsteps.

Now it's Harrell's time to shine under the guidance of defensive tackle coach Dan Brooks and defensive coordinator John Chavis.

"Justin had a solid spring and a really great attitude in terms of working hard to improve his game," Chavis said.

Harrell turned down his own shot at the NFL to return to UT for his senior season.

The three-year starter got plenty of notice with a 2004 Cotton Bowl defensive MVP award.

He followed that up with 7A 1/2 sacks and two interceptions last season.

Harrell seems to have his best games in the big games.

He had a career-high eight tackles at Florida last year. He added six against LSU and had two tackles for a loss and a sack at Notre Dame.

Next week, he'll join offensive tackle Arron Sears as UT's player representatives at SEC Media Days.

Living up to last season's No. 2 national ranking in rush defense won't be easy, but it begins with Harrell.

Turk McBride is slated to line up next to Harrell at tackle, but Chavis isn't ruling out the possibility of McBride moving out to end "in order to get our best four on the field."

J.T. Mapu's impending return from a Mormon mission could have an impact depending on Mapu's shape after two years away from football.

"He'll be a guy who is a bit more mature," Chavis said. "What kind of condition he'll be in, I don't know, but knowing J.T., it won't take him long to get ready to play.

"Certainly he's a guy who could come in and make an impact."

Matt McGlothlin also garnered some serious praise from coaches after a strong spring.

Dan Williams (after dropping 55 pounds) and Demonte Bolden need to continue maturing and developing to add to depth in the tackle rotation. Vladimir Richard could be in the mix, but he's coming off of a broken leg.

"I feel very good about that position because of Harrell, McBride and McGlothlin," Chavis said. "And Turk can play inside or outside."

Things at defensive end are a little less settled, which could lead to a shift with McBride.

At one end, Antonio Reynolds appears to have locked up a starting spot.

"Antonio has really stepped up," Chavis said. "(Defensive ends coach) Steve (Caldwell) has done a tremendous job with him. He had a really, really good spring."

Robert Ayers could find himself at the other end, but Chavis still is waiting for the sophomore to separate himself from the pack.

"We've just got to keep refining Robert," Chavis said. "He's a guy who has a lot of talent, but he's not ready to go play and be a big-time player in the SEC right now. It's our job to get him there."

There's still a wait-and-see attitude with former junior college star Walter Fisher after offseason shoulder surgery.

Xavier Mitchell and Wes Brown provide some solid depth.

Outlook: There could be some growing pains here, but this group could develop into a solid SEC defensive front.

Don't expect No. 2 in the nation in run stopping, but Chavis, Brooks and Caldwell always seem to get the best of the talent at their disposal.

"Obviously, up front was our biggest question going into spring practice," Chavis said. "We've made a step, but we're not there by a long shot."

Stay tuned.