MIKE STRANGE

Tennessee Vols football: 5 things for the offseason

Mike Strange
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano laughs during the Orange & White game in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

Here are five things to think about as Tennessee heads into the long break between spring football practice and fall camp:

1. Duh, the quarterbacks: Tennessee has two worthy candidates to replace Joshua Dobbs. Quinten Dormady looked better Saturday in the Orange and White Game but that was just one day of many. Jarrett Guarantano will battle Dormady into August and maybe beyond. As coach Butch Jones said Saturday, how the rest of the team rallies around one guy or the other might be the determining factor. With the coaches stepping aside over the summer, it's up to Dormady and Guarantano to market their leadership skills.

2. Getting new guys up to speed: Five members of the Class of 2017 have a spring practice under their belts. The gains made by early enrollees Trey Smith, Deandre Johnson and Shanon Reid in particular were obvious. The Vols need help from freshmen at other positions, though. Most of the new faces will be on campus for summer school. The upperclassmen must help get them up to speed so that August camp won't be a total shock to the system. Ty Chandler, we're talking about you.

STRANGE: Vols have more than just QB competition

3. Stay out of trouble: Summer is a precarious segment of the calendar because the coaches have minimal contact, per NCAA rules. Team leadership becomes paramount to avoid staying off the police blotter or creating other distractions. As adults, we say nothing good happens after midnight. Back when we were college students, that went in one ear and out the other.

4. Get healthy: It remains to be seen if Tennessee has enough healthy bodies at certain positions, especially on defense. The Vols were clearly shorthanded in the spring. By August, guys like Shy Tuttle, Jonathan Kongbo, Kahlil McKenzie, Emmanuel Moseley, Kyle Phillips, Darren Kirkland Jr. and Micah Abernathy need to be ready to go.

5. Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are a tough opponent because their triple-option offense goes against the grain of what most teams run. It requires different assignments for the defense. The front seven, especially, have to get ready for a steady diet of cut blocks. It's to Tennessee's advantage to get Georgia Tech in the opener, all the more time to prepare. The Vols even took time in the spring to get a head start on the Yellow Jackets.

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