Tennessee Football: Players Who Will Benefit Most from Extra Bowl Practices

It cannot be expressed enough how important this extra month of practice is for a team as young as the 2014 Tennessee Volunteers.

Players who are still at the ripe ol' age of 18 are being depended on to play 60-70 snaps (or more) per game. Some of them are playing off sheer talent alone. Many have special packages in place just to get them on the football field.

A few others aren't necessarily even being counted on now but will be in the future.

Sure, perception and taking a tangible step forward as a program are the two most important benefits of getting to 6-6 and receiving an invitation to Jan. 2's TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. But getting those extra reps—a month's worth of them—is massive for the growth and development of this team.

If the standard natural progression of a football team happens, you'll see some flashes from players during the bowl game that haven't been there all season. Understanding equals improvement a lot of times, and some of these kids just need a better handle on the schemes.

Getting a few weeks of football-only preparation after finals are over and during a time where many of the students will be home for the holidays can help a team (and especially individual players) take huge leaps.

So, let's take a look at the players who should benefit the most from the extra attention from coaches.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Let's get a couple of things straight:

Joshua Dobbs saved Tennessee's football season, No. 1.

No. 2, he's still a sophomore quarterback whom the UT coaching staff wanted to redshirt. He often freelances (re: wings it) and struggles in accuracy and reading through his progressions.

Part of that is because he spends most of his time running for his life when he's behind center. The other part is he doesn't really have a full grasp of the offense and still needs to hone his immense skills.

Remember that even when he was forced to start, he was still learning how to play the position. Coach Butch Jones told The Tennessean's Matt Slovin back on Nov. 10:

"It's easy to write things when you watch a game or two, but we see it every day in practice. There's a lot different. Josh knows it. For us to be successful, he has to play with great consistency, day in and day out."

This month is going to be crucial for him. Perhaps the most positive thing about somebody as talented as Dobbs at this stage is he isn't even close to reaching his potential. He could truly be special. He has the skill set—the arm and speed. He has the brains. He has the desire and work ethic to improve.

And he will.

But he needs time that the Vols tried to give him but simply couldn't afford to once Justin Worley was lost for the season. Now, Dobbs has a lot of film to watch on himself, a lot more on his resume for coaches to critique and for him to listen.

He also won't have a full load of aerospace engineering homework to worry about, which can't hurt matters in the film room.

UT will get a good idea of just how far toward his ceiling Dobbs is capable of ascending when the Vols take the field against Iowa on Jan. 2. There's so much more for him to learn, and December is the ideal time for him to do it.

Offensive Tackle Dontavius Blair

Credit: 247Sports

Junior Dontavius Blair's lack of progression was a key reason for Tennessee's struggles on the offensive line this year.

After all, the Vols banked on him holding down the left tackle position vacated by Tiny Richardson. Instead, the JUCO transfer wound up redshirting and failing to help at all. There's no chance he'll play against the Hawkeyes.

But that doesn't mean this month isn't still huge for him.

The 6'8", 300-pound tackle is still a big part of the future puzzle for UT, and now the Vols should have him for the next two years.

Is it a major red flag that Blair needed to redshirt given how bad Tennessee's line has been this year? Absolutely. For those who have given up on him or think the coaching staff has, you don't redshirt JUCO players if you don't think it's probable they can help down the road.

Coach Butch Jones has praised Blair later in his redshirt season, especially his strength, as Rocky Top Insider's Daniel Lewis noted in November when he said, "Jones also mentioned that, though he's redshirting, junior offensive tackle Dontavius Blair is making big strides, especially in the weight room."

Given that offensive tackle has replaced defensive tackle as the position the Vols are struggling to recruit, Blair's development is critical.

Getting the opportunity to do that without any urgency except for what he and the coaches create this month can be massive for UT's future offensive line.

Wide Receiver Josh Malone

USA TODAY Sports

The freshman wall is very real, and talented first-year receiver Josh Malone ran right smack into it.

As the season wore on and Marquez North, Josh Smith and others were lost to injuries, Malone played through bangs and bruises and wasn't nearly the threat the Vols needed him to be.

The 6'3", 204-pound target wound up with 22 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown.

Though his practice habits were questioned earlier in the season, those have improved dramatically according to an article by VolQuest.com's John Brice (subscription required). In that article, receivers coach Zach Azzanni praised every aspect of Malone's game moving forward:

"Josh is still learning and battling and growing to be more physical on the perimeter in battling for balls, something he didn't really have to do in high school because he's so gifted and was always the most talented guy on the field…"

Having a month to learn and study and recuperate from all those injuries will be huge for Malone, who should have an extra skip in his step come January. The Vols need him to elevate his game right away to have a chance to win this bowl game.

Receiving threats have been few and far between late in the season, as a downfield passing game has been virtually nonexistent.

Everybody in the nation wanted Malone out of high school for a reason. He has elite skills, and with North out, he'll have every opportunity to showcase those against Iowa.

Outside Linebacker Chris Weatherd

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The last member of Tennessee's vaunted 2014 recruiting class didn't arrive on campus until late July, and that has kept the JUCO transfer from being a full-time force for the Vols.

It hasn't kept the pass-rushing specialist from making an impact, however. The 6'4", 225-pound outside linebacker gets on the field from time to time and is a terror to block once he gets there. Weatherd doesn't always know what he's doing, but he's there.

And he still showed impressive flashes.

Imagine what he can do when he finally grasps the defense. Expect Weatherd to be a bigger, more dynamic force on John Jancek's unit next year, and it may come as early as the bowl game. He's big, he's fast and he's difficult to block.

Though he had just 11 tackles this season, three were for a loss—including 2.5 sacks. He looked as if he were finally beginning to understand things around the Kentucky game, and he could see an expanded package against Iowa.

With the Hawkeyes boasting a really good offensive line, the Vols are going to need to get creative in pass-rushing situations. They already have two of the nation's best in Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt.

When the light comes on for Weatherd, that's just going to be one more big weapon off the edge.

Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley

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The skinny, fast and super-talented freshman held down the starting job at cornerback opposite Cameron Sutton for most of spring drills and some of the fall before Michael Williams won the job.

Now that Williams (along with middle linebacker A.J. Johnson) is suspended in the wake of a sexual assault investigation, it's Moseley's job completely. He'd already done enough to beat out Williams before the investigation, but now, Moseley is on the field even more.

The physicality of the game is difficult for him considering he's still so small, and what he really needs is a year in the weight room. But the extra time will benefit him dramatically.

UT coach Butch Jones called Moseley by name along with fellow freshmen Rashaan Gaulden and Evan Berry on Tuesday when talking about the extra practice time, according to WVLT TV's press conference transcript:

"

We needed this in our football program. We needed it when you look at the inordinate amount of freshmen. You look at Rashaan Gaulden: He's been really providing some depth and stability in terms of the special teams game for us, but he needs every repetition he can get at the defensive back position. Same thing with Emmanuel Moseley, Evan Berry and a lot of individuals and then individuals who are being redshirted, but also the individuals that have played very sparingly in terms of their offensive and defensive roles. Now to be able to get them continuous repetitions in competitive situations—invaluable.

"

It's really impressive how well John Jancek has integrated all these newcomers into the defense, and Moseley has performed at a high level for much of the season. He's got a bright future and a high upside. But he still is playing on talent and instincts a lot of the time.

The game will slow down for him with more practice reps.

Middle Linebacker Jakob Johnson

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Like a lot of situations this year, Jakob Johnson was shoved into a situation for which he wasn't really ready.

The "alpha dog" of the class is a 6'4", 240-pound middle linebacker who was learning under the tutelage of A.J. Johnson and rarely got any meaningful snaps behind Tennessee's defensive heart and soul. Then, the investigation happened, and Jakob was inserted into the lineup.

Growing pains are immense at such an important position. His lateral quickness isn't there yet, and he isn't the ball-hawking tackle machine as his predecessor, but there are some intriguing elements to his game. He's big, and he packs a punch when he hits.

He just needs reps and lots of them. A.J. Johnson struggled with many of the same things that Jakob is battling with during his first couple of years, and it's a growth process. He will get an increased workload during December, and coaches will really ramp up teaching him the game.

What could emerge is a player with the confidence and knowledge to match his size and talent.

He will have to battle Dillon Bates and others next year to man the middle, but given the situation with A.J., the potential middle linebacker of the future is having to be the linebacker of the present.

It isn't an ideal situation, but it's one that he has to seize and run with, or UT will have a massive gap in the middle for the bowl.

Safety Todd Kelly Jr.

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Talent isn't an issue with Todd Kelly Jr. Basically everybody in the nation wanted him out of high school, and he already proved he had a nose for the football as a freshman.

He finished the regular season with 30 tackles and three interceptions, and the last of which was the biggest. He corralled a Patton Robinette pass as he was going out of bounds, dragged a foot and secured a pick that the Vols turned into a touchdown against Vanderbilt.

Considering UT won that game 24-17, the momentum-changing play was huge.

Though Kelly has been forced to watch more than he'd like with steady Brian Randolph manning the back end of the defense and LaDarrell McNeil enjoying a career revival, keeping the 6'0", 203-pound safety off the field is going to be tough.

Besides Cameron Sutton, he's the best pro prospect of any of UT's defensive backs, and he has shown a propensity for making big plays. He's big, he's smart and he's got all the tools to be an elite defensive back in this conference.

The only thing that has kept him off the field more is the fact that he blows assignments too often—the byproduct of simply being a freshman trying to learn how to play in an SEC defense against top-shelf offenses.

Time is all he needs, and he'll get plenty of that to work out some kinks this month.

All stats gathered from UTSports.com unless otherwise noted.

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