Tennessee Football: 5 Freshmen Who Could Surprise in 2015

Tennessee's 2015 football recruiting class had its fair share of superlatives in a group of 30 that wound up ranked fourth nationally.

But there are always unsung or underrated recruits who flourish more quickly than expected. The Volunteers should have some of those diamonds extracted from the coal this year, too.

It wouldn't surprise anybody if stud prospects such as Kahlil McKenzie, Kyle Phillips, Drew Richmond or Preston Williams starred during their first year or two on Rocky Top.

There are others who weren't drooled over by recruiting gurus who have the ability or will have the opportunity to shine.

From the immediate-need positions like running back and offensive line to the deepest unit on the Vols' roster (defensive backs), there are UT players who could crack the rotation who weren't thought of as highly as other prospects.

A season ago, tight end Ethan Wolf and offensive guard Jashon Robertson broke out and made coach Butch Jones and his staff look like evaluation geniuses. So, who will be this season's representatives?

Let's take a look at five prospects from the '15 class who could become surprise stars for the Vols this year.

Venzell Boulware, Offensive Lineman

Credit: 247Sports

There's a reason why the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes and in-state Georgia put a full-court press on Venzell Boulware late in the recruiting process to try to steal him away from the Vols.

The kid is good.

The 6'4", 290-pound Fairburn, Georgia, native has the versatility to play either tackle or guard on the college level, and that kind of capability is coveted by head coaches everywhere.

Ultimately, he elected to stick with UT and join former high school teammates and close friends Evan and Elliott Berry in Knoxville. The trio played together at Creekside High School, and the Vols' ties to that program and area paid major dividends in the past two recruiting cycles.

Though he was only rated as the nation's No. 39 offensive tackle recruit and the 381st-rated player overall, Boulware has the ability to be much better than that.

He's strong and athletic, and that versatility makes him a guy who can project at a lot of different positions for a UT team needing to establish quality depth along the offensive front.

The Vols are going to give Boulware his first shot at playing tackle on the next level, and even though he may wind up as a guard, he'll battle at a thin area right away.

Head coach Butch Jones boasted recently at the Big Orange Caravan that he thought UT recruited an elite lineman class, however, so Boulware will have plenty of competition.

"I felt we had the best offensive-line recruiting class in the country, starting with Memphis' own Drew Richmond, so we're excited about that," Jones said, according to GoVols247's Ryan Callahan. "When you have the addition of Venzell Boulware coming in, (and) Chance Hall is already on campus—early enrollee. Jack Jones, I think, is going to be a special player."

Boulware could be, too. He looks like a road-grading guard, and UT is currently stout at that position, but he is capable of coming in and at least surging to second team at any of three positions on that front.

If he winds up doing that, Boulware will get meaningful snaps right away.

John Kelly, Running Back

Credit: 247Sports

John Kelly is most likely going to have to play this year, which is why it was frustrating for him to find out this week that he won't be able to enroll at UT until later this summer.

Even though he'll be a bit behind most of his classmates, the 5'10", 196-pound runner will still probably see the field sooner rather than later. He's certainly needed.

Behind Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, the battle for carries is going to be wide open.

Fifth-year transfer Ralph David Abernathy IV is expected to get his share of opportunities after coming south from Cincinnati, but most everybody uses more than three running backs throughout the course of a season.

Kelly has the potential not only to play but to be a dynamic ball-carrier.

The Oak Park, Michigan, standout was an exceptional athlete who was recruited by in-state Michigan and Michigan State to be a defensive back.

He wanted the ball in his hands, however, so he decided to come to Knoxville to play for running backs coach Robert Gillespie.

The issues surrounding Kelly's inability to enroll for the first session of summer school are academics-related, according to GoVols247's Ryan Callahan. But "it's definitely not going to be an issue" enrolling in July, according to Kelly.

It would be a critical blow to depth if there were any issues with him getting in, but that doesn't currently seem to be the case.

Despite being a 3-star athlete and the 39th-rated player at his position nationally, the Vols loved Kelly's ability. Once he committed to UT, the Vols effectively stopped recruiting 4-star prospect Bryce Love and other backs.

He'll have a chance to show they knew what they were talking about right away. Carries are there for the claiming.

Darrell Miller, Cornerback

Credit: 247Sports

Tennessee doesn't need any cornerbacks to step in and start with Cameron Sutton starring and Emmanuel Moseley and Rashaan Gaulden looking like future stars.

But the Vols have a trio coming in who can provide important depth.

There's been plenty of talk about talented JUCO defensive back Justin Martin and 4-star Micah Abernathy, but Cedar Hill, Texas, corner Darrell Miller may wind up being the most polished of the bunch.

The 247Sports composite rankings didn't think a ton of Miller's ability, rating him as the nation's No. 72 cornerback and the 746th-rated player overall. That didn't stop Ohio State, Boise State, Michigan State and others from recruiting him.

GoVols247's Ryan Callahan named Miller the "most underappreciated" player in the Vols' class.

Though he isn't the biggest corner at 5'10", 171 pounds, he possesses exceptional physicality, tackling ability and coverage skills. His profile also says he runs a 4.53 40-yard dash, so he isn't lacking speed, either.

Martin has the potential to be an NFL star, and Abernathy certainly has plenty of ability as well. But it's not taking anything away from that pair to give Miller the attention he deserves.

The Vols offered him, and after he camped at UT and showed out, that solidified his status as a player the coaching staff wanted to be a part of the class. Once Miller committed, he never wavered, and he arrived in Knoxville this week ready to start.

Given the depth at the position, it may be a long shot for him to start right away, but Miller has the ability to prove that he needs reps quickly.

Vincent Perry, Wide Receiver

Credit: 247Sports

The Tennessee coaching staff spent a lot of time at Nashville's Hillsboro High School over the past couple of seasons recruiting stud defensive end Kyle Phillips.

They wound up getting their man, as Phillips became one of the Vols' biggest jewels of the 2015 recruiting class and the entire Butch Jones era.

But Phillips' recruitment may have paid other dividends as well. The more coaches saw of Phillips' teammate, 6'0", 177-pound 3-star athlete Vincent Perry, the more they wanted him in Knoxville.

Perry may be listed as an all-purpose running back (No. 14 nationally), but UT sees him as a speedy, athletic slot receiver on the next level.

Following Vic Wharton's transfer out of the program, there will be plenty of opportunities for him there as Pig Howard's backup.

The 247Sports composite may not have Perry as one of the country's top 700 prospects, but that didn't keep the Vols from extending an offer and quickly accepting a commitment. Kentucky was the only other major-conference program who did so.

The in-state prospect has sprinter's speed, and he wants to play two sports in Knoxville. Perry is also a major league baseball prospect who could have options once the June draft comes and goes.

For now, he's expecting to hang around in Knoxville, where he just moved into the dorms along with most of the other first-session summer schoolers. He'd like to play baseball and football for the Big Orange.

"[Coach Butch Jones is] fine with me playing both [sports] at UT, but just kind of like me leaving UT to go play MLB, he doesn't really want me to do that," Perry told Volquest.com's John Brice recently. "And I don't really want to do that. but it's possible for me to play football at UT but not baseball, and then I could play for the team I get drafted by."

If Perry sticks with UT, he'll have every opportunity to earn game reps in the slot as well as in the kicking game as a returner. The Vols don't have a lot of speedsters such as him, so he may carve a niche right away.

Joseph Young, Running Back

Credit: 247Sports

Joseph Young may not quite be an out-of-the-blue recruit, but he certainly slipped under a lot of people's radar.

Toward the end of the recruiting cycle when clearing some academic hurdles appeared a possibility, the Vols inquired about Young. The little-known recruit soon committed to UT, flipping from Charlotte.

Then, national signing day came and went without a signed letter of intent from the Winnsboro, South Carolina, product who still hadn't completed all his academic requirements to enroll in school.

The former Fairfield Central High School running back made it to Knoxville this week, and he'll have the same opportunity as John Kelly and Ralph David Abernathy IV to earn carries. Young told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan he sees a huge opportunity:

"

To be honest with you, the situation is they only have Alvin and Jalen and a walk-on, [Jayson] Sparks. But with two or three guys coming in with me, I've just got to go in and compete and, at the end of the day, do my job. From there, they'll tell me what I have to do and what happens from there. But all I can do is just go in and work hard.

"

It's already probably a surprise to some teams that were recruiting him that Young made it to a major college program and that he took care of all his schoolwork. He is 6'0", 192 pounds, so he certainly has the size to play on this level.

Young's film also shows he possesses solid speed. Still, he was ranked as the nation's 2,202nd-ranked player and the No. 175 running back. He is a 2-star prospect and would mark the biggest long shot in UT's class to earn snaps if he can do so this season.

The last 2-star recruit UT flipped from Charlotte worked out well, too. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley wound up being a 3-star player and started much of his true freshman season on Rocky Top.

Much like UT's cornerback situation a season ago that Moseley took advantage of, the opportunity is there behind Hurd and Kamara for Young to earn carries.

The Vols wouldn't have given him a scholarship if they didn't believe he was worth one, so it'll be an interesting story line to follow as he gets onto campus.

All observations gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com, 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.