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Tennessee football: Five fall camp position battles

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Josh Palmer #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers gestures for a first down during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Josh Palmer #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers gestures for a first down during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images
Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

These are the Tennessee football Volunteers’ most intriguing preseason position battles.

Fall camp is here, and if a season does manage to take place, the hype behind Tennessee football is legitimate. That’s the case for Jeremy Pruitt’s team despite the new, brutal 10-game SEC-only schedule that begins Sept. 26.

Part of that hype is due to the Vols’ six-game winning streak to close out the season and finish 8-5. Another part is due to the top 10 recruiting class they had this past year. However, a huge part is that there is a ton of returning talent entering Pruitt’s third year.

Rocky Top returns 18 of 24 starters when you factor in kicker and punter, and they have also added some significant talent. Taking that into account, it would seem like Tennessee football doesn’t have lots of competition for starting jobs heading into the fall.

However, UT ran a by-committee system at a lot of spots last year. As a result, the Vols will definitely have some competition. Also, the places they did lose talent, they lost key players, which will likely show up in the NFL this year.

In this post, we’re going to rank the position battles for Rocky Top that will stand out in fall camp. A couple of have changed since February. For instance, backup quarterback is not as intriguing with Kasim Hill transferring. Unless Harrison Bailey, the five-star phenom, beats out Jarrett Guarantano, Jeremy Pruitt will likely give him a redshirt and run last year’s rotation.

To make this list, a position truly has to be open for a new starter. Injuries, transfers and even eligibility rules could have a role in that. The NCAA initially denying Cade Mays his eligibility waiver could have left an opening at guard on here, but the Vols returning everybody from last year still makes it pretty easy for Pruitt and co. to decide where to turn.

That’s not the case for some of these other positions. Many have major question marks. So let’s take a look at where the focus will be. These are Tennessee football’s five most intriguing position battles for fall camp.

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