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Five Tennessee Vols football freshmen to watch in 2017

Mike Strange
Knoxville
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) calls to teammates during the Orange & White game in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

Are the new kids all right? As Tennessee begins preparations for the 2017 football season, here are five freshmen to watch:

Trey Smith: The biggest score of the 2017 signing class came to campus in January looking like a full-grown man, not a high school kid saving money for the prom. Listed at 6-foot-6, 313 pounds, Smith got plenty of reps with the No. 1 offensive line in spring practice at guard and tackle. He'll play early and often and appears to be ready for the challenge of matching up with older, more experienced defensive linemen.

Jarrett Guarantano: Eager to get a glimpse of the dual-threat quarterback from New Jersey, Vol fans had to cool their jets while he redshirted in 2016. With Joshua Dobbs gone, the battle is on between Guarantano and junior Quinten Dormady. With an extra year on campus, Dormady was more polished in the spring, but Guarantano appears to be a perfect fit for Butch Jones' offense. Jones probably won't go with a two-quarterback system all year, but Guarantano and Dormady will both get extensive looks.

Ty Chandler: A quick path to playing time is a great motivator in picking a college. Chandler, a tailback from Nashville's Montgomery Bell Academy, picked the right place. UT offers the chance to get plenty of carries as a true freshman behind John Kelly. The business of learning pass protection has to be factored in, but there's a green light for Chandler to be a significant factor in 2017. Besides Kelly, there was only one other scholarship running back on campus in the spring.

Cheyenne Labruzza: Tennessee's need at cornerback and Labruzza's exceptional maturity might be a fortuitous combination in 2017. The Louisiana product was only a three-star recruit, but UT's coaches rave about his mental preparation and work ethic. If nothing else, special teams will benefit from Labruzza's addition.

Shanon Reid: In a system that uses only two linebackers most of the time, a true freshman doesn't figure to see a ton of snaps. Still, Reid does have the advantage over most of his 2017 classmates in that he enrolled in January and got a winter weight program and spring practice under his belt. Coaches praised Reid's toughness in the spring which, if nothing else, should translate into significant special teams duty. Against run-oriented teams like Georgia Tech, Reid has a better chance of getting in the defensive huddle.

MORE VOLS TO WATCH IN 2017