Who are Tennessee’s most indispensable players for this season?

Going into this offseason – and the 2015 season – there is momentum surrounding the Tennessee football program that has not been there in several seasons.

The Vols’ program has the hype, now they need to start step two of the rebuilding process – winning.

Tennessee has much more NFL-level talent now than they have in the last half-decade, and it will be important for those players to stay healthy.

These are the players that Tennessee cannot afford to lose to injury or suspension this season:

Josh Dobbs, quarterback

Dobbs is the obvious choice here, and is the player that Tennessee needs to stay healthy the most for this season.

Tennessee’s starting quarterback has only made it through one of the past four seasons with no injury, and with Dobbs being a mobile quarterback, the potential for injury is greater.

Tennessee second-string as of now is true freshman Quentin Dormady, who looked very promising in spring practice.

But throwing a true freshman into the ring against the defenses of teams like Oklahoma, Alabama, and Georgia is not successful most of the time.

Dobbs staying healthy is one of the main keys to the season for Tennessee.

Jalen Hurd, running back

While Hurd will have Alvin Kamara splitting carries with him this year, losing Hurd would still be devastating for the Vols.

Hurd’s 899 yards rushing led the team by far last season, and having a strong option at running back is very important in Butch Jones’s offense.

Hurd was bothered by minor injuries last season, but hasn’t had any major injuries since his senior year of high school, when he suffered a torn labrum.

Tennessee’s backfield has the potential to be very good in 2015, but losing Hurd’s half of the “CMG” would greatly lessen the effectiveness of the running back position for UT.

Aaron Medley, place kicker

He's not a typical skill player, but Medley was tied for first on the team in scoring last season, and his position has no solid second-string option.

Medley’s freshman season was a good one, as he went 20-of-26 on field goals.

Medley will be relied on even more this season though, and even thought the kicker position is sometimes overlooked, the Vols would miss a player like Medley.

Junior George Bullock is the next option after Medley, and though he has talent, he has been labeled as inconsistent during his time at Tennessee.

An injury to Medley could be devastating for the Vols this season.

Curt Maggitt, linebacker/defensive end

Derek Barnett and Maggitt are both pretty much of equal value to Tennessee’s defense, but Maggitt’s role as a leader on the team is why he is on this list ahead of Barnett.

Maggitt made 48 tackles and recorded 11 sacks (12th in the nation) last season, which was his first season back after he suffered a torn ACL late in the 2012 season.

During last season, Maggitt took over a position described as a linebacker and defensive end “hybrid”. He will continue in that role this season, playing opposite of Barnett.

An injury to Maggitt would mean a loss of leadership and experience on the field, as well as one of their most talented defensive players.

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