KNOXVILLE - Out on Tennessee's indoor practice field, Josh Dobbs already was getting ready for next season - or should that be this season? - throwing passes to teammates, running just to run, smiling and laughing the way a superbly gifted starting quarterback should this time of year.
And such dedication hasn't been lost on the Vols' new kids on the block, that midterm class of early enrollees who hope to get a jump on their fellow incoming freshmen by experiencing both college schoolwork and spring football practice.
"Guys are already working out, even though they were playing a little more than a week ago," said incoming quarterback Quinten Dormady, who was wrapping up his classes at Boerne (Texas) High School this time last month. "That's good to see, and as we start team workouts here it'll be fun."
Added Jauan Jennings, the Murfreesboro Riverdale graduate early Tuesday afternoon, "It felt so great to finally be down here and be a part of the team. Not just part of recruiting class, but a part of the team."
They are now officially a part of Team 119, the newest and youngest part, the part that might one day have the biggest ability to move Tennessee into position to challenge for a spot in a future College Football Playoff.
Already viewed as a top five class in some corners, third-year coach Butch Jones and his staff may improve on that as they attempt to sway undecideds and other schools' verbal commits to join the Vols. It happens every year about this time. There's nothing as fluid and mercurial as football recruiting until National Signing Day - the South's unofficial holiday - concludes on Feb. 4.
But as Ohio State proved this season on its way to No. 1, having more than one quality quarterback to turn to can come in quite handy in the event of injury. Three can be even better. The concern for the Big Orange Nation is what happens if too many quarterbacks spoil the brotherhood.
"The quarterback room as a whole is pretty tight already," noted Dormady, and he no doubt meant "tight" as in "close." That's a good thing, especially since the Vols have learned somewhat painfully the last few years that having a quality backup is pretty important, as is knowing which reserve is best suited to be the Next Man Up should the starter fail or fall.
Had UT coach Butch Jones realized before last season that Dobbs was his best option off the bench in the event Justin Worley got hurt, the Vols might have beaten both Georgia and Florida, despite Worley's injuries.
Because he did not, Nate Peterman struggled under bright lights, the Vols narrowly lost to both the Bulldogs and the Gators, and a regular season that might have ended 8-4 concluded 6-6.
But with the late addition of former Florida commitment Sheriron Jones - who won't be a midyear enrollee - to the Vols' quarterback coffers, it's also fair to wonder if "tight" could also stand for "crowded," which might encourage either tranfers, change of position, discord or all three.
For instance, having twice failed in two years to prove his worth in game action, does Peterman have the stomach for sticking around for a third try, knowing that Dobbs is now the starter and all these newbies could beat him out for backup?
There's also the sticky matter of Jones being a third true freshman QB as a late commit after Dormady and Jennings probably believed they would only be battling each other as classmates. Think back to Peyton Manning and Branndon Stewart in 1994. Or Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer in 2004. Two was uneasy company then, but what if there had been three? How crowded could that have been?
In truth, given what transpired at Ohio State this past season, with both preseason starter Braxton Miller and backup J.T. Barrett going down with injuries before the season ended, Peterman should probably be encouraged to stay, which seemed the scenario that UT offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian would like to see when he told a Knoxville radio show last week:
"(Nate) is a part of our program. He's done a great job in his role. Again, I can't say enough good things about Nathan Peterman. Just his level of preparation, his knowledge of the offense. He works really hard and is a great presence among his teammates and a great example of how to prepare yourself on the field and how to act off the field."
Whether you have two, three or six freshman quarterbacks, that's important, if only to further underscore the example Dobbs will set for the newcomers every day.
But Bajakian also said this in that interview, words surely echoed by most of the Big Orange Nation this winter:
"Josh, for the first time, is in a position where he's going into the offseason and next season as the apparent starter and can really take ownership of this team and lead it."
And those words, if proven true, are why something else Dormady said should resonate with every parent of any player Jones recruits going forward.
Said the son of a football coach regarding the UT staff, "They're going to tell you how it is. I think that works out for the best. You know where your place is. And everyone is here to guide you along the way for your life after football."
And whether they want to hear that or not right now, life after football will begin for most of these guys as soon as their college career ends.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com