Tennessee Football: 5 Most Underrated Players on the Vols Roster

Everybody by now has heard plenty about Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara, Cameron Sutton and Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Tennessee football stars are bountiful in 2016, and that's why there are so many people predicting big things for the Volunteers.

But there are other key players who don't get as much publicity.

These are guys who may not be stars and certainly aren't household names, but that doesn't diminish their value to the Vols. If coach Butch Jones' team is going to make some noise in the SEC this year, these players need big years.

From a once-maligned offensive line where several stalwarts perform on a weekly basis to a defense where there are a couple of senior leaders ready to break out, UT's experience could be a major reason for its success this year if it comes together.

Receiver Josh Smith's reliable work is rarely appreciated because of the receiving corps' recent struggles and the other, more athletic players getting more attention.

"I think Josh is a leader because he has some clout, has some experience and has made some big plays, does everything right for me," UT passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni told SEC Country's Dave Hooker this spring.

Then, there are other guys who have grown into their roles such as defensive end Corey Vereen.

No team can win with just star power. The role players are vital, too. When it comes to those, Tennessee has more than its share, and that is directly attributed to the recruiting victories Jones experienced the past three years and some low-rated diamonds the staff developed.

Let's take a look at some players who won't get the headlines in 2016 but will be just as big to Tennessee's hopes for success as the guys named Dobbs and Hurd.

Malik Foreman, Senior Nickelback

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It's difficult to quantify just how far Malik Foreman has come in his Tennessee career and even how much better he got from the beginning of 2015 to the end of last season.

Always known for his speed, the little-known Tri-Cities product from northeast Tennessee was a late offer by the Vols once Jones came on board, and he flipped from Vanderbilt to stay home.

But he wasn't as quick to get on the field.

After being a little-used player who featured mostly on special teams in his first couple of years, Foreman got his chance last year when cemented nickelback starter Rashaan Gaulden broke his foot in the preseason, costing him the entire season.

Foreman, quite simply, struggled mightily in his first few games, routinely giving up big plays. But as the season progressed, he settled in. By the end of the year, he was making the big plays instead of giving them up. He mastered one of the most difficult positions on the field.

Not only was Foreman reliable, he was playing at a very high level. If he continues to progress, it's not out of the question he could be the second consecutive player at the position to go from maligned corner to NFL nickelback, following in the footsteps of Patriots second-year pro Justin Coleman.

Foreman made some key plays against Georgia, but he really blossomed against South Carolina, holding Pharoh Cooper to four catches for 47 yards and making the game-saving strip of tight end Jerell Adams as he rumbled into field-goal range.

"[Malik is playing] with a lot of confidence," junior cornerback Cameron Sutton told the Knoxville News-Sentinel's Troy Provost-Heron following that game. "We have a lot of confidence in him as well. He's making plays throughout practice and he’s doing the little things, taking care of his body, watching film and doing the right things off the field as well."

The Vols expect those things to continue. Though freshman Marquill Osborne is pushing him, it'll be difficult to fend off Foreman's talent, speed and experience. Now he's the seasoned veteran, and if he makes as much progress this year as he did last season, the Vols have a good chance to be very strong in the secondary.

Josh Smith, Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver

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After a forgettable freshman season where he had a year-long case of the dropsies, all Josh Smith has done is impress when he wasn't injured.

Yes, the Vols had plenty of physical specimens at receiver such as Marquez North, Von Pearson and Josh Malone. But Smith is the guy who the Vols often count on to make important plays.

Despite that first season, he has had the best hands on the team, is the best route-runner and has deceptive speed. Coming out of the Christian Academy of Knoxville several years ago, he wasn't recruited heavily, but then-Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney loved what he saw.

He liked Smith's skill set so much that when he wasn't retained and was hired by Arkansas, he offered Smith to follow him. Instead, Smith chose to stay home, and the Vols are glad he did.

The 6'1", 213-pound redshirt junior was off to a monster start to the 2014 season when a high ankle sprain he suffered against Oklahoma forced surgery and made him miss the rest of the year. In his first full year back a season ago, he had 23 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

Those aren't huge numbers, but nobody put those up as Dobbs struggled to advance the ball down the field through the air.

With Pearson gone, Smith should slide into the slot, which appears to be a more natural position for him. There, he could be able to do a lot of damage and may wind up having a breakout year.

Malone and Preston Williams are going to get most of the headlines because of their elite physical abilities, and the Vols desperately hope that duo lives up to expectations. But Smith is going to be reliable, and he's going to put up numbers.

That's something Azzanni and the rest of the Vols can depend on.

Coleman Thomas, Junior Center

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You very rarely hear about college football centers unless they do something wrong like get the quarterback blown up or mishandle a snap.

But that doesn't diminish the ability and pro potential of Tennessee rising junior Coleman Thomas.

Way back in March of Jones' first full recruiting class, the Max Meadows, Virginia, product gave the Vols one of their first verbal commitments in a week that wound up yielding commitments from Hurd and Todd Kelly Jr., among others.

Thomas may wind up holding his own as being one of the better players in that class.

After being forced into a starting spot at tackle as a true freshman—a position he wasn't ready for and a spot that wasn't natural to him—Thomas was manhandled by some of the top edge-rushers in the league. He was out-manned at the position, but he played a good bit out of necessity.

Once he shifted to center, he hit his stride. Last year, the dependable, athletic 6'5", 301-pound lineman started all 13 games and played at an extremely high level. He anchored a line that paved the way for nine games with 200-plus rushing yards and three games that featured 500 or more total yards.

According to his official bio, Lindy's magazine lists him as a second-team preseason All-SEC center. Thomas could be better than that. Last year, Jones explained just how well Thomas was playing to Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Patrick Brown:

"

Center is his natural position. His athletic ability of being able to pull and get out on the edge, and whether it was blocking a corner or a linebacker, he had the point-of-attack block for two of our touchdowns. He was directly responsible. I thought he managed the game in terms of calling out the fronts and getting us in the right blocking schemes.

"

As the season went on, Thomas got better and better. This year, he'll be one of the best in the league, if not the best. The Vols are very fortunate to have him, and he'll be a large part of UT's ground attack until he heads to the NFL.

Corey Vereen, Senior Defensive End

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Most players don't step right into college football and make an impact right away, but Corey Vereen did in 2013.

His stats weren't the best, but in Jones' first season, the Winter Garden, Florida, product showcased his work ethic and ability to get to the quarterback. As a true freshman, he had 13 tackles and one sack.

Vereen didn't quite live up to expectations during his second season. He started 11 of 13 games as a sophomore but finished with just 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks. That was disappointing considering what everybody thought Vereen would become.

Last year, he returned to form.

Once Curt Maggitt was lost for the season in the Oklahoma game, Vereen broke out, not only putting up some strong numbers but freeing up Derek Barnett to do the incredible he things he's capable of doing off the other edge. Vereen finished with 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss.

There were times in the second half of the year when he was awesome. Now, entering his final season on Rocky Top, big things are expected of Vereen. If he produces, the 6'2", 249-pound senior may have a pro future.

SEC Country's Shehan Jeyarajah picked Barnett and Vereen as one of the five best end tandems in the league.

He'll have to be good to hold off all the talent Tennessee has at defensive end. In addition to Barnett, UT signed the nation's top-ranked JUCO player in Jonathan Kongbo. The Vols also have Kyle Phillips, LaTroy Lewis, Darrell Taylor, Austin Smith and others.

UT is loaded at defensive end, and Vereen will have plenty of competition. But if he takes the next step forward, he'll be one of the most productive players on new coordinator Bob Shoop's upstart, get-after-the-quarterback unit.

Dylan Wiesman, Senior Guard

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When Jones left Cincinnati to be the new coach at Tennessee, a pair of Bearcat commitments followed him in Dylan Wiesman and tight end A.J. Branisel.

At the time, Vols fans weren't real enamored with a lineman who was ranked as the No. 1,046 player and the 66th-rated center in the nation by the 247Sports composite rankings. The fear at the time was that Jones didn't realize what it took to recruit SEC athletes.

Over time, the fourth-year UT coach has proven that initial knee-jerk reaction laughable.

And while Branisel left the program for Florida International after some production as a freshman, Wiesman has more than lived up to expectations. After he flipped to the Vols, Ohio State offered him late, but he chose to stick with Tennessee.

The Vols are glad he did. As a junior a season ago, Wiesman was stellar. He went from a little-used lineman to starting all 13 games in a year that saw him earn second-team Associated Press All-SEC honors.

For a lineman not used to accolades and one who wasn't thought of really at all by recruiting services, the all-conference honors were, literally, unbelievable.

"I thought it was a joke," he told GoVols247's Wes Rucker about when his teammates told him. "I thought they were messing with me."

Known for his road-grading run-blocking skills, Wiesman may be the best Vols lineman in that area, and he's getting better at pass blocking. Now, as a rising senior, Wiesman isn't only going to be relied upon to be a stalwart. Tennessee expects him to be a star.

He's come a long way from a player who many thought was just a space filler as Jones tried to flesh out his first class. As it turns out, he was one of the first pieces of evidence that Jones knows how to evaluate talent and he knows how to recruit.

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