Former Tennessee star Daniel Bituli is expected to sign an NFL free agent contract when a situation with his knee is cleared up in the coming weeks, a program source told GoVols247 on Sunday night.

Bituli, an inside linebacker who led the Vols in tackles each of the past three seasons, fell out of the draft in large part because his knee got him “flagged” during the pre-draft process, according to the source. There’s never a good time to get injury-flagged during the process, but this year was a particularly bad time, because the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for those prospects to travel and get re-examined and cleared in time for last weekend’s draft.

The program source insisted things with Bituli’s knee would be sorted in “the next couple weeks or so,” and that he would sign a free-agent contract once all those boxes got checked.

It’s impossible for anyone to state exactly what would have happened if Bituli hadn’t been flagged during the process, but multiple sources told GoVols247 the linebacker had received a mid- to late-round grade and almost certainly would have been selected. One source insisted Bituli was a better player than several linebackers who were drafted, but that teams weren’t willing to take that risk without another thorough round of medical exams.

Former Vols linebacker Daniel Bituli

Bituli’s play on the field certainly wasn’t the issue. The 6-3, 252-pound native of the Congo was a four-year contributor who earned a starting spot during his sophomore season and never relinquished it, and he took his game to another level once Jeremy Pruitt and his staff arrived in Knoxville in 2018.

While Bituli’s ability to make big, game-changing hits was apparent from his first year at Tennessee, consistency had been an issue until from his final season with the Vols. Bituli, who moved to America with his family and settled in Nashville, played high-school football at the smallest classification in Tennessee, so his learning curve was a bit steeper than most. He was physically ready from the first day he walked on campus, but mastering the middle linebacker craft was a process.

Bituli played the best football of his career as a senior, though, when he became the irreplaceable alpha in the middle of Tennessee’s defense. He missed the first two games of the season while recovering from a preseason knee scope, and the Vols lost both of those games. As soon as he and players like star cornerback Bryce Thompson returned, though, things looked much better on that side of the ball. Bituli’s ability to set the defense pre-snap and then execute after the snap fortified the middle of the field for the Vols, and he again led the team in tackles despite missing those first two games.

After helping the Vols end the season with a six-game winning streak and a win over Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Bituli finished his college career with 266 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, six passes defended and two forced fumbles. He also returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown at Alabama and blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown in a win over South Carolina at Neyland Stadium.

Bituli still projects as a solid inside linebacker prospect at the NFL level, but in college he also showed an ability to line up on the edge in loose downs and get into the backfield, and he’s also a been a reliable player on special teams. His character off the field and commitment to the cause have never been questioned, either. He's always been praised for his performance in those areas.