Tennessee Football: 7 Players Sure to Surprise at Fall Camp

When fall camp begins on Aug. 1, Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones is going to be looking for a few gaps to be filled, but there are enough quality players that the Volunteers should feel good about the program's depth.

That doesn't mean opportunities to make an impression will be scarce. 

At this time last season, nobody expected punter Trevor Daniel or nickelback Malik Foreman to play significant roles on the 2015 Vols, but both wound up being integral parts to a team that wound up finishing 9-4 and taking an important leap.

Who are the surprise candidates on this year's Vols? There are more than a few options.

From open positions in the two-deep across the defensive line to important voids that must be plugged in the wide receiving corps, UT needs to find some pivotal playmakers beyond the top level of stars who they know can be relied upon.

After all, players such as Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Sutton can't make all the plays themselves.

"We still only have 11 seniors on our football team, but we do have experience because a lot of these youngsters were forced to play early as true freshmen," Jones said on ESPN's Car Wash on Monday (via SEC Country's Jesse Simonton). "As we know, there's no substitute for experience, especially in the Southeastern Conference."

This is the year where all of Jones' recruiting successes need to show they're capable of taking Tennessee to an elite level in the nation's top conference. All those recruiting stars look good on paper, but if they don't show up with games on the line, none of that matters.

With fall camp a little more than two weeks away, let's take a look at some Vols who are sure to surprise once the pads go on.

Venzell Boulware, Offensive Guard

Credit: 247Sports

The Vols are loaded with talent on the offensive line, and the guard position may be one of the deepest spots on the entire team. But just because a bunch of talented players are already in spots doesn't mean a surprise will fail to emerge.

A prime candidate to step up is redshirt freshman Venzell Boulware, who may force the coaches' hand when it comes to playing time.

The 6'3", 306-pound guard from Union City, Georgia, will have a difficult time unseating senior Dylan Wiesman or junior Jashon Robertson in the starting rotation; both of those guys are possible All-SEC candidates. But Boulware could play himself firmly into the rotation.

It's not out of the realm of possibility that Boulware could be the first offensive lineman off the bench, or at least one of the first two. If the season started today, those roles would likely go to him and redshirt junior Brett Kendrick.

Boulware was recruited as a tackle prospect, but it was always known that guard would be his likely home. Now, the Vols expect him to be a key player on the interior for the future, but he could shift outside if needed, too.

Just because he and Drew Richmond didn't crack the rotation a season ago doesn't mean they aren't valuable pieces to the offensive line puzzle. Offensive line coach Don Mahoney told GoVols247's Wes Rucker he expects that duo to be important:

"

They’re going to be just fine. It's one [situation] in which, fortunately for us, we're in a situation where there's a few guys at some positions where they weren't forced into the situation to play right now, when they're maybe not quite ready. Between mentally and physically getting to where they need to be, their future's going to be really good. It's really bright. We're as excited as ever about those two.

"

There's a reason why teams such as Ohio State and Georgia made Boulware a priority, and the Vols are thrilled to have him. He'll show everybody why this fall.

Cortez McDowell, Linebacker

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Jalen Reeves-Maybin has blocked Cortez McDowell from seeing the field for the latter's entire career. It's difficult to play when you have an all-conference tackle-gobbler directly in your way.

But as McDowell enters his junior year, there's a much better chance for him to see some important playing time.

New defensive coordinator Bob Shoop is known for rotating his linebackers and putting players in the best position to utilize their skill sets. Whereas former coordinator John Jancek leaned too heavily on just a few players, there could be scenarios where Shoop believes McDowell needs to be on the field.

The converted safety has been a special teams force for the Vols in his first two seasons, and in situations where they play three linebackers, UT is going to need somebody besides JRM and Darrin Kirkland on the field.

Can McDowell fit in at strong-side linebacker? That's going to be interesting to see because it isn't a position he's played much in the past.

Regardless, he's far too talented not to be in the mix until his senior season. While it's difficult to envision him starting unless the Vols wind up in a traditional 4-3 set rather than the nickel they play most often, McDowell will have a lot of snaps.

He's fast, he'll look good in blitz packages, and he has proved on special teams that he has a nose for the ball and is a good tackler. It's all about learning the scheme and being comfortable, which should come fairly easily in his third year on Rocky Top.

McDowell is an ideal candidate to make an important leap in August. If that happens, he'll play a vital cog for Shoop.

Dimarya Mixon, Defensive End

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises on this list is 6'4", 260-pound junior Dimarya Mixon.

It may be a gamble to include the third-year player from Compton, California, on this list after he amassed just 11 tackles and one tackle for a loss in his first two seasons in Knoxville. But Mixon has reshaped his body after playing inside out of necessity as a freshman, and he is a player who could help the Vols.

UT is dangerously thin at defensive tackle, and while Mixon plays on the outside, he could be an asset in run packages playing on the outside or shift inside in pass-rushing situations.

He and JUCO transfer Jonathan Kongbo could play versatile roles for a Tennessee team that can match up with personnel much better this season than in years past.

Where Mixon thrives is against the run, so while he won't ever be one of those galloping defensive ends like Curt Maggitt or Corey Vereen, he's got the ability to help the Vols in certain situations. That's why he gets the nod on this list.

Also, it won't be that much of a surprise if Kongbo excels. The nation's former top-ranked JUCO prospect is coming in with a ton of hype, and it would be a bit of a stunner if he isn't involved.

That's not the case with Mixon. He may get overlooked a lot, much like fellow upperclassman LaTroy Lewis, but Mixon has the strength and build to be versatile and give the Vols a lot of flexibility in how they adjust their front line.

After such a productive spring, he's a guy who is now on the radar. A change of coaches may have worked wonders for Mixon at just the right time to be a valuable asset for a Tennessee team needing experienced linemen.

Kyle Phillips, Defensive End

Credit: GoVols247

Sticking on the defensive front, a lot of folks may have forgotten about former top-shelf recruit Kyle Phillips after a season-ending injury cut his first season in Knoxville short.

Before that, the start to Phillips' Tennessee career was puzzling at best. Though he dominated the high school level at defensive end, including showing out in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he pledged to the Vols, UT used him a lot at defensive tackle.

While Phillips was beginning to fill into that role as a pass-rushing interior lineman in rabbit packages, it seemed that he was playing out of position. After missing this spring recovering from shoulder surgery, the 6'4", 259-pound end is back and ready for a fresh start under Shoop.

Hopefully for UT, he'll be the player Jones thought he would be when he told former FoxSports.com writer Michael W. Bratton before Phillips' freshman year:

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Well first of all, he has a great skill set in terms of length. He's very long, he has a very, very large wingspan, so he bends exceptionally well, and he can flat out run. He has a tenacity about himself. He plays with a relentless approach to get to the football. You know, when you look at his size, you look at his frame, you look at his length, and the ability to make himself skinny and small coming off the edge, a burst on his get-off, we're very encouraged and excited about him.

"

That ability hasn't gone anywhere. The Nashville native could be an electrifying player for the Vols, and he too gives UT the same versatility as Mixon and Kongbo.

Yes, Phillips may want to play the majority of his snaps on the edge, but a guy such as former Vol Malik Jackson is making a bunch of money in the NFL due to his versatility.

Phillips will play where he's needed, but the nation's former fourth-rated strong-side defensive end will certainly be relied upon this season. Most likely, that will be coming off the edge. That's where the Vols just happen to be loaded.

Brett Kendrick, Offensive Tackle

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The player who could perhaps take the biggest leap this year is not one who anybody is projecting in the starting rotation.

However, it would be unwise to sleep on Brett Kendrick's chances.

The 6'6", 318-pound redshirt junior has taken his lumps throughout his first three-plus seasons in Knoxville, but he's also quietly been a big part of Tennessee's rebuilding offensive line.

He has seven total starts over the past two seasons, and he was settling into a good season in '15 before missing six games due to elbow and knee injuries. Once he exited, the Vols found what appears to be a future and present star tackle in Chance Hall.

But that doesn't mean Kendrick's path to playing time is perpetually blocked.

The Knoxville native proved this spring that he's a reliable player and was strong while Hall missed spring drills with an injury. As a matter of fact, it's going to be difficult to unseat him from that starting rotation. Even if Hall comes in and wins back his right tackle job, Kendrick could start.

The Vols aren't 100 percent sold on Richmond being the answer at left tackle this season; that's why it's still an open battle. Richmond is probably the favorite to win that job right now, but if he falters, Kendrick could play there, or on the right and let Hall shift over.

He's a reliable player, and that goes a long way with a wily, former offensive line coach like Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord.

"He's very much in control of his run blocking and pass protection," DeBord told the Knoxville News Sentinel's Grant Ramey, "stuff like that."

Regardless, there's never a season where a team uses just two tackles. Kendrick will play—and play a lot. He has the potential to have the same kind of career trajectory as a couple of other Knoxville natives in the past two seasons—Jacob Gilliam and Kyler Kerbyson.

Neither of those guys played a ton of football until they were upperclassmen, and both were integral parts of Tennessee's past two offensive lines. Kendrick figures to be vital to the next two UT lines. He may just wind up starting a lot of games this season.

Brandon Johnson, Wide Receiver

Credit: 247Sports

With Tennessee's lack of depth at receiver and the fact that the unit has seen very few playmakers emerge in the past few years, there are important reps up for grabs.

That's why it wouldn't be surprising to see any of Tennessee's freshmen emerge as players who can help the team. Marquez Callaway and speedster Latrell Williams both would be difficult picks to argue with here.

But one of the most buzzed-about players since arriving on campus is the one that perhaps got the least publicity of any Tennessee recruit in last year's class: Brandon Johnson.

Here's what Reeves-Maybin had to say about the incoming receivers at SEC media days, according to Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Patrick Brown: 

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Brandon Johnson, he's smooth. Marquez Callaway and Latrell Williams, they all bring something different. I've had fun watching those receivers. This whole freshman class as a whole, they work. They have no big egos. There was no, 'I'm coming in and I'm this star or that star.' Those guys work.

"

Perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that Johnson is being discussed. After all, he's the son of former Team USA baseball, University of Miami All-American and Florida Marlins catcher Charles Johnson. His uncle is Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.

So he has the bloodlines.

At 6'2", 180 pounds, he wasn't one of the most heavily recruited prospects on UT's board, but he did have offers from teams such as Georgia and Miami. He was an immediate take for the Vols, and it appears they've gotten a gem who could crack the rotation right away.

That would be huge news for a Tennessee team needing impact receivers. Preston Williams, Josh Malone and Josh Smith appear to be dependable options, but it's a big loss that Jauan Jennings is still not 100 percent healthy from an injury suffered in the spring.

JUCO transfer Jeff George will benefit from spending a spring practice in Knoxville, but the Vols are going to need a freshman or two to emerge and provide reps. Johnson could prove he's an option.

Quart'e Sapp, Linebacker

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

It was a disappointing turn of events when Quart'e Sapp's freshman season was cut short due to injury, especially considering how valuable he'd become on special teams.

But there's a silver lining to most things, and it's no different for the Alpharetta, Georgia, native.

He was able to get a redshirt season last year, so the Vols get an extra year out of the 6'2", 220-pound prospect. He may be listed as a sophomore on Tennessee's roster, but that isn't accurate. Maybe they're just trying to account for the way he plays.

This past spring, Sapp played like anything but a freshman. When Reeves-Maybin went down with a shoulder injury, Sapp stepped in and earned some valuable reps that will benefit him when the season starts. He was one of the best-looking defenders on UT's roster during the spring-ending Orange and White Game.

He was also one of the two players JRM called out as having the best offseasons among the virtually unknown players, along with left tackle Richmond, per Brown.

Sapp has the perfect opportunity to shine under Shoop, a defensive coordinator known for bringing the heat off the edge and putting his players in the best position to make plays. Sapp is no longer undersized, and he'll be at least a role player in blitz packages this season.

He's fast, he's dynamic and he's a good tackler. There's a reason why Tennessee made him a priority target in the 2015 recruiting class and why they were thrilled to get him. 

There isn't a ton of depth and experience at outside linebacker, but the two players UT has behind JRM could be good if Sapp and McDowell live up to expectations. Sapp has too much talent not to play a pivotal role this year.

He will get an early opportunity, and his name will probably be called a lot over the Neyland Stadium loudspeakers.

All information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered at cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted.

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