Cast of Characters

Tauren Poole (Junior 2010)
David Oku (Sophomore 2010)
Toney Williams (RS Freshman 2010)
Raijon Neal (True Freshman 2010)

What’s the scoop?

The off-season for the Tennessee football program has been complete craziness. The program lost their hotshot coach Lane Kiffin when he packed up and took the USC coaching gig in January. In what some may consider a panic move, the Vols brought in ex-Louisiana Tech head coach, Derek Dooley.

In addition to having to replace a coach during peak recruiting season, the Volunteers also lost three key players during spring practice. These loses include quarterback Nick Stephens, starting lineman Aaron Douglas, and super recruit Bryce Brown. The talented Brown was the No. 1 rated running back in the class of 2009 and a huge land by then coach Kiffin.

With all the changes going on at Tennessee it is imperative they find a running back to carry the load and stabilize the offense this fall.

Who’s gone?

The list of who is no longer in Knoxville starts with head coach, Lane Kiffin. He had a great recruiting class in his only year and looked to have the Volunteer machine back on track. He will be tough to replace especially in the recruiting aspect.

The quarterback position is a bit of a mess with the graduation of Jonathan Crompton and quitting of the team by Nick Stephens.

The graduation of Monterio Hardesty leaves a hole that might have been filled by Bryce Brown until he left the team during the spring. The offensive line is in a complete rebuild, as it will sport 5 new starters in 2010. The Vols had a good haul in recruiting along the O-line that could help in the fall.

Who’s back?

Quite frankly, the cupboard is somewhat bare for the Vols. The quarterback battle is down to Matt Simms and Tyler Bray. Bray is highly touted and enrolled early, but neither has any experience so it could be a steep learning curve in the SEC.

The offensive line will be comprised of 5 new starters. Senior wide receiver Gerald Jones and junior tight end Luke Stocker both return and will help out the young QB’s tremendously.

What we will get from the Vols RB corps in 2010?

The competition for the starting running back job has come down to Tauren Poole and David Oku. Poole has been the star of the past two springs and now has his shot at being the main man in the backfield. In the recent spring game, Poole accounted for over 100 total yards and was easily the best player on the field. He is a tough runner who rarely goes down on first contact and should see plenty of carries this fall.

The highly recruited David Oku is a smaller back that is dangerous in space. He has not looked nearly as good as Poole and may fit well as a third down back.

Toney Williams is a big, bruising back who is coming off an ACL tear that he suffered last season. If completely healed, he could compete for the goal line and short yardage carries.

The Vols will welcome Rajion Neal to the mix in the fall. Neal is a powerful back with good balance and toughness. He should see some time but how much will be determined after he shows what he can do.

If your fantasy draft was today...

The starting running back for the Volunteers appears to be Tauren Poole. He had a tremendous spring and has moved past David Oku on the depth chart. Poole should prove to be a back that receives plenty of carries and could be drafted as a No. 3 RB (in BCS-only leagues).

Oku might make a good late round pick, but doesn’t hold a ton of value with Poole in front of him.

True freshman Rajion Neal makes for a sleeper keeper pick, but might not contribute much to a fantasy squad this season.