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4. Punter
Not the sexiest position on the field, but in terms of a wide open competition, the battle at punter will be as contested as any other in camp. Matt Darr’s surprisingly consistent senior season leaves the Vols with a big leg to replace if they’re going to control field position the way they are aiming to. Whoever wins the job will have never punted in a game for the Vols before 2015, though Maryland graduate transfer Nathan Renfro gives them an option who has at least punted collegiately before. He averaged 41.5 yards per punt for the Terrapins in 2014 – just .7 yards less per punt than Darr’s average last year. He’ll compete with highly-touted freshman Tommy Townsend and walk-on Trevor Daniel, who was the best UT had in the spring.
What Butch Jones says about the battle at punter: “It’s going to be extremely competitive. We have to do a great job of putting our punters in competitive situations in a competitive environment each and every day. From Tommy Townsend to Trevor Daniel, across the board, we’re going to be competing every day. Everything will be charted, and that’s why the importance of field position comes into play, and being able to flip field position. Part of playing great defense is protecting your defense, and it starts with no three and outs on offense and it starts with playing a field position game. So, the punting situation is going to be absolutely critical.”
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