2. Tennessee Volunteers (10-2, 6-2)
Tennessee took major steps forward as a program last year, highlighted by finally breaking a decade-and-a-half-long losing streak to Alabama. But the season was erratic, held back by a defense full of liabilities, and nothing much changed in that regard over the offseason. Tennessee figures to eventually climb back to being regular contenders, but the Vols aren’t there yet.
Rankings (Ex, Vg, Av, Fr, Pr)
| Quarterbacks: Vg Running Backs: Ex Wide Receivers: Vg Offensive Line: Vg | Defensive Line: Fr Linebackers: Fr Defensive Backs: Pr Special Teams: Fr |
Offense: What could go right
Joe Milton III went from being only marginally effective as a quarterback to a potential weapon late in the year once Hendon Hooker went down. Milton has tremendous arm strength and is athletic enough to create trouble for defenses. On top of that, Tennessee has arguably the best true freshman quarterback prospect in the country in Nico Iamaleava. Tennessee returns a lot in the running game and while the receiver corps will have some new faces, there’s plenty of speed on the edges of this team. The offensive line should be solid although Tennessee will be relying on transfers to bolster a rebuilt left side of the line. It looks like another high-scoring season in Knoxville.
Offense: What could go wrong
Milton’s issues in the past stem from slow decision-making when under heavy fire and a general lack of accuracy. Josh Heupel’s scheme makes pinpoint accuracy slightly less necessary but is still an area of concern. Injuries have plagued Tennessee’s running back group in recent seasons, but probably the most vulnerable part of the offense will be the line, which overachieved in 2022 and could be headed for a correction.
Defense: What could go right
The best thing that can be said here is that there are some new faces via the transfer portal and the offense’s output ought to keep the pressure off. Tennessee was better up front last year and this is a veteran group, but where the offense giveth, the offense taketh away – fast possessions will put the pressure on. The rush defense ranked 20th in 2022, although that was largely due to the secondary being flat-out terrible. If Tennessee can remember what it did against Georgia, LSU and Clemson – and forget what it did defensively against Alabama, Pitt and South Carolina – it could make incremental improvement.
Defense: What could go wrong
The secondary could start five seniors and still be among the worst in the league, because despite the experience, UT simply isn’t very good back there. Tennessee ranked 126th in raw pass defense, giving up nearly 300 yards per game despite playing a schedule that, on the whole, probably shouldn’t have been able to pressure the Volunteers so much through the air. Depth up front is also questionable.
One-sentence summary: Tennessee hasn’t recruited itself to prominence just yet.
The rebuilding process will take another year or so, and one has to wonder just what the narrative would be right now had the Volunteers not upset Alabama in questionable fashion. Most of the optimism surrounding this season focuses on the result of that game, with a good defensive showing in a loss to Georgia probably being the other high-water mark. In 2023, Tennessee has to prove it can get more serious about defense. Despite what Heupel might think, he can’t win the league with offense alone.