Vols Football: 5 Position Battles To Watch In The Off-Season

Oct 25, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a little over two months since Tennessee finished the season on a high note by dominating Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl.

That victory, however, was team 118’s celebration.

And team 118 is now a thing of the past.

In just a couple of weeks the Vols will take the field, for the first time, as team 119.

The 2015 version of the Vols have already had high expectations placed upon them. Those expectations, while perhaps lofty, are understandable and justified.

Tennessee finally has the talent, albeit raw, to compete for the SEC East. The Vols have talented skill position players and a defense, which played extremely well in 2014, that will remain largely in tact.

And that’s not to mention all the young, fresh and possibly elite talent that Tennessee signed in February.

Some of that young talent will compete — not out of necessity but because of their talent — for significant playing time in 2015.

So with that in mind, take a look at five position battles that we think you should keep an eye on this spring and into the fall.