Tennessee Football: 5 Former Top Recruits Who Will Finally Shine in 2015

If the Tennessee football team is going to make the monumental jump many experts predict this season, the Volunteers can't rely heavily on a slew of freshmen as they have the past two seasons.

Some of the upperclassmen and established players must make large leaps.

Sure, it's OK to expect big things from youngsters such as defensive tackles Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle and perhaps offensive lineman Drew Richmond and middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. But the Vols must fill key roles with experience.

The receiving corps is filled with former marquee recruits who have to take a big step in 2015, and probably even more could outfit a larger list. Passing-game coordinator Zach Azzanni has to get more out of a group that has been banged-up and underachieved.

A maligned offensive line features candidates whom UT need better play from after a season of starting in the SEC trenches.

"When you spoke about the leadership awards, we need an Al Wilson, we need a Peyton Manning," UT coach Butch Jones said after the spring game, alluding to a pair of former Vol icons. "We need an individual who's going to hold everyone accountable. That's what the summer is for. That's really where your team is born."

Leaders must emerge, but that has to happen more so on the field than off. Here are some candidates who were highly regarded recruits who could become difference-makers for UT in 2015.

Jason Croom, Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver

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Tennessee receiver Marquez North may get most of the chatter as being a playmaker who hasn't yet lived up to his massive potential, but he has at least shown flashes of brilliance.

One fellow receiver who has yet to even draw near to his ceiling is redshirt junior receiver Jason Croom. The 6'5", 235-pound target has all the physical traits to be dominant, but he hasn't put everything together consistently.

Just when it looked as if he would for brief spurts in each of the past two seasons, an injury knocked him back to square one.

Croom finished with 21 catches for 305 yards in 2014 and scored four touchdowns, but he missed the TaxSlayer Bowl with a knee injury.

His biggest moment came with a game-tying nine-yard touchdown catch against South Carolina that tied the score at 42-all in a game UT went on to win in overtime. Coach Jones praised him after that game, according to the Daily Beacon's Jonathan Toye:

"

Jason Croom really, really stepped up tonight. Jason has been doing it all year. Sometimes he may not have the catches, but he still impacts the game. I talk about impactful games and you can impact the game one way, shape, form or another, and he has been doing that.

We have challenged him, Coach Z [Zach Azzanni] has challenged him to play big. He is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. We have challenged him to play big and he has responded. And that is a tribute to his work ethic. He has shown great consistency in practice, and when you show consistency in practice, you are going to perform on game day.

"

The big-bodied receiver and former 4-star recruit has two years remaining on Rocky Top, and though injuries kept him out of spring drills, big things are expected. He can build off a sophomore year during which he emerged as a weapon at times.

Croom has what it takes to outmuscle smaller defensive backs to be a vital cog in Tennessee's red-zone offense. When the Vols get within the shadow of the goal post, quarterback Joshua Dobbs needs to know he can rely on Croom attacking the ball in the air.

This should be his year if he's healthy.

With all the talent in UT's receiving corps, defenses can't afford to show Croom the added attention a physical specimen such as him deserves. It's time he took advantage of that. If he does, Croom can put up some really impressive numbers, especially inside the 20.

Marcus Jackson, Redshirt Senior Offensive Guard

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Way back in then-coach Derek Dooley's class of 2011, one of Tennessee's few major coups was flipping Vero Beach, Florida, 4-star offensive lineman Marcus Jackson from Miami.

Throughout his first two seasons in Knoxville, the 6'2", 306-pound guard appeared to be on the verge of being a future all-conference-caliber prospect. But with UT loaded along the offensive front in 2013, Jackson redshirted in order to tier depth throughout new coach Butch Jones' second and third seasons.

Jackson was expected to be a cornerstone of a rebuilding offensive line last year, but he struggled at times. Though he had moments of brilliance, he was maddeningly inconsistent.

The rising senior has the ability to be a leader and an NFL player. He probably should be considered the Vols' best offensive lineman entering the season, just from an experience standpoint and because he had spurts of solid play a season ago.

Even so, his starting spot isn't guaranteed, writes GoVols247's Wes Rucker:

"

We should be careful to avoid assuming that Jackson is a sure-fire starter at left guard. If we had to guess today, he's probably the guy, and he's talented and experienced enough to be a good player there. But he didn't have a great 2014 season, and he'll have to look strong when he comes back to avoid potentially losing his spot to [Coleman] Thomas or [Dylan] Wiesman or someone else. The thought on this end is that Jackson will answer the challenge and come out and be a better player in 2015, but that's just a guess. The Florida native has to go out there and prove it.

"

But he needs to be a rock on the interior. UT will have to rely on running the football this year, and Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara need room between the tackles.

The Vols didn't have a lot of options on the line in '14, but after some solid recruiting in the trenches, that won't be an issue now. Jackson has to prove he's a starting force.

Alvin Kamara, Redshirt Sophomore Running Back

Credit: 247Sports

Alvin Kamara's talent has never been in question. Now, it's just a matter of him finally getting the opportunity to showcase it.

The former No. 2 all-purpose back in the country committed to Alabama out of Norcross High School and got lost in the shuffle, as most other running backs would have done in that elite Crimson Tide backfield.

Then, he went off to Hutchinson Community College and earned 5-star status in the JUCO class of 2015. Now, three years after being a blue-chip high school recruit, he'll get the chance to excel in Knoxville.

Early indications this spring were that the third-year sophomore is ready to run with the opportunity. He has the size to run between the tackles and the speed to hit a seam and take it the distance.

Sporting News recently named Kamara one of its breakout candidates for 2015, and rightfully so. With Hurd limited for most of the spring, Kamara shouldered the load for the offense.

On days when he was out with nagging injuries, the offense really suffered. Part of that was because the Vols didn't have any running back depth behind him, of course, but a big reason was because Kamara is dynamic.

There are plenty of reasons why everybody in the country wanted him and why UT getting him over Georgia in last year's recruiting cycle was a major coup. It may sound like a stretch, but he has the talent and natural ability to be a one-and-done player in Knoxville.

So, his placement in this article is more about him finally having a chance to prove what he can do. It's possible he'll be one of the best backs in the league by the end of the season.

Josh Malone, Sophomore Wide Receiver

Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

"Finally" is a relative term in this case. After all, Josh Malone is only entering his second year in Knoxville, so it would have been asking a whole lot to expect the former top-ranked player in the state to break out a season ago.

The expectations were extremely high for him, though, so it fits.

Also, with so many injuries depleting the unit late last season, it was the ideal time for Malone. Instead, he disappeared, letting nagging injuries take him completely out of game plans.

Following his breakout five-catch, 75-yard performance in a lopsided loss to Ole Miss, the 6'3", 198-pound pass-catcher from Gallatin, Tennessee, finished with just four catches for 22 yards in the season's final six games.

This spring, he showcased his immense ability at times. Other times, he was a non-factor. For the second spring game in a row, he showed out in front of the Neyland Stadium crowd against reserve defenders, but as Rucker wrote, "let's not pretend he's arrived yet."

Malone doesn't have enough grit in him yet to excel against the rugged defensive backs in the SEC. At times in 2014, he was too much of a finesse player.

If coaches can get him to live up to his massive potential, he has the chance to stand out, even in a receiving corps as talented as Tennessee's.

He'll have every opportunity to shine this year, and with close friend Dobbs now behind center, it appears to be the perfect atmosphere for him to finally begin to live up to his top-shelf potential.

Danny O'Brien, Redshirt Junior Defensive Tackle

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

With the massive influx of defensive-line talent seemingly arriving in Knoxville by the truckload, you may think a fourth-year junior such as Danny O'Brien may get lost in the shuffle, especially after missing the spring with an injury.

Think again.

Instead, the 6'2", 282-pound defensive tackle has the type of bulldog mentality and competitive nature to elevate his game to another level.

A season ago, O'Brien started 12 of UT's 13 games, registering 23 tackles and a sack to go along with 4.5 tackles for a loss. Considering he and interior mate Jordan Williams were both a hair undersized for the position, it made it tougher on the duo all year.

Now, with the Vols being able to throw waves of bigger defenders at opponents such as McKenzie, Tuttle and Kendal Vickers, O'Brien should shine. More importantly than that, he should get more breathers, keeping him fresher throughout the game.

All those things along with having another year in the system point to O'Brien breaking out. With those talented tackles and with perhaps the best stable of defensive ends in the league returning, O'Brien won't get a lot of attention.

While he's big enough to hold his own in the run game, he also has the athleticism to get after the passer.

The former 4-star prospect from Flint, Michigan, was one of former coach Derek Dooley's two biggest D-tackle commits along with NFL player Daniel McCullers. He hasn't made an immediate impact, but O'Brien is still a valuable part of UT's line and often a forgotten man.

Opponents will remember his name in 2015.

Quotes and observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information obtained from 247Sports.

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