The position area with the greatest depth this time last year on Tennessee's football team is now the position area with the most questions.
Josh Heupel's Volunteers have won a combined 20 games the past two seasons and will look to continue the momentum Monday when they conduct their first of 15 spring practices allotted by the NCAA. The Vols will conclude Heupel's fourth spring in Knoxville with the Orange & White Game on April 13, which will have a capacity cap of roughly 10,000 due to Neyland Stadium construction.
Tennessee's secondary last spring contained nine returning players who had started multiple games: Warren Burrell, Christian Charles, Kamal Hadden, Jaylen McCollough, Tamarion McDonald, De'Shawn Rucker, Doneiko Slaughter, Brandon Turnage and Wesley Walker. The Vols had obtained Gabe Jeudy-Lally via the transfer portal as well, and the former Brigham Young cornerback started the final 11 games last season, including the 35-0 shellacking of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
Only Charles returns among those 10 players, and he was lost for last season in the second game against Austin Peay.
"I like the physical traits of the guys who are in the building right now," Heupel said in December when asked about the looming defensive backfield rebuild. "We've got some young guys who have to grow and mature as football players, but I love the athletic traits. That's true of the young guys who were with us this past season and true of the signees.
"We felt like we wanted to add some experience in those positions, and we've attacked that through the portal with a couple of guys as well."
The Vols faced the anemic, ground-and-pound Hawkeyes in the bowl game with a starting secondary of Jeudy-Lally, McCollough, Rickey Gibson III and Andre Turrentine. McCollough set a program record with his 51st career start, but Gibson and Turrentine were starting for the first time, with Turrentine recording an interception in the end zone during the first quarter.
Hadden missed the bowl due to his season-ending shoulder surgery in late October, while Burrell, McDonald, Rucker, Slaughter, Turnage and Walker entered the transfer portal following the regular season. Hadden, Jeudy-Lally and McCollough are preparing for their professional football opportunities, with Hadden having been a part of the recent NFL combine.
Tennessee replaced some of those departures through the portal, adding Oregon State cornerback Jermod McCoy, Temple cornerback Jalen McMurray and Middle Tennessee State safety Jakobe Thomas. McCoy arrived with three seasons of eligibility remaining, while McMurray and Thomas have two apiece.
Jourdan Thomas shouldn't be overlooked in the changing secondary landscape, with the junior from Montgomery, Alabama, having played in 11 games last season at the "star" position. Thomas made one start against Georgia and logged a career-high 74 snaps at Missouri.
Then there are the three midyear enrollees, Edrees Farooq of Baltimore and the Bradley Central duo of Boo Carter and Marcus Goree Jr. Carter was the most heralded signee of the three and did not need long to capture Heupel's attention in bowl practices.
"He's electric," Heupel said. "He's got great change of direction, and he's got a really good football IQ. We're really excited about who he is. He's got a real maturity about him on the football field, and that's rare for a high school kid.
"I got a chance to see some of that when I went to watch him play but also already in his transition here."
The Vols have scheduled their first four practices for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with Saturday also serving as part of the program's annual clinic for high school coaches.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.