KNOXVILLE - When Tennessee kicks off the season in less than three weeks against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Butch Jones knows he'll learn more about the team he has this year.
"And really," the fifth-year Volunteers coach said Tuesday, "all the way until game three is when you're really still evaluating your football team."
That understanding is not lessening the urgency of his search for offensive playmakers as the Vols replace NFL draft picks Josh Dobbs, Alvin Kamara and Josh Malone on offense.
Some freshman running backs and young receivers have drawn consistent praise from Jones through the first half of the preseason practice slate, but he and his offensive assistants still are trying to identify those most apt to provide game-changing moments.
"We need to establish who our playmakers are going to be on both sides of the ball," Jones said. "I have a better gauge on defense right now than I do on offense. It's a lot of these younger players right now understanding that we're getting close now. Game time is getting closer, and you have to come out and continue to put your identity on video."
At least one young player at an offensive skill position will be unavailable for Tennessee this year.
Jones announced after Tuesday's practice that freshman receiver Jacquez Jones will miss the season due to a knee injury. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound player was rated a three-star prospect coming out of Clearwater (Fla.) High School. He is expected back for spring practice.
Still, the Vols have several players behind starting running back John Kelly and go-to wide receiver Jauan Jennings who have the chance to show their coach the big-play capability he is looking for.
Freshman receiver Josh Palmer and freshman running back Ty Chandler have been noted as high performers by their teammates and coaches over the past three weeks. Sophomore receivers Marquez Callaway, Tyler Byrd and Brandon Johnson and redshirt freshman Latrell Williams also have shown flashes indicating they could be ready for featured roles in the offense.
"Some individuals, their margin of error is getting smaller and smaller, where others are taking advantage of those opportunities," Coach Jones said. "By tomorrow night we should have a pretty good gauge of where we're at as a football team, what we need to concentrate on in the next week and a half, but also who is going to play this year."
Today's practice is closed to media. Any full-contact scrimmaging could remain somewhat limited as the Vols continue to regain their depth at offensive line. Junior Chance Hall and freshman K'Rojhn Calbert are out for the season, and minor injuries to several other offensive linemen have depleted the group's depth.
Coach Jones said he is hoping to get a full cast of linemen back in "the next couple of days" as the group's collective conditioning becomes a concern.
"We talk about being able to play your best when you're in the sixth, seventh and eighth play of a drive," he said. "We have to practice those things. So to be able to get them back there and working on their conditioning and stamina is as big as anything, then their fundamentals and technique."
One more option in the search for an offensive playmaker is Evan Berry.
Don't look for the safety and prolific kick returner to line up on offense in game one. But the coaches have not ruled out using the senior on offense.
"There's a possibility there," Jones said. "But the first is we need to get Evan's health back. .Evan is a dynamic football player, and obviously he's very special with the ball in his hands and possesses good speed."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.