Times Free Press series will preview the Vols position by position

July 23, 2016 at 1:00 a.m. | Updated July 23, 2016 at 6:36 p.m.

by Patrick Brown

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2015 file photo, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones points to the scoreboard during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Missouri in Columbia, Mo. Tennessee head coaches will hold a rare joint press conference Tuesday morning, Feb. 23, 2016, two weeks after a group of unidentified women sued the school over its handling of sexual assault complaints made against student-athletes. Athletic department spokesman Ryan Robinson said Monday night the coaches decided they wanted to make themselves available to answer questions on a variety of issues. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2015 file photo, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones points to the scoreboard during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Missouri in Columbia, Mo. Tennessee head coaches will hold a rare joint press conference Tuesday morning, Feb. 23, 2016, two weeks after a group of unidentified women sued the school over its handling of sexual assault complaints made against student-athletes. Athletic department spokesman Ryan Robinson said Monday night the coaches decided they wanted to make themselves available to answer questions on a variety of issues. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson, File)

KNOXVILLE - With preseason practices about to fire up across the country, the dog days of college football's offseason are nearly done.

Perhaps nowhere are players and fans welcoming the start of a new season more than at Tennessee.

Read the first preview here

Tennessee preseason preview: Quarterbacks

The Volunteers have come a long way under fourth-year coach Butch Jones, and this could be the season when the progress turns into the kind of success the program has been craving for years.

"Each year is a new year," Jones said last week at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala. "That's the great thing about college football, is a third or more of your roster turns over and there's new leadership opportunities. I like the mentality of this football team.

"As I've stated, in the last 18 games we're 13-5, and five of those losses have come by a combined total of 25 points. What are we doing to find those 25 points? How are we getting to the next level? This is the first time in a number of years we have experience, but we still only have 11 seniors on our roster. We have to continue to grow and develop and elevate our roster through recruiting, through development and through playing time, but I think it's a real exciting time in our program, because you can see we have built it over time."

There hasn't been this much anticipation for a Tennessee football season in more than a decade.

The Vols have been projected as heavy favorites to win the Southeastern Conference's East Division and play in the conference championship game for the first time since 2007. This year Tennessee hosts both of its primary rivals, Florida and Alabama, who have winning streaks of 11 and eight games against the Vols. But those droughts pale in comparison to Tennessee's SEC title drought, which dates to 1998.

A roster laden with talent, experience and leadership are the primary factors for Tennessee's offseason of hype.

In the week leading up to the start of preseason practice, the Times Free Press will take an in-depth position-by-position look at the Vols ahead of this season of high expectations.

The series begins today with the quarterbacks and will continue with the running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive line before turning to the defense and wrapping up with special teams.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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