Tennessee Football: Ranking the 6 Best Candidates for Volunteers' Team MVP

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the 2015 regular season came to a close Saturday night with another lopsided win over Vanderbilt, the usual Tennessee football suspects trickled into the media room to spin the yarn of a 53-28 victory.

Joshua Dobbs sat at the media table, flanked by senior offensive linemen Kyler Kerbyson and Mack Crowder, who'd rather remain anonymous because, at their positions, that usually means they did their job.

Jalen Reeves-Maybin sat at the podium and candidly answered questions about halftime adjustments against the Commodores, the positive direction of the program and briefly on the season that might've been had Tennessee taken care of early-season business.

Derek Barnett stood to the side and let reporters pool around him. Other leaders, such as running back Jalen Hurd, did what they have most of the year and declined to speak to the media, letting their play do the talking instead.

But who is the Vols' MVP? In a season where so much went right and the team won eight games for the first time since 2007, there is no shortage of candidates.

On one side, there's an offense that scored 412 points, finished second in the SEC with 2,682 yards, averaged 422.5 yards per game and was just a yard shy of 200 passing yards per game. UT converted 46 percent of its third-down conversions and 79 percent of fourth-down conversions.

Yet, some fans are still unhappy with offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. That's puzzling.

Also, there's a defense that struggled in the early season only to turn a corner midway through the Georgia game and carry the Vols down an easier-than-expected stretch with several shutdown games and big plays even when they couldn't stop anybody.

So, let's rank Tennessee's most valuable player candidates by statistics and impact but also their importance on the final results of the season.

6. Alvin Kamara, Sophomore Running Back

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It's easy to nitpick coaching decisions after the fact, but every time sophomore running back Alvin Kamara touched the ball, it probably left Tennessee fans craving he'd get more opportunities.

There's a reason the running back from Norcross, Georgia, who began his college career at Alabama was the nation's top-ranked JUCO prospect last year, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He's an electrifying athlete who is a threat to score a touchdown every single time he touches the ball.

As the change-of-pace feature on a UT team that so often tried to overpower opponents with Jalen Hurd, Joshua Dobbs and by utilizing a short passing game, he was a special weapon. UT got him the ball any way it could—by handoff, short throws and even on punt returns—and he became a vital star.

Kamara finished the regular season with 1,016 all-purpose yards (645 rushing, 272 receiving and 99 punt return) with 10 touchdowns. His average was nearly seven yards per carry on the ground and nearly nine through the air.

"We have a three-headed monster in the backfield with Dobbs, Jalen and Kamara," left tackle Kyler Kerbyson said Saturday night. "It gives us running lanes all over the place, and it is hard for defenses to stop.

"I love blocking for these guys. It's pretty easy."

UT loves having Kamara's speed, athleticism and versatility. He gives the Vols a dimension they haven't enjoyed in a long time offensively, and he's got at least another season to churn up defenses on Rocky Top.

It's hard to place a value on Kamara's importance, but the statistics speak for themselves. He played well enough that he never hid in the massive shadow of Jalen Hurd. He stood alongside his teammate as another cog defenses had to prepare for in Tennessee's rushing machine.

5. Derek Barnett, Sophomore Defensive End

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When defensive end Derek Barnett got off to a slow start (for him) to start the season, everybody wondered what was wrong.

As it turned out, the 6'3", 257-pound defender from Brentwood, Tennessee, was a little bit banged up. He also had a lot of extra attention on him after the team lost fellow edge-rusher Curt Maggitt for the season with a hip injury. 

Once Corey Vereen, LaTroy Lewis and others began to emerge for the Vols, Barnett was able to get going. He's going to wind up having a similar season to his 2014, when he burst onto the scene with the best freshman year of any lineman in UT history.

Last year, Barnett finished with 72 tackles, including 20.5 for a loss, 10 sacks and eight quarterback hurries. After a late-season surge, the past seven games saw him register seven sacks in that time frame. Barnett now has 61 tackles, including 11.5 for a loss, and nine sacks this season to go along with seven quarterback hurries.

He's tied for third in the league with the nine sacks, and an underrated statistic is his tackling productivity from the first level of the defense. After an eye-popping number last year, Barnett is second in the league with tackles for a defensive lineman.

His versatility and size make him a fit for any defensive scheme, and it's a big reason why NFL teams will come salivating in his direction after next season when he's eligible to go pro. The good news for the Vols is that he'll be around next year to dominate tackles off the edge.

Barnett will continue to be an important playmaker on Tennessee's defense.

4. Darrin Kirkland Jr., Freshman Middle Linebacker

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Remember, this list is a group of most valuable player candidates on the team—not necessarily the best players.

True freshman Darrin Kirkland Jr. would be on both lists.

The 6'1", 224-pound true freshman middle linebacker from Indianapolis didn't start for the Vols at the beginning of the season because he was still learning some of the pre-snap nuances of the position. Once he was inserted into the starting lineup, the defense got better.

By the end of the season, he was all over the field for the Vols. Kirkland is currently fourth on the team with 60 tackles, including five for a loss and a pair of sacks. He also has an interception, two pass deflections, five quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.

"I feel like I’ve gotten better throughout the year," Kirkland told the Associated Press' Steve Megargee (via FederalNewsRadio.com). "I'm really proud of everything I’ve gotten to showcase so far. Hopefully I can just build on it in the future."

Most importantly for the Vols, he's solidified the defense's biggest hole coming into the season. When he was hurt back in the spring, the Vols defense suffered because nobody stepped up in the middle. At the beginning of the year, walk-on Colton Jumper started and wasn't athletic enough to be an every-down 'backer.

Kirkland looks like a star of the future and the present.

"Really what separates great football players in going from good to great are the instincts, the things you can't coach, the ability, the knack to find the football and do those little things," head coach Butch Jones told Megargee. "Darrin does those things."

So, while Barnett is a superstar who gets most of the headlines, Kirkland arguably played a bigger role this year because he filled a vital need. They're both vital to Tennessee's success, but Kirkland gets a little bit of a nod for this position.

3. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Junior Outside Linebacker

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There's no way to place a value on Jalen Reeves-Maybin's importance to the Tennessee defense.

Though he's a bit undersized for the NFL at 6'0", 225 pounds, he's a heat-seeking missile of an outside linebacker who is productive enough that he'll have a long pro career. The Vols just hope that career begins after the 2016 season instead of this year.

After tying A.J. Johnson for the team lead with 101 tackles last year as a sophomore, JRM will eclipse that this season. He already has 99 tackles, leads the team with 13 for a loss and has five sacks. He also has broken up four passes, defended four more, recovered two fumbles and forced two more.

You see him making tackles everywhere on the field, and he plays with the kind of fast, reckless abandon that some of the old UT linebackers did under former defensive coordinator John Chavis.

There's a reason why coach Butch Jones said earlier this season that JRM "means everything to our football team and to our defense."

JRM is eighth in the league in tackles, and he's had a lot of help on the Vols defense this year. Even on a team full of impressive athletes, Reeves-Maybin stands out.

He was expected to be a huge contributor when he chose Tennessee over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and others out of Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tennessee, a couple of seasons ago.

He immediately starred on special teams, becoming one of the players who helped drive home Coach Jones' mentality of how important the kicking game was. Now, UT has the best special teams in the country.

That's equally a part of JRM's legacy as his defensive prowess. Before he leaves, he may not be at the helm of the tackle list in Knoxville, but he'll be near the top if he stays for his senior year. He also will be known as the centerpiece of the defense that helped UT turn a key corner and get its program back.

2. Jalen Hurd, Sophomore Running Back

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Now, for a little controversy.

Everybody knows the two top MVP candidates on Tennessee's football team, but whom do you pick? Is it Mr. Dependable, running back Jalen Hurd, the 6'4", 240-pound steamroller who also has the speed to get to the edge as well as being the workhorse who grinds out the tough yards?

Or is it polarizing run-first quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who is the orchestral conductor for the entire Tennessee offense?

The pick here rides with Dobbs, but that doesn't devalue Hurd's importance in the least. As a matter of fact, at varying points of the season, Hurd may have been No. 1, and that's not talking about his jersey number.

There's no denying Hurd's stardom. Not only was he one of coach Butch Jones' biggest early recruiting wins that helped put Tennessee back on the tip of prospects' tongues, but he actually has produced.

There's a reason why the nation's top programs converged on Beech High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, to try to convince him to come to their schools.

After battling injuries as a high school senior and again as a freshman, Hurd has been healthy all year for the most part other than the normal bumps and bruises gathered while playing running back in the SEC. He's parlayed that health into some big numbers.

Hurd has 1,158 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He also has caught 21 passes for 190 yards and another couple of touchdowns. While the average (4.6 yards per carry) isn't where Hurd would love for it to be, he has produced several big games.

But Hurd had just five 100-yard games, and there have been a few more games where Dobbs carried the Vols more than he did. That's why Dobbs gets the nod.

1. Joshua Dobbs, Junior Quarterback

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Love the way he plays or wish he was something other than what he is, you can't deny one fact: Tennessee's offense goes how Joshua Dobbs goes.

If that's not the definition of "valuable," then this column totally missed the boat.

You may wish Tennessee had more of a pass-first quarterback in the fold. You may wish that he was more accurate throwing the ball downfield (and Dobbs certainly has work to do in that area before his senior season). But you cannot discount the things Dobbs does better than anybody else in the league.

On Saturday night, he broke Tennessee's single-season rushing record for a quarterback that Jimmy Streater set in 1978. There have been times—whole games, really—this year and last when Dobbs was the only real offensive weapon UT had.

Not only does the Vanderbilt game of last year stick out, but this season's Florida game was one where he nearly beat the Gators single-handedly.

Dobbs is that kind of dual-threat talent. Yes, Mississippi State's Dak Prescott is a better all-around quarterback than Dobbs, but the Vols junior may be a better running threat. 

ESPN analyst Andre Ware (right or wrong) compared Dobbs on Saturday's telecast to an NFL star who may win this year's MVP.

"If you like Cam Newton, you've got to like this guy," Ware said. "I think he's more developed as a passer at this stage of his career than Cam Newton, and he's every bit as electric when he pulls it down and runs the football."

Those are bold words, and though it's a stretch for sure, there's no denying Dobbs' collegiate impact.

For the year, he completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 2,125 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added 623 rushing yards and nine more touchdowns. 

When he struggled, so did the Vols. When he's on, UT is dynamic on offense. That's the definition of team MVP.

All stats gathered from UTSports.com unless otherwise noted. All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. 

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.