Volunteer Country

Film Analysis: Ethan Utley Is The Top 2025 DL Priority For Tennessee

2025 four-star defensive lineman Ethan Utley (Nashville, Tenn.) is the top in-state defensive priority for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Evan Crowell

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Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner is one of the best in the business. He's proven that he can recruit and land elite high school prospects, get them to campus, and develop them into eventual NFL Draft picks. He routinely goes after the "big fish" in each recruiting cycle, and in-state defensive lineman Ethan Utley qualifies as one of those.

Utley is the No. 112 prospect in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He plays his high school football for Ensworth in Nashville, Tennessee, who finished 8-3 this season. Utley was a driving point for their success as he continued to take steps in his development. He decided to cut his recruitment down to five schools on Christmas Day and will focus on Michigan, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Texas moving forward.

Garner has done a strong job of building a relationship with Utley, getting him to campus multiple times over the past few seasons. Utley is old friends with a few current 2025 Tennessee commits, and it appears that everyone on Rocky Top wants Utley in orange and white. We went to analyze his junior tape to see why.

Powerful Hands

One of the most important boxes for young defensive linemen to check is their hands. You need to pack a punch when you reach an offensive tackle, especially in the SEC. Simply being a big, powerful athlete won't be enough in college - you must transfer weight from your ankles through your hands. Utley weighs 270 pounds and uses his hands like he's 300 pounds when he wants to. He knows how to place his hands on an offensive tackle's shoulder pads and deliver through his leverage. Utley also does a nice job sequencing his attacks - he can use his hands for power or finesse. He doesn't have to go 100 miles per hour every time; Utley throws off opposing players by changing his speed and power when he attacks.

Elite Lateral Athlete

Moving side-to-side can be just as important as attacking vertically for a defensive lineman. Utley weighs 270 pounds but has skinny ankles on tape, allowing him to change his direction without losing any lower-body velocity. When he attacks, he looks like a boxer, varying his horizontal movement before attacking an opponent's hips. There's a method to how Utley attacks offensive linemen with his lateral agility, and it's quite advanced for a young pass-rusher.

Pass-rush Arsenal

There's still development left to be done with Utley, as with any young pass-rusher. However, Utley has a very advanced set of moves that allows him to win quickly. His skill set features a swim move to which he has already developed several different counters. Utley can swim inside or outside, depending on how an offensive lineman sets up in pre-snap. He could still stand to develop a signature power-rush move, but his hands are strong enough for that to progress. He has a strong dip move where he sinks his hips underneath an offensive tackle, which could become an especially good counter.

2025 4-star DL Ethan Utley during an unofficial visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Ethan Utley)
2025 4-star DL Ethan Utley during an unofficial visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Ethan Utley)

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Evan Crowell
EVAN CROWELL

Evan Crowell is the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, basketball, and recruiting. He previously worked as the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Gamecocks Digest.

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