Tennessee is next in our fall camp preview series. Built on young talent and high expectations, what can we expect from the Volunteers?

PERSONNEL

As advertised by Butch Jones at several points in 2014, the Volunteers played loads on underclassmen as one of the youngest teams in college football. Tennessee took its lumps at times, but the progress from the beginning of the season to the end was evident.

With as many as 17 of the 22 starters from both sides of the ball back this season, it is easy to see why expectations are starting to elevate in Knoxville.

Not counted in those numbers is QB Joshua Dobbs, who brings certainty to the position as fall camp begins after emerging as a dual-threat option in the last half of the 2014 season.

He will be throwing to a deep group of receivers, headed by senior Pig Howard and junior Marquez North. Sophomores Josh Malone and Josh Smith, along with junior Jason Croom and five-star signee Preston Williams, should add quality depth to the group. Whether the group with return senior Von Pearson, who was suspended in April, at any point is the biggest question surrounding the position.

Sophomores Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, both former five-star prospects, give the Volunteers plenty of upside as a 1-2 punch at the running back position. They will be running behind an offensive line that will be returning four starters from last year’s team. (More on those guys here.)

On defense, the Vols return a couple of guys that should give opposing quarterbacks trouble sleeping in the days leading up to meeting them.

Senior Curt Maggitt, who has found his niche a hybrid DE/LB, returns as the soul of the Volunteers defense after logging 11 sacks in a healthy junior season. He’s joined in the Volunteers pass rush by sophomore DE Derek Barnett, who set Tennessee freshman records with 20.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks last year.

With 101 tackles in 2014, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is the defense’s top returning tackler. He’ll be leaned on as a leader for a until that loses A.J. Johnson.

Junior CB Cameron Sutton received preseason All-SEC recognition and is the standout performer in an experienced Volunteers secondary, which returns senior safeties Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil.

PRIMARY POSITION BATTLES

Defensive tackle — Shy Tuttle vs. Kahlil McKenzie vs. Danny O’Brien vs. Owen Williams: Depth at defensive tackle is a good problem to have, and with an infusion of talent from the 2015 signing class, the Volunteers may now have it. Tennessee returns contributors from last season’s team in O’Brien and Williams, among others, but the real upside at the position lies in true freshmen McKenzie and Tuttle.

Offensive tackle — Coleman Thomas vs. Brett Kendrick: There were questions abound for the Volunteers offensive line heading into last season. But after a year of sorting out the details at most spots in 2014, there appears to be only one tackle spots up in the air heading into fall camp. Expect sophomores Thomas and Kendrick to be in the running for that.

Linebacker — Kenny Bynum vs. Dillon Bates vs. Jakob Johnson: Replacing standout LB A.J. Johnson will be on top of the to-do list for fall camp. Tennessee has Reeves-Maybin in place to take a lead role for the group, which also will feature Maggitt at times, but the Volunteers still need to find a steady presence to play in the middle while in a three-backer set.

END GOAL

Butch Jones and his coaching staff will need to continue to play the role of sculptures during fall camp. It is as if they have been generating piles of precious clay, represented by the talent that they have accumulated over the past few recruiting cycles, and it is their job to continue to mold and shape that group of players into the piece of fine art that is expected by a hungry Tennessee fan base.

Finding the role that best suits all of these talented young pieces while also advancing their development in the midst of trying to prepare for a run at the SEC East division crown is a tall task for this fall camp.

Figuring out the right balance on the rotation of players at running back and wide receiver is likely to be a focus of camp as first-year offensive coordinator Mike DeBord continues to familiarize himself with the talents at his disposal.

Tennessee must also leave fall camp mentally prepared for the advanced expectations for the 2015 season. No longer will simply winning a conference game be cause for celebration, and losing games to the league’s mid-tier programs will begin to draw criticism.

Buckle up, Tennessee fans. It should be a fun ride.