It’s time to start examining where each position stands headed into Butch Jones’ second Vol spring practice. Running backs are up.

The Players

Marlin Lane—5-11, 205-pound senior. 296 carries for 1472 yards, 54 long,  8 TDs, 5.0 ypc, 42.1 ypg.

Justus Pickett—5-10, 185-pound junior. No game experience at Tennessee.

Deanthonie Summerhill—5-9, 196-pound senior. 20 carries for 115 yards, 15 long, 0 TDs,  5.8 ypc, 10.5 ypg.

Alden Hill—6-2, 215-pound sophomore. 10 carries for 58 yards, 12 long, 1 TD,  5.8 ypc, 7.3 ypg.

Jalen Hurd—6-3, 227-pound freshman. No college experience.

Devrin Young—5-8, 178-pound senior. 40 carries for 155 yards, 30 long, 0 TD, 3.9 ypc, 6.0 ypg.

The Situation

The Vols must replace Rajion Neal, who had a quiet, but productive, senior campaign. Marlin Lane enters spring as the most proven back and had a nice year as Tennessee’s No. 2 back. Lane averaged over five yards per carry last season in 11 games of action and is Tennessee’s only back with significant college experience.

Incoming freshman Jalen Hurd is a player everyone expects to see the field early this year. His ability to enroll early and go through spring practice will go a long way towards determining the type of season he has.

Devrin Young is returning to tail back after playing receiver last year. He’ll get a chance to carve out a niche as a playmaker in the backfield and in  the return game.

Alden Hill, who looked like he could crack the rotation last spring, will be competing for snaps and trying to prove he wasn’t recruited over. Justus Pickett heads into practice as the forgotten man in the back field. The former Maryland running back participated in part of fall camp before the NCAA ruled that he had to sit out a year. He will get his first extended look at running back and probably kick returner.

Football Time’s Take

The vast majority of college teams no longer ride one featured back throughout the season—Tennessee is no different. Last season Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane both saw significant playing time. Lane would have seen even more snaps had he been in better shape. No matter how spring practice goes, look for the Vols to ride two primary running backs throughout the season.

Lane heads into spring as Tennessee’s most experienced back but will have to earn the starting job and prove he can stay healthy. He must take care of business off the field and in the weight room to emerge as the starter.

His primary challenger, five-star freshman Jalen Hurd, should push Lane for reps. Though Hurd has yet to face off against college players, his athleticism and play-making ability will make it hard for the coaches to keep him off the field. How his game translates to the college level should be evident fairly early in spring. If a back other than Lane or Hurd ends spring in the two-deep at running back, I’ll be mildly surprised.

Devrin Young has proven to be a bit of a “tweener” in his college career and is, at least for the moment, returning to the backfield. He is one of Tennessee’s better play makers and he could see his touches increase this year if he transitions quickly back to his more natural position.

That said, don’t sleep on perennial spring warrior Alden Hill or Maryland transfer Justus Pickett. Hill was one of the most improved players last spring but that didn’t translate to a productive season. He’ll mainly be competing for situational short-yardage snaps unless he shows a gear the coaches have yet to see.

Justus Pickett is an intriguing player. He transferred to Tennessee from Maryland last summer and earned serious reps in fall camp before the NCAA ruled him ineligible. He’s a quick, shifty back who could see time returning quicks. Pickett brings a different skill set to the table than Lane or Hurd and, if last year’s fall camp is any indication, could surprise some people and compete for significant playing time this year.

Deanthonie Summerhill was effective last season in a reserve role. Look for that to continue this year. He could also see more snaps on special teams.

Who emerges from spring as the starter in your book? Leave us a comment and vote in our fan poll here.