The Tennessee Volunteers won four of their final five games in 2014 to finish with a 7-6 record and their first bowl victory since the 2007 season. They’re far from finished.

Already boasting one of the SEC’s youngest rosters entering Butch Jones’ third year on the job, Tennessee is well ahead of schedule in its rebuilding process, and it appears to be trending back toward the top of the SEC East standings.

This is good news for Vols fans anxiously awaiting another championship season in Knoxville. What’s better news is that Tennessee followed last season’s success with the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class (according to the 247Sports industry composite rankings), adding even more young talent to one of the conference’s fastest-rising programs.

The Vols brought in 27 new signees during the past recruiting cycle, 10 of which are already on campus and participating in spring practice as early enrollees. Many of those early enrollees were regarded as four-star recruits with tremendous raw talent, and the benefit of spending the spring involved in team activities should only help cultivate that talent on the field come the fall.

Unfortunately, a handful of early enrollees will only be able to watch spring ball due to injury troubles. Four-star defensive end Kyle Phillips has already been ruled out for the spring, as has four-star linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr.

Which healthy early enrollees could start as soon as Week 1 come September, you ask? Four names come to mind:

DT Shy Tuttle

Tuttle is not only a four-star defensive tackle with a mammoth 6-foot-3, 320-pound frame and impressive strength, but he’s also a player poised to have plenty of opportunities to work his way into the starting lineup when considering the players available this spring. The Vols lost defensive tackle Jordan Williams from last year’s team, and returning defensive tackle and expected starter Danny O’Brien is being held out this spring with Phillips, Kirkland, Derek Barnett and a few others.

Tuttle is one of the team’s most touted prospects at any position, and the path has been cleared for him to prove his worth this spring, especially with fellow five-star defensive tackle signee Kahlil McKenzie not arriving until the summer. If the No. 1 player from the state of North Carolina can show flashes of his upside early this spring, he could earn himself a spot in the defensive line rotation this fall.

RB Alvin Kamara

Kamara will obviously have to battle with returning starting tailback Jalen Hurd, who ran for 900 yards last season including 170 yards in the regular season finale against Vanderbilt and 283 yards in the bowl win over Iowa. This certainly won’t be easy, considering how well Hurd closed last season as a true freshman.

But Hurd is another player being held out of spring practice, allowing Kamara a chance to work with the first-team offense. As a junior college transfer, Kamara is already more mature and physically prepared than most high school recruits, and with only two years of eligibility remaining UT will want to maximize his impact this season and next.

Tailback is a position that lends itself to a rotation of multiple players, so Kamara could earn himself a few carries per game this fall even without winning the starting job. Of course, he’ll have to impress Jones and new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord this spring before any of that can be taken into consideration.

OT Jack Jones

Tennessee’s offensive line allowed more sacks and tackles for loss than any other team in the SEC last season, allowing 32 sacks in the first seven games of the season alone before the mobile Joshua Dobbs took over at quarterback. Jones could go a long way toward alleviating the protection issues UT faces up front, so long as he proves to the coaching he staff he has the chops to compete with physical SEC defensive linemen.

Jones is 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, so he certainly has SEC size at the offensive tackle position. But he’s likely never faced people with SEC defensive end size on a regular basis, and that adjustment period could pose some challenges in his quest to break into the starting lineup. Whether or not he can prove he’s worthy of a starting job remains to be seen, but he’ll have every opportunity to do so as an early enrollee this spring.

DE Andrew Butcher

Butcher is a four-star defensive end prospect who stands to benefit from the absences of defensive ends Phillips, Barnett and Corey Vereen this spring. At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, he’s a bit undersized weight-wise, but is a savvy outside pass rusher who can wreak havoc in opposing backfields.

Tennessee is more or less set at the outside linebacker positions with Curt Maggitt and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, eliminating another avenue for Butcher to work his way into the lineup. And with Barnett and Phillips set to start at defensive end, it’ll be tough for Butcher to assume a starting role himself.

However, Butcher is one of the best defensive ends participating in spring practice, which should give him a major leg up on the rest of the position group. And considering how often defensive ends rotate on and off the field, it’s likely Butcher will see regular playing time in the rotation as long as he impresses this spring. For now, it’s a matter of standing out to the coaching staff.