It’s time for coach Josh Heupel and No. 15 Tennessee to prove they can compete.
Not just the bigger and more powerful Southeastern Conference. Heupel and his Vols have to compete with the other programs on campus.
The Vols won the SEC men’s basketball title under coach Rick Barnes, and Tony Vitello led the baseball program to Tennessee’s first national title in any sport since 2009.
In Knoxville, no program is under as much pressure or attention as football, where Heupel has transformed a program that struggled to fill seats at Neyland Stadium into one with long waiting lists for season tickets. He knows better than anyone that it’s now his turn to prove how good his program can be.
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“I’m not sure there’s ever been a better time to be a Vol,” Heupel said.
Heupel enters his fourth season with a 9-4 record and No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. He has led the Vols to 20 wins over the past two years, the program’s best two-year streak since 2003-04.
This is not what the Vols fans and supporters want, not now that millions are being spent on renovating Neyland and the SEC has grown with the addition of Texas and Heupel’s alma mater Oklahoma.
Heupel has won several games with Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III, both of whom are now in the NFL.
Star recruit Nico Iamaleava is now in charge of running Heupel’s up-tempo offense, and he will have the ear of both Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, as college coaches can now speak directly to quarterbacks via helmet electronics.
Heupel believes that Iamaleava also understands his offense better.
“I think we’re going to see his game reach an even higher level. That’s a scary thought because just his natural ability to step on a football field and play well is top-notch,” Heupel said.
New quarterback
Heupel switched his offensive strategy from Hooker to Milton and now has a quarterback who was able to watch and learn before winning his first start in a 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
Iamaleava can run, but his arm is his biggest strength. He also believes that after spring training, he has a better feel and understanding of why Heupel is so quick on offense.
“Why we do certain things, why we move and why tempo is important,” Iamaleava said. “Just things like that. I think that’s definitely a place where I grew last offseason.”
Offensive help
The Vols had the SEC’s best running offense in 2023, averaging 202.6 yards per game, led by All-SEC running back Jaylen Wright, who led the entire FBS with an average of 7.39 yards per carry. Dylan Sampson is ready to replace him in the backfield.
Wide receiver Bru McCoy is also back after a season-ending injury. Squirrel White led the Vols with 67 catches for 803 yards, and Chas Nimrod is also back after gaining strength and size during the offseason.
Did someone say pressure?
Tennessee finished 10th nationally with 36 sacks and 6th with 93 tackles for loss, led by All-SEC edge rusher James Pearce, who himself led the league with 10 sacks and is already considered a top pick for the 2025 NFL Draft, if not No. 1 overall.
He has defensive lineman Omari Thomas back for a sixth year to anchor that line. Thomas himself had 4 1/2 tackles for loss.
The schedule
The Vols open the season against Chattanooga on Aug. 31, then play No. 24 North Carolina State in Charlotte. On Sept. 21, they visit No. 16 Oklahoma, where Heupel led the Sooners to the national title in 2000.
Tennessee’s first SEC road game is Oct. 5 at Arkansas, after which the Vols begin a four-game home series with Florida on Oct. 12 and No. 5 Alabama on Oct. 19. The late regular-season schedule includes a trip to top-ranked Georgia on Nov. 16 and a final game at Vanderbilt on Nov. 30.
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