Tennessee Football: Winners and Losers from Vols' 2016 Spring

Tennessee's 2016 spring practice didn't exactly go the way everybody wanted, as more than 20 players missed key repetitions throughout the course of the past month.

But several important questions were answered, despite the setbacks.

First, the actual, real-life football gave UT a respite from the frustrating Title IX lawsuit and negative headlines swirling around that situation off the field. For a month, much of the focus was on all the talent that will be dressed out in orange and white this fall.

Second, while the injuries were a disappointing blow for the team, fourth-year coach Butch Jones found some competitive depth in the process, which will benefit the Vols when the season rolls around and all those hurt players are back on the field.

For the veteran-laden Vols, it was a chance to see just how good they really could be.

"We stay focused on us," UT running back Alvin Kamara told the SEC Network's Jerry Punch after the spring game. "It's a lot of hype going around, but we've got to keep our heads down and work, and we'll get what we put in."

The Vols put in some pivotal work this spring and got back some positive returns.

Saturday's spring-culminating Orange & White game (which saw the defense win a 70-63 game in a modified scoring system that was far secondary to the individual player development) did little to dampen the excitement around Rocky Top.

For others who didn't get to participate or failed to take advantage of the situation with so many players out, this spring may wind up being a squandered opportunity. Let's take a look at some winners and losers from UT's spring.

Winner: Preston Williams

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Without question, the biggest spring star for the Vols was sterling sophomore receiver Preston Williams.

The 6'4", 209-pound pass-catcher earned the removal of the black stripe from his helmet early in camp—a rite of passage for young Tennessee players as they become dependable leaders as deemed by their peers. 

Williams then showed out the rest of camp.

He received the Harvey Robinson Award for the offense's most improved player on Saturday. That's a testament to just how consistent he was all during camp. With a bunch of injuries hampering the wide receiving corps, Williams starred in the spring game as well.

Not only did he start the game with a brilliant, one-handed grab on a nice touch pass from Joshua Dobbs over the defensive back, but he also hauled in a 39-yard pass from Quinten Dormady and finished with three catches for 77 yards in limited action.

Williams has the size to go over the middle and the speed to blow past defenders. He did a lot of both this spring, and with Josh Malone out, he became Dobbs' go-to receiver. With some struggles still ongoing in the passing game, the sophomore needs to carry that over into the season.

Jones raved about Williams' attitude and work ethic in the spring-game press conference, according to VolQuest's Rob Lewis, and the sophomore needs to build upon all those positive vibes throughout the summer months.

Along with classmate Jauan Jennings, Williams looks to be the top half of a formidable future duo for the Vols. Malone and Josh Smith will be available during the season, and both will factor significantly into the receiver rotation with JUCO transfer Jeff George.

But with a bunch of youngsters coming into the fray who were recruited during this last cycle, UT is about to get a major upgrade at the position.

Williams has the chance to be elite, and the Vols need him to be.

Loser: Passing Accuracy

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Despite Williams' coming-out party over the past month and even with all the positive vibes surrounding Dobbs' supposed improved accuracy coming from the SEC Network television crew during the spring game, the fact remains the passing game is a work in progress.

Again, Jones noted after the Orange & White game that consistency in that area is something that needs to improve. Two dropped passes started the game for the Vols, including a perfectly thrown ball by Dobbs that careened off the shoulder pads of Jason Croom and into the hands of safety Todd Kelly Jr.

Mistakes like that can't happen in big-game atmospheres.

So, just because the passing game has struggled at times doesn't mean it's always Dobbs' fault. It isn't. Jones lamented the drops on Saturday as a big issue, according to a tweet from Knoxville News-Sentinel reporter Dustin Dopirak.

Other times, however, it is on Dobbs, who simply must be more accurate throwing the ball. It's something that the Vols will have to work on throughout the summer months in passing drills and into fall camp.

In Saturday's spring finale and throughout the past month, UT suffered injuries from multiple key ingredients to that passing game. Josh Malone missed all spring with a shoulder injury. Josh Smith couldn't go Saturday and wound up sitting out.

When the actual scrimmage started, UT was playing with just three scholarship receivers.

So, the injection of talent should benefit that area for the Vols, if passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni can get everybody integrated and ready to go.

"The key is a lot of those guys who are coming in can really help us," Dobbs told Punch during the spring game, "so right when they step on campus, it's getting in their ear, pushing them to understand the offense, so when we get to camp, we're picking up where we left off in the spring and we're continuing to move forward to be the team we want to be in the fall."

The throw-game development will go a long way in determining whether the Vols are a good team or a great one. If they can click from that standpoint, they'll be hard to stop. But the passing game still has a long way to go, despite the baby steps.

Winner: John Kelly

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Tennessee is recruiting some of the 2017 recruiting class' top-rated running backs, trying to find the next great Vols ball-carrier with Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara expected to bolt after this season.

But they have a worthy candidate already on campus.

Sophomore Michigan native John Kelly likely won't wind up being a fixture in the box scores this year because of the two aforementioned stars, but he has the ability to carry the load. In Saturday's spring finale, he did just that and finished with 65 yards on 15 carries while scoring a touchdown.

Waiting his turn hasn't been an issue either, according to Jones, who told the media Saturday that Kelly is biding his time until it's his time, according to a tweet from Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Patrick Brown.

Of all the players who stepped up and performed Saturday, Kelly may have been the most impressive. He showed a promising burst of speed that allowed him to get to the edge several times for nice gains. He also displayed the ability to churn out tough yards up the middle.

Once, he ran into a wall of players down near the goal line and lowered his shoulder into the cluster and wound up in the end zone.

The way things are setting up, Kelly will have two years to carry the load in Knoxville. While the Vols still need somebody like Cam Akers or Ty Chandler (or both) in this year's class, it will be a luxury to have a guy like Kelly who has been around.

This spring, he got the opportunity to showcase his talents over the course of a huge workload every day. He didn't disappoint.

Loser: Strength and Conditioning

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Something's wrong.

No matter how Tennessee's coaching staff wants to portray it, injured players during spring practice is becoming a trend. 

Last year, the Vols were able to make it through much of the season without a huge number of injuries, though Rashaan Gaulden was lost for the season and Shy Tuttle didn't play again after a cheap-shot block in the Georgia game. But that was after a spring where tons of key players missed tons of reps.

That happened again this year, as Jones noted Saturday that 24 players missed the spring finale, and even more than that missed time throughout drills.

When you have that many players hurt, there's something wrong in the strength and conditioning program. There's no other way to put it.

Perhaps the most alarming thing is the sheer number of shoulder injuries Tennessee has suffered. Derek Barnett, Josh Malone, Kendal Vickers, Chance Hall and Jashon Robertson all had shoulder surgeries that cost them the spring. UT also lost Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Austin Smith during spring to shoulder injuries.

The Vols have to fix that.

While players like JRM have nothing to prove on the practice field, this spring was a lost opportunity for guys like outside linebacker Dillon Bates, safety Evan Berry and defensive end Kyle Phillips, who could have made moves at their respective positions.

Instead, they had to watch from the sideline and must make their move in the fall.

Maybe this is just a freak deal where proverbial lightning happened to strike twice two springs in a row. Maybe Jones was just being extra cautious in holding out guys and letting others do minor cleanup surgeries while they could.

But if there's an underlying issue that's related to strength, the Vols need to address it. They aren't the only team in the nation that is battling injuries, but the volume is alarming, to say the least.

Winner: Danny O'Brien

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Last year, just when then-junior defensive tackle Danny O'Brien was supposed to be growing into his leadership responsibilities for the Vols, he was hit with a two-game suspension for violating team rules.

What followed was a frustrating season where he suffered a major dip in production, going from 25 tackles as a sophomore to 14 a season ago to go along with two sacks. He played in 11 games, but O'Brien started just one of those and fell down the depth chart.

Because of a lack of bodies for the Vols along the defensive front, O'Brien still played significant snaps, but he didn't provide the impact many hoped he would.

This spring has seen him return to his old form.

On Saturday, O'Brien earned the Andy Spiva Award given to Tennessee's most improved defensive player. According to Tennessee Scout.com writer Cory Gunkel, Jones raved about O'Brien and LaTroy Lewis after the game, saying they "didn't have a bad practice" this spring.

That's huge news for a UT team in need of quality depth along the defensive front. Lewis may get lost a bit in the shuffle with all the defensive ends the Vols have returning and coming in, but when the redshirt senior is on the field, he tends to make plays.

O'Brien also is entering his fifth season in the program, and the team will depend on him this year. Tuttle isn't all the way back, and it's unclear when he will be. Kahlil McKenzie enjoyed a strong spring, but he has to get better conditioned to play a ton of snaps.

The Vols are going to need able defensive tackles, and O'Brien has been through the battles; he's started games and was once somebody Jones looked to for quality reps.

After he earned that award this spring, Tennessee will rely on him once again.

Loser: Alexis Johnson

Credit: 247Sports

JUCO transfer Alexis Johnson missed one of those opportunities to make a name for himself and carve a niche in the defensive line rotation because he wasn't on the field at all.

The 6'4", 295-pound former 4-star prospect was expected to come in and immediately play a key role for the Vols after choosing UT over some strong offers, including Alabama.

But Jones was forced to suspend him indefinitely following an aggravated assault charge stemming from an incident not long after he got on campus.

Johnson pleaded not guilty to those charges, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). Johnson's lawyer, Gregory Isaacs, said "the reason why is because he is not guilty" after the arraignment, and a hearing is scheduled for later this month.

Given all the Title IX stuff swirling around the program, the Vols need to let this one play out in the courts before they can rely on Johnson to provide depth along the front. 

With such a small group of defensive tackles that can be depended on, Johnson was perhaps the player in the 2016 class with the clearest path to definite playing time. Now, his future remains up in the air, and the Vols are struggling at that position because they thought he'd be able to play some key snaps.

Even if he is cleared of any wrongdoing and does return to the team, Johnson's plight cost him some serious practice repetitions. 

He could have solidified his spot in Tennessee's two-deep rotation this spring, but instead the Vols will have to wait to see just how good he can be. That's if he ever gets on the field at all.

Winner: Defensive Back Seven

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Jones told a throng of media Saturday that he has two of the best linebackers in college football in Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Darrin Kirkland Jr.

If that indeed winds up being the case and Kirkland can provide the same electricity in the middle of the defense that JRM provides on the outside, the Vols are going to be exceptional on that side of the ball.

With all of the talent in the defensive backfield—Cameron Sutton (who Butch said was the best cornerback in the country Saturday), Justin Martin, Todd Kelly Jr., Rashaan Gaulden, Malik Foreman, Micah Abernathy, Marquill Osborne, Evan Berry, Emmanuel Moseley and more—that's impressive.

While the Vols weren't as strong up front this spring because of all the injuries, they're going to boast Barnett, Phillips, Lewis, Corey Vereen, Darrell Taylor, Jonathan Kongbo and others off the edge. That's stout.

That would leave the only question mark being defensive tackle. While that is a considerable one, the Vols have the opportunity to be strong there if Tuttle and Johnson return.

But everybody should be impressed with what the Vols got out of their back seven this spring. If they're strong on the back end, you'd better believe coordinator Bob Shoop will take all that talent and make it into something special.

Nobody shied away from the massive expectations this spring, including Shoop. He knows what he has back there, and if the Vols continue to develop, they should have one of the strongest rotations in the SEC at linebacker and in the secondary.

Several things need to happen. First, JRM needs to get all the way back healthy. Also, redshirt freshman outside linebacker Quart'e Sapp has to continue on his vast improvement he experienced this spring.

When Nigel Warrior comes in this fall, he'll add another potential star to the secondary.

It's an embarrassment of riches that Jones and company have recruited. Now, those guys just have to perform in games the way they have in practices.

All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered at 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.