Five for '15: UT Vols' most intriguing camp competitions

Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady (12) looks to pass as defensive lineman Andrew Butcher (52) pursues during the NCAA college football team's Orange & White game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2015, in Knoxville.
Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady (12) looks to pass as defensive lineman Andrew Butcher (52) pursues during the NCAA college football team's Orange & White game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2015, in Knoxville.

Five for '15

* Tennessee's most important games of upcoming season* Possible second-year surgers for Tennessee Vols* Tennessee's non-freshman impact newcomers * Tennessee Vols' impact freshmen * UT Vols' most intriguing camp competitions * Tennessee's most valuable players

photo UT freshman linebacker Kenny Bynum
photo Tennessee coach Butch Jones speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days on July 14, 2015, in Hoover, Ala.

KNOXVILLE -- With the Tennessee Volunteers nearing the start of preseason football practice, the Times Free Press is setting the stage for a much-anticipated 2015 season with a "Five for '15" preview series, which continues today with a look at Tennessee's most intriguing preseason camp competitions.

1. LINEBACKER

Tennessee lost just three starters from a defense that finished 37th nationally in yards allowed, but the biggest hole of the three is A.J. Johnson's middle linebacker spot, one the Vols failed to find an answer for when the two-time All-SEC pick was suspended for the final three games of 2014 and during spring practice.

Kenny Bynum, the redshirt junior who started the TaxSlayer Bowl after freshman Jakob Johnson stepped in against Missouri and Vanderbilt, was the first-team Mike linebacker throughout spring practice, but his two biggest challengers weren't completely healthy.

Dillon Bates wasn't fully recovered from the shoulder surgery that ended his freshman season after four games, and freshman Darren Kirkland Jr. missed spring entirely after tearing a pectoral muscle during an offseason workout. Jakob Johnson also missed spring after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

Bynum provides experience and stability the younger linebackers cannot, but Bates and Kirkland are talented enough that the competition should be pretty tight.

2. BACKUP QUARTERBACK

What's known is it will be a freshman. What isn't known is which of the trio it will be.

Early enrollee Quinten Dormady emerged from spring practice as the clear backup to starter Josh Dobbs, but the Texas native will have to fend off summer arrival Sheriron Jones to hold that job, while preseason practice also will be key for the development of Jauan Jennings with Jarrett Guarantano committed for 2016.

The 6-foot-2, 182-pound Jones was the highest-rated recruit of the three freshmen, a consensus four-star prospect and the nation's No. 7 dual-threat quarterback according to 247Sports.com, and he's tried to shadow Dobbs this summer to help him play catch-up to Dormady and Jennings.

The Vols would prefer Dobbs stays healthy, of course, but recent history suggests one of the freshmen better be ready.

3. PUNTER

In the first two years of his Tennessee tenure, coach Butch Jones has shown himself to be some sort of a kicker whisperer.

He coaxed a much-improved senior season out of Michael Palardy in 2013 and last season helped Matt Darr go from an inconsistent potential liability to a dependable punter (42.2-yard average) who quickly got an NFL free-agent deal, and there also was Aaron Medley's solid freshman season as place-kicker.

Now Jones must find a replacement for Darr, and consistency will be key for the trio of candidates.

Walk-on Trevor Daniel handled the job in the spring, but the Vols have since added freshman Tommy Townsend, a highly ranked kicker who was a U.S. Army All-American, and transfer Nate Renfro, who averaged 41.5 yards on 84 punts for Maryland last season.

4. OFFENSIVE LINE

As Jones noted during his SEC Media Days appearance, Tennessee's first- and second-team offensive lines are comprised entirely of scholarship players for the first time in his tenure.

The added numbers breed competition, and given the Vols' preference for continuity up front, the battles for starting jobs could be pretty heated this August.

Based on recruiting rankings, redshirted junior college transfer Dontavius Blair and five-star freshman Drew Richmond would be Tennessee's starting left and right tackles, but veterans Kyler Kerbyson and Brett Kendrick appeared to be pretty entrenched there heading into the summer.

At center, starter Mack Crowder will have to beat out Coleman Thomas, who's moved inside after his time as a right tackle didn't work out last season, to hold onto his spot.

A year after having to play freshmen because there were no other options, the Vols are hoping they have some tough decisions to make as they look for their best five up front.

5. SECONDARY

The competition among defensive backs is what Tennessee would like the rest of its position groups to resemble.

Safety Todd Kelly and Evan Berry both had excellent springs, but can either sophomore carry that level of play over through the summer and into camp and perform well enough to supplant one of the seniors standing in their way?

It's hard to see Brian Randolph not playing every snap for the Vols, but LaDarrell McNeil's spot always seems up for grabs. It was entering last season, but he bounced back from a rough 2013 season and played really well as a junior. He's started 31 of the Vols' last 32 games, though he split time with Kelly throughout the 2014 season.

At cornerback, Emmanuel Moseley and talented junior college transfer Justin Martin could battle for the spot opposite Cameron Sutton.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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