The first word that comes to mind when I hear the name Josh Dobbs: cerebral.

I suspect that’s the case for many of you as well. Maybe “smart.” Nerd, even. The aerospace engineering major did spout off the first 48 digits of the number pi, and recently spoke to a group of future Tennessee honors students about balancing academics and college life on behalf of the university.

It seems Vols coach Butch Jones wants to leverage as much of Dobbs’ mental capacity as possible. Jones even asked Dobbs to sit in as he interviewed Mike DeBord for the open offensive coordinator position. That’s an unusual amount of trust for a player’s judgment in decisions that involve the football program. (Do you think Nick Saban would’ve asked AJ McCarron to take part in the interview with Lane Kiffin?)

After starting a combined nine games in ’13 and ’14, Dobbs entered spring practice as the unquestioned starter. Following the first spring practice last week, Jones said he wanted Jones to turn into “a CEO quarterback” and “take accountability for everything with our football team.” He’s already begun doing just that, organizing offseason workouts with receivers and quarterbacks.

Last year’s starter Justin Worley “pretty much hung out on the sidelines” last year when his season ended due to injury, one observer noted. Dobbs, though, has taken an active role in developing the players competing to become his backup — currently, that’s early enrollees Jauan Jennings and Quinten Dormady. Jones has complimented his quarterback on taking such an active leadership role, and Dobbs says teaching helps him master the offense.

Tennessee also has been operating with prolific tempo in practice, something DeBord noticed during his first media interview of the spring. That doesn’t happen without a quarterback who knows what he’s doing and knows how to get his team lined up with proficiency in drills and scrimmages.

There’s little doubt that Dobbs will be able to handle the leadership and responsibility that coaches want to see in a Vols quarterback. And Tennessee’s offense looked way more effective last year with Dobbs in the game, as his athleticism covered up a lot of blemishes on the offensive line. Jones likes to operate an up-tempo offense, so practicing fast, Dobbs memorizing every player’s role and commanding respect should translate on the field.

Dobbs completed 63.3 percent of his passes last season, so the 6-foot-3, 213-pound quarterback doesn’t have to overhaul his accuracy like most SEC East teams need from the position in 2015.

Still, Dobbs has limited game experience at the collegiate level. Consistency is a logical point of emphasis.

It’s fair to question whether DeBord is capable of teaching and developing the nuances of a technically-sound quarterback. Everything out of Knoxville indicates that Dobbs is a prolific learner on the field in addition to academia — DeBord recently called him “a sponge” — so the Vols need to make sure to point him in the right direction.

According to the coaching staff, Tennessee is emphasizing three directives to Dobbs: 1) Learn how to pick your spots as a runner and by protecting your shoulder; know when to get down; 2) Play better in imperfect conditions, like if there’s a bad snap or a play breaks down; 3) Improve your footwork.

We don’t have precise details on that last initiative, though DeBord did say he mentioned some tips to Dobbs on the quarterback’s stance during DeBord’s interview.

That seems like the final missing element, other than more game experience: improving Dobb’s footwork and release to the level of an All-SEC passer. If he can add that ability to his myriad of other strengths, Tennessee could field one of the better quarterbacks in major college football this fall.

“The great quarterbacks I’ve ever been around, all of ‘em have been smart,” DeBord, who has coached Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck, Jay Cutler, Jason Campbell and others, told 247Sports. “I know Tom Moore, who worked with Peyton Manning at Indianapolis, and I know Adam Gates, who worked with him at Denver. The first thing out of their mouth is always, ‘This guy is the smartest quarterback ever.’ The good ones I’ve been around, the great ones, they’re all smart. They study the game, and they continue to learn more and more about it. They never feel like they’ve learned the game. That’s what the smart ones do. They continue to study.

“If you want to excel at quarterback these days, with all the complexities in schemes, you’ve got to be smart. That goes for any position there days, but especially at quarterback.”

Something tells me Tennessee doesn’t have to worry about Dobbs doing his homework this offseason.