Football is near.

And it won’t be long until we’re gearing ourselves up for the Vols to usher in the Jeremy Pruitt era.

We all know 2018 likely isn’t going to be a pretty sight, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk ourselves into the Vols being much-improved under the former Alabama defensive coordinator. After all, Butch Jones is gone.

You just can’t help this time of year to be a tiny bit optimistic, even if logic (and recent history) suggests this is going to be yet another rebuilding campaign in Knoxville. Pruitt wants to win now, and he definitely isn’t used to losing after successful tenures in Tuscaloosa, Tallahassee and Athens, Georgia.

He’s outfitted UT’s roster with more size, and an infusion of collegiate talent. And he’s won some recruiting battles for guys who must be able to come right in and make an impact.

But what about the dudes already on the team? Who needs to make a major step forward in 2018 for the Vols to rise above the 4-8 doldrums of a historically horrible season where it looked like the team quit on former coach Butch Jones and his staff?

Let’s take a look at our latest installment.

OFFENSE

No. 3 Ty Chandler, Sophomore Running Back

New Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt likes big backs. Though Chandler, the sophomore Montgomery Bell Academy running back, added a few pounds to creep over 200 pounds, he still isn’t what you’d call a bruiser.

That’s why Pruitt brought in Michigan State transfer Madre London, added freshman Jeremy Banks and converted Princeton Fant to the offensive backfield. It’s not an indictment of Chandler, who is expected to be the Vols’ primary back, but there are some questions about whether or not he is an every-down back in the SEC.

Many teams thought he would be out of high school, when he chose the Vols over Georgia, Ole Miss and others. Now, he’s just got to prove he’s the stud everybody thought he’d be a couple seasons ago. As a true freshman, he rushed for 305 yards and a 4.3-yard average running behind an absolutely horrible offensive line that was injury-riddled and inefficient. He also had 10 catches for 108 more yards.

With the way Tyson Helton wants UT to be able to throw the ball, Chandler’s ability to catch out of the backfield could be a major asset. But with Will Friend coaching the offensive line, Trey Smith back and that group expected to be better, it’s time for Chandler to shine.

He’s got another gear on the second level and has proved the ability to get outside the tackles. It’s arguable that toward the end of a forgettable 2017 season, he was more productive than John Kelly, who left for the NFL a year early and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams.

The Vols need Chandler to be a beast. While it’s nice to have a veteran bruiser like London who has a lot of carries in the rugged Big Ten, and the Orange & White Game breakout of Tim Jordan was encouraging, this should be Chandler’s job. The Vols need him to realize his massive potential, and they’ll be a better team if the most talented player earns it.

Coming from Alabama, where it wasn’t abnormal to watch the Crimson Tide throw out fourth-string runners that could start for 100 other college football teams, Pruitt predictably wants quality depth at the position.

“I think if you’re going to be good at running the football in this league, you better probably have four to six guys,” Pruitt said at SEC Media Days this week. “It’s a physical game. When you turn around and hand the ball (off), there’s 11 guys on the other side that are usually big and fast and angry trying to hit you, so there’s lots of contact. I think you probably need four to six guys.

“It’ll be interesting to see how it shakes out with these guys. I know they’re working hard. I think we’ll probably need all of them before the year’s over with.”

That’s true, and the Vols will definitely need at least four of those guys to step up. But Chandler needs to be an elite playmaker, a guy who is capable of being a game-breaker and somebody who can get the tough yards as well. If he’s not, the Vols will be forced to have one of its most electric athletes watching from the sideline.

DEFENSE

Darrell Taylor, Junior Outside Linebacker

A year ago, as a redshirt sophomore defensive end, Taylor was supposed to be a defensive leader who got after the passer for Bob Shoop’s defense. Instead, he was a nonfactor late in the season, finishing with just 27 tackles and 4.5 for a loss, only making headlines when he was suspended indefinitely.

Some of the whispers surrounding Taylor’s off-the-field actions were disturbing as he obviously battled maturity issues. It was yet another frustrating aspect of a forgettable ’17 season under Butch Jones.

Now, with Pruitt in town, Taylor moved back a level to play outside linebacker where he is expected to play pass-rushing specialist outside linebacker. It’s a spot he played this spring to mixed results, and he shed 7 pounds this offseason and now sits at 247 pounds. The Virginia native looks like the perfect fit for the position, and he could again be a leader on what is expected to be one of UT’s deepest positions.

At linebacker, the Vols should have Taylor, Jonathan Kongbo, Jordan Allen, Darrin Kirkland Jr., Daniel Bituli, Will Ignont, JJ Peterson, Deandre Johnson, Austin Smith and others. That’s a very strong unit on paper. If Taylor produces the way he should, though, he’s a perfect prospect to break out under the new coaching staff. It’s just a matter of how he adapts to position coach Chris Rumph’s tough-love style.

Pruitt actually praised Taylor’s work in the spring, though he didn’t talk much about individual players too often.

“Darrell has done a good job this spring,” Pruitt said, according to GoVols247’s Patrick Brown. “He seems to be willing to learn. He needs to improve on how he plays on special teams, I can tell you that. I told him that after the scrimmage (on Saturday).

“He’s done some good things on defense from rushing the quarterback and was stout at the end of the line, but running down on the punt team, he couldn’t run no faster than me. That’s not how we want to practice.”

Typical Pruitt; praise with some grief mixed in. But it’s also been typical of Taylor, who can show flashes then frustration. If the Vols are going to be much-improved in 2018, they absolutely have to cause some duress on opposing quarterbacks. I love Deandre Johnson’s potential, and Jordan Allen and JJ Peterson could help, too. Everybody is intrigued to see what Kongbo looks like on the second level.

But Taylor can be a star. Whether he is or not is up to him, how much he grows up and how quickly he learns.