Not much went right for Jalen Reeves-Maybin this season, so the Tennessee linebacker just might come back for one more.
Reeves-Maybin, one of college football's top inside 'backers, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery over the weekend. But the senior said Tuesday that he is considering applying to the NCAA for a redshirt for 2016, according to Wes Rucker of 247Sports, a move that would allow him to return to UT next year rather than entering the 2017 NFL Draft, if the NCAA clears it.
Reeves-Maybin's 2016 season fell apart quickly. He was ejected in the first quarter of UT's opener against Appalachian State on Sept. 1 for targeting. He played his only full game of the season in Week 2 against Virginia Tech, making a team-high 13 tackles, but injured his shoulder a week later, in the first half against Ohio. He tried to play through the injury a week later against rival Florida, but was pulled from the game after just a few snaps, and hasn't played since then.
Reeves-Maybin (6-foot, 230 pounds) already has earned his undergraduate degree. If he ultimately chooses to enter the draft next year, his performance against Virginia Tech would be his only 2016 film of much value to NFL scouts. Fortunately for Reeves-Maybin, there is no shortage of film from previous seasons. He didn't miss a start in his sophomore or junior season, comprising 26 games, making more than 100 tackles in each of those two years. If Reeves-Maybin were to take a redshirt for this year, he could return as one of college football's top linebackers in 2017 and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein sees excellent instincts for the position in Reeves-Maybin, but believes his size could be a limiting factor at the NFL level.
"I think he's incredibly instinctive. He flows to the ball in traffic as well as anyone I saw last year on tape. He has an instinct for the position," Zierlein said. "He's a weakside linebacker in a 4-3 (scheme) because of his size. And if he has any medical red flags at all, plus lack of size, that's a recipe for going undrafted. ... He's got a skill set that will translate to the NFL whether he comes out this year or next year. But the most important thing for him is to be fully healthy whenever he comes out. That gives him the best chance to be an active participant on a two-deep roster."
Reeves-Maybin is only one among a litany of injured players the Volunteers are having to replace, most of them on the defensive side of the ball. Among them are top cornerback, Cam Sutton, who will miss most or all of the season with a broken ankle. Coach Butch Jones announced Tuesday that defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, the son of Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, is out for the season as well.
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