Former Freshman All-SEC linebacker selection Darrin Kirkland Jr., has reversed course and will not transfer away from Rocky Top, as Gridiron Now reported Monday night and ESPN’s Chris Low confirmed Tuesday morning at the Southeastern Conference’s annual Spring Meetings in Sandestin, FL.
Key to the decision for the 6-foot-1, 238-pounder was a weekend meeting that Pruitt hosted with both Kirkland and his parents, mother, Stephanie, and father, Darrin Kirkland Sr.
“He wants to be here, and we want him here,” Pruitt told ESPN. “He can definitely help us.”
A late-December 2014 addition to the Vols’ 2015 signing class who enrolled in January ‘15, Kirkland made an immediate impact and carved a starting role during his debut season.