Tennessee Football: The Biggest Offseason Storylines for the Volunteers

With a 9-4 season wrapped up and a lot of offseason excitement steaming off a six-game winning streak capped by a 45-6 drubbing of Northwestern to end the season, the Tennessee football team appears poised to make noise next year.

But the Volunteers have some questions they must resolve before the 2016. 

Some of those are subjective steps that must develop between the ears before they can occur between the white lines. Others will come in the form of personnel issues that need to be resolved in order for the Vols to take the next step forward into championship contention.

When some of the guys who'll be upperclassmen next year first came to Tennessee, the goal was to get the Vols back to the level they were used to being at before the near-decade doldrums. That mission is accomplished.

Now, it's time to go another rung on the ladder; it's time to aim the sights as high as a team can go. Next comes getting to the SEC Championship Game, and if the Vols can win that, the College Football Playoff would be in play.

Those seem like big steps, but nobody is scoffing at the notion anymore.

"The sky's the limit, definitely," Dobbs told the Chattanooga Times Free Press' Patrick Brown. "We understand that. We know that we're just scratching the surface. Today was a great win, a statement win, and we realize that. We have to become ready to play in 2016 if we want to reach the goals we want to reach."

Tennessee's four losses came by 17 total points. The Vols had second-half leads in every single one, and two of those setbacks came at the hands of playoff teams. But UT can't get to that lofty level playing like it did in '15. Some things need to improve.

Let's take a look at the top storylines the Vols must face to make it to the next level next year.

Can the Vols Elevate Their Mentality to Meet Expectations?

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What sophomore cornerback Emmanuel Moseley told Knoxville's WBIR.com after the Outback Bowl win is nothing earth-shattering: "We want to win a national championship."

Everybody who plays college football wants to.

But there are only a few teams that can.

Next year's Vols can. They're certainly going to have the talent to do so, and the elements of championship-caliber teams, such as a strong offensive line and running game, and a lot of star athletes on defense, are characteristics UT will be able to boast in 2016.

The biggest hurdle the Vols must overcome now is mental. They want to win a championship, sure, even if it's just an SEC championship. But do they believe they can?

Can these players get over huge psychological hurdles that come with beating Florida and Alabama? Can they get up for an early-season nonconference, neutral-site showdown with Virginia Tech? Can they take care of business on the road against Georgia and Texas A&M?

That comes with believing in talent and having the leadership, and to borrow a line from Santana Moss, "have big-time players step up in big-time games." 

It appeared the coaching staff took some important strides this year in that Georgia game, having to rely on the talent on the roster to bring UT all the way back from a 24-3 deficit. When the Vols responded, they not only proved it to coach Butch Jones, they proved it to each other.

After that, UT nearly upset Alabama on the road and then won out to close the season.

The Vols were a different team, and they built that belief that is so important in winning. That has to be cultivated and nurtured throughout an offseason in the weight room, spring practice and the film room. Players have to train with the mentality of improving every day.

Jones preaches to his players the need to get "1 percent better" every day. Before this season, vocal leaders, such as Kyler Kerbyson and Curt Maggitt, brought that to life by pushing their teammates. Those guys are gone, but Tennessee has to find replacements.

They can't just want to win. They have to know they can and that they will. It needs to shock them when they lose. If the Vols can get to that point, 2016 could be very big.

Will Joshua Dobbs Become a Championship-Caliber Quarterback?

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By now, it's a broken, Big Orange record.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs absolutely, positively, unequivocally, [insert adverb] must get better throwing the football downfield. 

He has a strong enough arm. He has good enough size. He has incredible athletic ability that makes him one of the most dynamic running threats at his position in all of college football. And he's made enough passes to show everybody glimpses of his massive potential.

(Remember that 75-yard bomb to Josh Malone against Kentucky??)

But he must be more consistent, and he definitely has to be more accurate. The concepts of timing and throwing to the correct shoulder and leading his receivers just enough to allow them to continue forward momentum are things Dobbs continues to struggle with.

For that reason, at times this year, the coaching staff didn't allow him to throw enough vertically.

It didn't help that a go-to receiver never materialized, either, but the bottom line is Dobbs has to do better at being a passer than he did in 2015. That made UT's offense too conservative at times and too one-dimensional at others.

That has to improve for Tennessee to compete for a SEC championship. 

Dobbs is the UT quarterback in 2016. It would take a jaw-dropping offseason performance by Quinten Dormady, Sheriron Jones or Jarrett Guarantano to unseat him, and it just isn't going to happen. Nor should it.

The rising senior from Alpharetta, Georgia, makes Jones' power-spread tick with his running ability. He is a dynamic dual-threat signal-caller who has the potential to be the league's best next year, along with Ole Miss' Chad Kelly. 

How much Dobbs improves from now until the beginning of next year will go a long way in determining Tennessee's ceiling. Though his ability to take over games like he did against Florida and Georgia this year makes the Vols dangerous, they'll lose games when he performs like he did against Oklahoma.

Nobody's perfect, but Dobbs can improve his accuracy, get better at reading defenses and develop a rapport with his returning receivers. If he does that and the Vols passing game makes the same sort of strides as the running game did from last year to this one, they will compete for the title.

How WIll Tennessee Shore Up Its Secondary?

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Tennessee anticipated having one of the best secondaries in the SEC in 2015.

Instead, the Vols struggled much of the season, and while a strong finish allowed them to climb all the way up to eighth, defending the throwing game wasn't consistently a strong suit.

Now, the Vols must balance losing several long-time contributors from the secondary before next season while welcoming back a big piece that was missing from this year.

Safeties Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil exhausted their eligibility this season. While McNeil was up-and-down throughout his career, he was always a player who found himself firmly in the rotation.

Randolph started for parts of all five seasons he was on Rocky Top and will be difficult to replace. Though it wasn't the Marietta, Georgia, senior's best year in orange and white, he had a flair for the dramatic, batting down a would-be game-tying touchdown against Georgia and intercepting a pass in his final game.

Regardless, losing those guys will be big.

Replacing them, however, will be a group of players who are arguably more talented. Todd Kelly Jr. started at times throughout his first two seasons, and he'll slide right in, for sure. Evan Berry earned a lot of playing time toward the end of the year and should fit into the rotation, too.

Also, in case you forgot, Rashaan Gaulden will return. The sophomore was arguably Tennessee's best defensive back during the spring and was certain to start before breaking a bone in his foot during preseason practice that cost him all of 2015.

With Malik Foreman growing into his role as nickelback, Gaulden will have to battle to win that spot, or he could slide back and compete at safety.

The Vols have plenty of talent in the backfield, and the unit will almost certainly be a strength if junior Cameron Sutton returns for his final year. He's expected to give a long look to the NFL, however, and losing him would be the biggest blow to a group of strong defenders.

If Sutton leaves, then, as VolQuest.com's Brent Hubbs said, "What kind of playmaking can they get in the secondary with the loss of Brian Randolph and the potential loss of Cam Sutton?"

Defensive backs coach Willie Martinez has enough weapons at his disposal to put out a fine secondary next year, but the group wasn't good enough to compete for championships this year. It wasn't dependable at times, and that must change if Tennessee is going to shine on that side of the ball.

It has to find the ingredients to be elite.

Can the Wrinkle Become a Weapon?

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With a 6'4", 240-pound anvil of a running back like Jalen Hurd in the backfield, many Tennessee fans clamored for Jones to run some plays with Dobbs under center rather than run out of the shotgun over and over.

At least in short-yardage and goal-line situations, there's no reason the Vols should refuse to get under center. It just makes sense to incorporate that into the scheme at some point, right?

Well, it finally happened in the Outback Bowl win against Northwestern, and the results of that offensive wrinkle has Tennessee fans salivating about using it in the future.

Against the Wildcats, Dobbs got under center nine times. Those plays netted 70 yards, and seven of those were Jalen Hurd runs that resulted in 45 yards, including two of more than 10 yards. Also, with the threat of Hurd so huge, Dobbs completed a pass down the seam to tight end Alex Ellis another time for 22 yards.

It was play-calling perfection by offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, and it should be something we see more of moving forward.

"Is that a sign of things to come?" SECCountry.com's Dave Hooker wrote. "If so, it seems like a good fit. Hurd is a power back that looks tough to stop with a head full of steam and Dobbs is a surprisingly impressive ball handler on play action. The extra time also allowed Tennessee to surprise Northwestern with some new tight end plays via Alex Ellis."

Tennessee's passing game was its most effective this year with play-action or quick-hitter type of plays. Running out of an offset I-formation enables a team to employ a lot more of that.

While the success against a slow Northwestern team that wasn't effective against any sprint plays the Vols ran isn't any long-term indicator of whether or not the Vols would thrive running out formations with Dobbs under center, UT's personnel does lend itself to that game.

Will Jones run that exclusively? Of course not, nor should he considering that isn't what his scheme is predicated on. But Dobbs looked natural dropping back and handing off the ball, and Hurd was at his best running downhill. There's no reason why this shouldn't be an every-game thing next year.

Who Will Emerge to Replace Departing Contributors?

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This becomes a much bigger deal if potential early draft entries Cameron Sutton, Alvin Kamara and Jalen Reeves-Maybin elect not to return to Knoxville for another year. But Tennessee returns the vast majority of contributors from the '15 season.

That's going to bode well for the prospects of having a big year.

But there are going to be some places where the Vols must get some immediate help.

At left tackle, Kyler Kerbyson was never an All-SEC kind of player, but he was steady, even while playing out of position. Redshirt freshman Drew Richmond is the odds-on favorite to step into that role next year, though Brett Kendrick could battle him. Incoming freshman Ryan Johnson or Jack Jones could take it, too.

Regardless, Tennessee has options.

Already, replacing the two safeties has been discussed, and Tennessee also loses two steady receivers in Von Pearson and Johnathon Johnson, as well as backup tight end and Outback Bowl hero Alex Ellis.

Senior defensive tackle Owen Williams had a big final year in Knoxville, and he'll be missed. Shy Tuttle will return from injury, and JUCO transfer Alexis Johnson will help provide depth on the interior as well.

It'll also be difficult replacing defensive end Curt Maggitt, but the Vols played essentially the entire 2015 season without him after he was lost for the year with a hip injury against Oklahoma. 

Still, making up for the loss of him became a lot tougher on Tuesday night with the news that top-ranked JUCO defensive end Jonathan Kongbo was decommitting from Tennessee, via his official Twitter account.

There are gaps that must be filled, but unlike a couple of years ago, now Tennessee has the talent to replace departing players. Whether those guys are stopgaps or stars will go a long way in determining just how good the Vols can be a year from now.

All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports, unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from 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.