Is Tennessee football’s pass defense ready for SEC’s Year of the QB?

All offseason, the biggest question surrounding Tennessee football was its pass defense. The Vols were below averaged during the regular season, and without Alontae Taylor in the Music City Bowl against the Purdue Boilermakers, they were downright awful.

Improvement this year is crucial for them to take the next step under Josh Heupel. It’s also crucial given what they’re facing. This is the SEC’s “Year of the QB,” as the league is just loaded with talented signal-callers all across the board. As a result, UT’s pass defense had better be ready.

Now, you could point out that Tennessee football already dealt with that. The Vols faced the top quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kenny Pickett, and the Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young. Matt Corral and Stetson Bennett were also on the slate.

However, as mentioned in the opening paragraph their worst performance came against Purdue. It’s an entirely different level when you’re talking no Taylor, and that’s where the concern against this elite slate of quarterbacks comes into play.

Speaking of the slate itself, the Vols still have a brutal road. They have to face Young and Bennett again, and both quarterbacks should be better. Meanwhile, the South Carolina Gamecocks now have Oklahoma Sooners transfer Spencer Rattler.

Anthony Richardson being healthy for the Florida Gators makes for another elite quarterback, and Will Levis returns with the Kentucky Wildcats, bringing more experience there. Only the Missouri Tigers and LSU Tigers among SEC foes enter this year unproven at quarterback, and with Brian Kelly, that doesn’t matter at LSU.

No, we didn’t forget the Vanderbilt Commodores. They have a new starting quarterback as well. However, so far, the signs point to that making Tennessee football’s road against quarterbacks in the SEC even more brutal than we though it was going to be.

In their 63-10 win over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Saturday, new Vandy quarterback Mike Wright threw for just 146 yards and two touchdowns. However, he had no picks, and he ran for another 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Remember last year? The Vols’ biggest issue when it came to their pass defense was containing the quarterback, which is why Corral and Levis had their best rushing performances against them. If Corral can get 195 yards on the ground, what could Wright do if UT hasn’t improved?

Even non-conference play makes for a tough slate. The Pittsburgh Panthers no longer have Pickett, but their new QB, Kedon Slovis, was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year back in 2019 when he was with the USC Trojans, so there’s a chance he’s a problem.

Simply put, Tennessee football is up against a loaded slate of signal-callers this year. Now, true, part of the “Year of the QB” in the SEC is the return of Hendon Hooker, so the Vols don’t have to face one of the catalysts for it since he’s on their team. However, they still have a lot to go up against, and that makes it extremely important for their pass defense to improve.