Here are some Vols who may have a great season in 2017
KNOXVILLE - Tennessee fans had few expectations for sophomore running back John Kelly entering the 2016 season.
He was behind preseason All-SEC first-team selection Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, both of whom had not only proved themselves, but clearly demonstrated NFL potential.
However, by the end of the season, everyone was talking about Kelly’s potential. He made the most of his opportunity when Hurd quit the team at the end of the October, and finished with 630 yards rushing and a 6.4-yard-per-carry average.
As a result, he will enter next season as UT’s most proven ball-carrier.
His emergence is a reminder that returning starters — though a popular barometer for projecting a team’s next season — can’t fully account for a team’s chances of success. And while Tennessee is losing much of its star power, it also has players capable of stepping up like Kelly did this past season.
Here are just a few players who could blossom in 2017:
Tennessee probably should have gotten more out of this freshman in 2016.
He caught 15 passes for 209 yards, ran eight times for 63 yards and returned 10 kicks for a 26.3-yard average.
As promising as he is as a wide receiver, he also was a star defensive back in high school. And on a team in need of a cornerback upgrade, Byrd has the potential to be a two-way player.
But Josh Malone’s decision to turn pro after his junior season, creates a need at wide receiver, too. Pairing Byrd with Jauan Jennings could give the Vols two versatile, athletic players at that position.
Kyle Phillips: A four-star recruit from Nashville, he has had little impact in two seasons at Tennessee.
He suffered a shoulder injury as a freshman and played in only six games at defensive end. This past season, he saw more playing time at defensive tackle and performed well enough, though he was terribly undersized for the position.
With All-American defensive end Derek Barnett and three-year starting defensive end Corey Vereen both leaving, there’s an obvious need for an outside pass rusher. Maybe, Phillips can fill it. Kahlil McKenzie/Shy Tuttle: It’s hard to separate the two sophomore defensive tackle. Both were prize recruits in the 2015 class and both have been bothered by injuries.
The Vols need at least one of them to step up in 2017 and anchor the middle of the defense alongside two-year starter Kendal Vickers.
Nigel Warrior: A five-star recruit according to Scout, he played just enough in 2016 to flash his potential.
Injuries in the secondary enabled him to start at strong safety against Missouri, and he responded with seven tackles. The Vols need to get him on the field more in 2017.
Daniel Bituli: The freshman linebacker played in only nine games this past season, but teammates were raving about his play in December practices in preparation for the Music City Bowl. A four-star recruit from Nashville, he scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, on an interception and a fumble return in his senior season at Nashville Christian.
Perhaps he can provide much-needed depth at linebacker.
Quinten Dormady/Jarrett Guarantano: My guess is that whoever wins the quarterback competition will be a really good player.
Coaches and players have been lauding Dormady as a passer ever since he arrived on campus, although he has played sparingly as Joshua Dobbs’ backup the past two seasons.
Guarantano would give the Vols a comparable successor to Dobbs in that’s he’s a runner as well as a passer.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.