Hopes in Knoxville are as high as the Great Smokey Mountains for the 2015 college football season. Tennessee fall practice gets underway on Tuesday, August 4, and big things are expected from the Vols in Butch Jones’ third year. Junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs returns as the main man under center and junior
cornerback Cameron Sutton leads a defensive backfield that could be one of the
SEC’s best.

2015 Tennessee Fall Practice Schedule

• Tuesday, August 4 – First practice
• Saturday, August 8 – First practice in pads
• Tuesday, August 11 – First two-a-days
• Friday, August 14 – Media Day

Open Practice Dates

Tennessee will hold open practice for the public on
Saturday, August 15 at 5:50 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium.

Five Things To Keep Your Eye On

1. Handling The Expectations – The hype surrounding 2015 is
new to this group of Volunteers. After a summer of listening to high praise,
how will the players respond in fall practice?

2. Return of Marquez North – The junior wide receiver
started the first 10 games last year before suffering a shoulder injury that
ended his season. At 6’4″ and 224 lbs, North is a cornerback’s nightmare. If he
returns to full health and plays to his ability, the passing game could be
excellent.

3. Thunder and Lightning – While bruising running back
Jalen Hurd will shoulder the majority of the carries, look
for newcomer Alvin Kamara – a speedster who played last season at Hutchinson
Community College in Kansas – to see some time in the backfield.  

4. Who Replaces A.J. Johnson? – The middle linebacker was
last year’s team leader, and played a major role in stopping the run. Junior
Jalen Reeves-Maybin might fill Johnson’s void, but will have to assume more of a
leadership role during fall practice.

5. The Punting Game – Gone is Matt Darr and his ability to
pin teams deep. A battle between Maryland transfer Nathan Renfro and high
school All-American Tommy Townsend will take place to fill the booting shoes of
Darr. 

Questions? Comments? Contact Brian at bstultz@campusinsiders.com or on
Twitter @brianjstultz.