Butch Jones will find himself looking to the sidelines a lot this spring. Not because he needs to know what the play call is, but because he’ll have to try to visualize what his team will look like in full come fall.

The Volunteers will have a lot of guys on the sidelines for spring practice, from role players to stars. Among the biggest names who will miss time is Jalen Hurd, one of last year’s breakout stars. The rising sophomore running back won’t take part in any contact drills this spring. For most teams, having their star running back sit out much of spring would be reason for concern.

For Tennessee, it just means a chance to give potential star Alvin Kamara a true test drive.

The former Alabama running back comes in as the No. 1 junior college RB recruit in the class of 2015. The 5-foot-11, 195 pound Kamara spent 2014 lighting it up for Hutchinson C.C. in Kansas, and he returns to the SEC in 2015 hoping to make a big splash.

With Hurd spending his spring in a non-contact jersey, Kamara will get to show the coaching staff what he can do. Jones already knows what he has in Hurd, knowledge he can share with new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. The Vols don’t have any SEC tape on Kamara, though. Now, instead of splitting carries with Hurd or running with the second team, Kamara gets the chance to act as a starter for all of spring drills.

In fact, Kamara is the only healthy scholarship running back in spring ball. That means the Vols will have a chance to get him comfortable in all kinds of situations, from pass blocking to running routes out of the backfield to getting his chemistry with Joshua Dobbs down pat.

“I’m really excited to see what he can do when we get the pads on him and put the ball in his hands. I’ve been very impressed, not only with his work ethic and his mentality, but also the way he’s come into our football program,” Jones said during his opening press conference for spring practice. “He’s been very quiet and just gone about his business. Right now he’s actually developing into a leadership role in our football team.”

For a young team, having a player willing to take on that kind of responsibility — especially a player with Kamara’s talent — is a major bonus.

Giving Kamara the vast majority of the reps this spring also gives Tennessee the luxury of two No. 1 running backs on the roster.

For the JUCO transfer, Hurd’s injury represents a major opportunity. Hurd ended last season as the clear lead dog in Tennessee’s backfield, and if he’d been healthy this spring that status would  likely be locked in. Hurd will still be a major factor if the Vols are going to make a run at the SEC East title this fall.

If Kamara can prove himself this spring, he gives the Vols two ball carriers they can lean on this fall. With Dobbs now fully in control of the offense, you can bet the read-option will play a major role in UT’s offense. And with two nasty running backs alongside Dobbs, Jones can look forward to his Tennessee offense giving defenses headaches all fall.