Tennessee’s search for a starting middle linebacker would be louder if A.J. Johnson steered clear of off-field trouble.

“Vols must find replacement for third-round pick at linebacker” sounds more enticing than “Johnson, four-year starter at UT, turns himself in after rape accusation.” The latter also pushes offseason competition at the position to second-fiddle status.

Still, the most pressing question facing an upstart UT team this summer and fall resides at middle linebacker. Team 119, headlined by coach Butch Jones, quarterback Joshua Dobbs and a cadre of skill players, remains viable in the SEC East due to a defense laden with a mix of above average veterans and supreme talent among its underclassmen.

The secondary can challenge for the mythical title of best in the SEC. The team’s defensive line represents its most exciting in years. But middle linebacker play is vital every year in the conference.

In 2015, the Volunteers face crossover games against Arkansas and Alabama, likely to smash into UT again and again, a non-conference matchup against a physical Oklahoma team, and SEC East teams in Georgia and Mizzou likely to feature some of the most effective running games in the country.

Surely Jones won’t move senior Jalen Reeves-Maybin, an outside linebacker, to the middle, but it’s an available last resort. Barring that desperation decision, there are three obvious choices. (Gavin Bryant and Jakob Johnson are wild cards.)

Kenny Bynum: The redshirt junior took the most snaps at middle linebacker during spring practice. At 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds, Bynum was by far the least-heralded player coming out of high school as a three-star or even a two-star signee according to Scout.com. He’s got an advantage as a fourth-year player who understands the defense, can get some of the young players in the front seven properly aligned and can contribute steady play. But he may be best as a backup on a championship type roster.

Darrin Kirkland Jr.: An early enrollee, Kirkland Jr. (and Jakob Johnson) missed spring ball due to injury. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound freshman is gifted physically, and the team (and many fans) hope he can step into the lineup immediately and become a viable SEC starter. But the coaches can’t have much of an idea whether that’s possible, since he hasn’t practiced yet with the Volunteers. Kirkland Jr. can unleash good sideline-to-sideline speed, and if he adds five or even 10 more pounds by the start of the season, he’ll be a physical force.

Dillon Bates: He played in four games last year before the NCAA granted him a redshirt season due to a torn labrum. Still banged up this spring, the team handled him with caution. When he did practice, the coaching staff seemed determined to develop and evaluate him at inside linebacker as much as possible. In some ways, though, playing the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Bates in the middle seems like a Band-Aid. If one of the others seizes the starting job, it’s likely Bates plays as a reserve outside linebacker for 2015.

OUTLOOK

A perfect solution does not exist. Ideally, one of the better young athletes matures fast enough to allow Bynum to serve as a backup. But the team will sacrifice either athleticism, ideal physical profile or experience no matter who wins the role.

RockyTopInsider.com, SB Nation and FanSided all project Bynum as the starter. Bleacher Report has guessed Bates, while others think Kirkland Jr. will line up in the middle of the defense come Sept. 5.

I can’t foresee a bigger question mark within Tennessee’s defense during fall camp. Finding a capable starting middle linebacker, and determining which aspect to prioritize, will be an important task for UT this August.