Most football players come to the college level and leave it at the same position.

Tennessee rising sophomore safety and return specialist Evan Berry (Photo: Knoxville News Sentinel)

Some don’t, though.

In some cases, a player’s skills turn out to be better suited for a different spot. In other cases, a team suddenly develops a need at a certain position. Whatever the case, though, history gives us every reason to think at least a few college football players will change positions every year. Some are temporary, and some are permanent, but the bottom line is some players will be moved.

Let’s look at five Tennessee players —Â listed alphabetically —Â who could play a different position in 2015, for one reason or another. For the sake of common sense, we didn’t list any offensive linemen on this list, because the policy of Tennessee’s Mahoney and many other O-line coaches is to train versatile players who can play just about anywhere in a pinch.

With most of the 2015 signing class done and dusted, it’s a fair time to look at this.

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Dillon Bates: The plan right now is for Bates — a rising redshirt freshman —Â to open spring practice as primarily an outside linebacker, the same spot he played last season. But his size, strength, athleticism, intelligence and potential leadership qualities also make him a very intriguing prospect at middle linebacker, and the lack of fresh bodies at that crucial spot for spring practice might speed up the tinkering process. Rising sophomore Jakob Johnson is recovering from shoulder surgery, and highly touted freshman January enrollee Darrin Kirkland Jr. is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, so the Vols might need Bates to get some reps in the middle this spring. The son of former Vols and Dallas Cowboys star Bill Bates is certainly big enough to play in the middle, and he’s a sharp kid who has been around football his entire life. There are reasons to suspect he could be a good player up the gut.

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Evan Berry: Tennessee is still exploring some options to add another running back to its 2015 class, but the bottom line is the Vols need to add some depth and shore up that spot. Their current numbers look a bit better than their occasionally dire situation in 2014, but they’re still far from ideal, and running back is No. 1 with a bullet on the 2016 wish list. The current roster features at least a couple of potentially intriguing options, though, and Berry might be the best of that bunch. One of the twin younger brothers of former Vols All-American Eric Berry, rising sophomore Evan Berry has the size, speed and athleticism to play in the offensive backfield, and he’s very comfortable with the ball in his hands. And Tennessee’s coaches are comfortable with the ball in his hands as well, obviously, because he’s the team’s first-choice kickoff return specialist. Berry is a good athlete, and no one wants to run the risk of unsettling a potentially dynamic player and stunting his growth, but Berry is a good kid and wants to help his team, and most players don’t seem to mind getting the ball in their hands a bit more. And the Vols’ defensive back depth looks a lot better than their running back depth at the moment.

Tennessee rising junior cornerback Malik Foreman (Photo: Wes Rucker, 247Sports)

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Malik Foreman: Tennessee coach Butch Jones’ National Signing Day mention of Foreman as a potential running back option was surprising at first. In hindsight, though, it makes sense on a couple of levels. Foreman, a rising junior from Upper East Tennessee, is one of the many players potentially in the mix for reps at the crucial nickel position vacated by departing senior Justin Coleman. But Foreman also is one of the Vols’ fastest players, and he’s not been able to use that speed to get on the field that much to this point in his career. It’s not crazy to suggest his talents could be better suited on the offensive side of the ball, as a slot wide receiver or change-of-pace running back. Sometimes football is a simple game. If Foreman is really fast and not getting on the field on defense, why not give him the ball a couple of times per game on offense and see if he can make a big play or two?

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LaTroy Lewis: We’re not aware of even the slightest bit of speculation here, but moving this big, rising junior defensive end inside could make some sense for the Vols. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Lewis played well when given opportunities last season, but it’s easy to see him continuing to get a bit lost in the shuffle at what should be a loaded position for the Vols in 2015. Tennessee has some impressive young talents at the tackle spots, including a trio of incoming players with tons of promise, but Lewis’ experience and work ethic could be a nice addition to that mix, assuming he adds a bit more muscle and proves he can hang in the phone booth. Again, we’ve not heard anything about this potential move, but a simple glance at the depth chart shows this could be worth at least a look this spring. Some scoffed when Jordan Williams moved to defensive tackle, too, and that turned out really well for the Vols. And Lewis has a very similar frame.

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Charles Mosley: On one hand, it’s tough to consider “Big Charles” a returning player, considering he redshirted last season while recovering from a nasty leg fracture he sustained in an automobile accident. On the other hand, though, Mosley will be a redshirt freshman —Â not a true freshman —Â in 2015. And considering the 6-foot-5, 370-pound, loquacious space-eater is still listed at defensive tackle on the official roster but is still considered by many in the program to be a future offensive lineman, it only makes sense to include him on this list. In fairness to Mosley, when he’s healthy, he’s much quicker than he looks. He’s a good athlete, and he might be able to stay on the defensive side of the ball. Especially in light of his health status, though, it seems a bit more likely that he’ll end up on the offensive side of the ball. Regardless, the hope on this end is that his leg ultimately returns to full strength and full speed —Â and Tennessee’s trainers have said from Day One that it eventually would. Mosley is a good athlete with a massive frame, and just enough every program wanted him for a reason.

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Contact Wes Rucker BY EMAIL at wesrucker247@gmail.com, or ON TWITTER or ON FACEBOOK