KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Record-setting quarterback Josh Dobbs is gone and so are Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd in the backfield. The departures do not stop there, with the Vols’ leading wide receiver Josh Malone gone early to the NFL.

Familiar faces are scarce, but how different will the Vols’ passing game actually be in 2017, Butch Jones’ fifth year at Tennessee?

Jones will break in his third offensive coordinator, as Larry Scott is promoted from tight ends coach to oversee the offense, replacing Mike DeBord, who holds the same position at Indiana this season.

Butch Jones is entering his fifth season. Last year was the first time his offense passed for more than 3,000 yards.

Jones mentioned of Scott’s promotion during the SEC spring coaches teleconference in May, that it “was kind of a very, very easy choice.”

Jones also said during the SEC coaches teleconference that he “didn’t want to make wholesale changes offensively” to his approach that has a spread identity with an emphasis on a running and passing attack.

“Now we will have some (changes), because you always have to fit your scheme and your system around your current team and your current players, and Larry (Scott) knew our current players,” Jones said. “He understands the expectations. There’s been no learning curve there, so I’ve been very, very pleased and amongst the entire new staff.”

So, the faces will be different across the skill positions in 2017, but the offense should not change too much.

The question is: Will the production?

Passing yards per game: 234.08 yards per game, SEC rank 5th
TDs: 27, SEC rank T-First
INTs: 12, SEC rank T-Third

QB play

Dobbs’ departure leaves a void and creates some anxiety, as nobody really knows what to expect at the position in 2017.

Many people may have an opinion about who is better suited to replace Dobbs. Junior Quinten Dormady and redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano are battling, but the truth is that there is not enough sample size to have an accurate answer.

Tennessee led the SEC with 28 touchdown passes in 2016. It's unreasonable to expect either quarterback to come close to that figure in 2017.

Dormady starred in the spring game. He has more experience, being in Jones’ program for two seasons and seeing minimal game action. Guarantano has been through one full redshirt season and will have familiarity in how a season can play out.

But it still comes down to one of the two quarterbacks to take control of the team during fall camp and produce on the field starting in September.

Receivers/tight ends/RBs

Whoever becomes Tennessee’s starting quarterback will have a plethora of talented wide receivers to work with. Jauan Jennings and Brandon Johnson will secure the X-wide receiver spot, Marquez Callaway and Jeff George should make up the two-deep for the Z-wide receiver spot, and Tyler Byrd and Josh Smith will be factors in the slot.

Freshmen Jordan Murphy, Josh Palmer and Jacquez Jones will arrive this summer and provide depth.

Tight end Ethan Wolf is back for his senior season and will once again be a presence in the passing game and as a run and pass blocker. His younger brother, Eli, and Jakob Johnson will provide depth.

Alvin Kamara (40 catches) and Jalen Hurd (10) were frequent targets out of the backfield in 2016. John Kelly will have to fill that void in 2017.

The running back position will be led by junior John Kelly. Kelly has shown that he can create big plays, but now he will be the every-down back and must sustain his body for a 12-game schedule.

Kelly will need depth behind him to hold up for an entire season and sophomore Carlin Fils-aime is the leading returner to back Kelly up.

The Vols will need a trio of incoming freshman to come into fall camp and quickly step up and be a factor when called upon. The trio of freshman running backs consist of Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan and Trey Coleman.

Play-calling

To be an effective offense in the SEC, a team must be efficient on first down. It’s obvious, yes, but critical.

In the rain-shortened Orange and White spring game, the Vols ran plays that reflected their attack last year.

In 2016, the Vols had 198 first-down plays (131 rush, 67 pass ), and for the most part, did well in disguising a run-first, pass-first option within a new set of downs.

Here’s a look at how Team 120 fared on first-down plays in their six SEC East divisional games in 2016.

Florida: 26 rush attempts, 6-for-9 passing for 133 yards, including the 67-yard touchdown strike from Dobbs to Jennings.

Georgia: 16 rushes, 9-for-12 passing for 145 yards, including the game-winning 43-yard touchdown pass from Dobbs to Jennings.

South Carolina: 15 rushes, 7-for-13 passing for 111 yards, including three completions of 20 or more yards.

Kentucky: 26 rushes, 4-for-9 passing for 76 yards, including a 24-yard TD from Dobbs to Smith.

Missouri: 29 rushes, 8-for-8 passing for 151 yards, including a 57-yard TD from Dobbs to Malone.

Vanderbilt: 19 rushes, 16-for-16 passing, including six completions of at least 20 yards and a 27-yard TD to Malone.

One stat that can’t drop dramatically

Tennessee led the SEC with 28 touchdown passes last season, 27 from Dobbs.

It’s not fair to expect either quarterback to come close to that total, but the drop can’t be dramatic.

Other SEC teams fared well in the wake of losing standout signal callers.

Arkansas fell from 31 touchdown passes with Brandon Allen in 2015 to 25 with Austin Allen in 2016. Austin Allen didn’t have much experience, either. Similarly, Mississippi State slid from 33 in 2015 with Dak Prescott to 24 in 2016 with first-time starter Nick Fitzgerald.

Jones would have to be happy with 20-plus touchdown passes in 2017 from his first-time starter.

Greatest concern

The greatest concern is how Dormady and Guarantano will react to the situation. Whoever wins the battle will have to prove it on the field, and if either can play at a high level, Team 121 has plenty of pieces on offense that they can make a run to Atlanta.

In many ways, 2016 reset the bar for young quarterbacks.

Jalen Hurts became the first true freshman quarterback to win an SEC Championship Game, and he won the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award in the process.

Jacob Eason, another true freshman, had Georgia in the hunt for Atlanta. Fitzgerald, who sat behind Prescott, nearly set an SEC record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Jake Bentley, who graduated high school early, led South Carolina to a bowl game.

Age and inexperience aren’t the crutch they used to be.

Better or worse?

With a new quarterback, a new backfield and a new offensive coordinator, one would think that the passing game is in worse shape heading into the 2017 season.

Time will tell. Expectations certainly aren’t where they were a year ago.

But the quarterback likely will be better protected than Dobbs was last season. Tennessee will benefit from an offensive line that is talented, deep and has interchangeable parts as some players can play multiple positions across the line.

The unit will be able to provide coverage for the skill position players to create and will also allow for whomever becomes quarterback to have the protection that they need.

Dobbs set a bar few Vols quarterbacks have cleared. But Jones needs the next one to come close.