Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs, the New Face of the SEC

HOOVER, Ala. — In a conference and sport that are driven by quarterbacks, Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs is grabbing the keys.

The junior signal-caller for the Tennessee Volunteers has stepped in midseason and played well in each of the last two seasons, but he now has a different responsibility on Rocky Top.

Star.

For the first time in his career, he's the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback for the Vols. That has made all the difference.

"Continuous reps always helps," he said. "Whenever you get reps, you see different looks and that's great. Before I was playing, I treated them as game reps, and that has helped me.

"Since I've been on campus, I've always treated myself as a starting quarterback, but it's different when you're the starting quarterback."

Wade Payne/Associated Press

The sky is the limit for Dobbs, who could become one of the new faces of the SEC in 2015 if all goes according to plan.

He threw for 1,206 passing yards, tossed nine touchdowns, rushed for 469 yards and scored eight times on the ground last year in essentially a half-season as the starting quarterback. The spark he gave the offense helped the Vols win three of their final four regular-season games and earn a trip to the TaxSlayer Bowl.

"He's proven himself, head coach Butch Jones said. "We understand what we're getting with Josh Dobbs. We always talk about consistency in performance, and we know what we're getting with Josh day in and day out, week in and week out."

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Tennessee has received a considerable amount of preseason hype this year, including from yours truly, who picked the Vols to win the SEC East for the first time since 2007.

For that to happen, Dobbs must not only play the way he did down the stretch last year but also become the vocal leader that the team needs.

"We challenged him this spring to be what we call a 'CEO quarterback,'" Jones said. "An individual who owns the team, owns the offense, can solve problems on his own and provide the leadership and stability that you would expect from that position."

So far, so good.

"It's been a great opportunity to continue to push my teammates and motivate them this offseason," Dobbs said.

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He'll have a chance to establish himself as the new face of the SEC early on. Oklahoma heads to Knoxville in Week 2, and the Vols then play at Florida, vs. Arkansas and vs. Georgia in a tough three-game stretch prior to the bye week on Oct. 10.

If successful, that stretch will vault Dobbs into SEC superstardom.

Sure, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott has the Heisman Trophy hype and Auburn's Jeremy Johnson has the preseason buzz. However, don't be surprised if Dobbs elbows his way in to become one of the new stars of the SEC.

He has the offense, skills and schedule to become one of the faces of the conference not only this year but in 2016 as well.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.