Nov 30, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) passes the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Starter: Joshua Dobbs, Junior (Alpharetta, Ga.)
Joshua Dobbs is clearly the starter who can be a leader, and as an aerospace engineer he is unlikely to have any character issues. Add his two-touchdown comeback on the road against South Carolina last year with less than four minutes to play, and you clearly have a guy who is clutch as well.
So the intangibles are not a question.
But, as the clear-cut starter going into the season, Dobbs is not a finished product. There are still questions about his game, and despite generating a ton of hype behind him, he has not proven a lot just yet.
Remember he’s only a few months removed from Tennessee fans seemingly being done with him. It should take more than half a season to be sold on somebody.
However, Dobbs certainly has the intangibles, the intelligence, the physical gifts, and now the experience. All of those things combined with the chance to start the full season and not just half a season could spell good things for the Vols going forward.
Dobbs is very valuable as a dual-threat quarterback, but the best part about that is he should not need to use it too much with guys like Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara to help out the running game.
If he can stay in the pocket and make plays and then run only when he has to, then we are talking about a potential Russell Wilson. But we cannot oversell him yet.
Next: No. 2: Quinten Dormady