Tennessee football’s win vs. Florida was huge for the future

It wasn’t so much the win as it was the energy. When Tennessee football kicked off against the Florida Gators Saturday afternoon, Neyland Stadium was rocking and louder than it had been in years. That all started with the Vol Walk and the packed crowd. Then the game itself was a sellout.

Add in all the extracurriculars, including College GameDay being in town, Checker Neyland, and the Vols winning, and any prospective recruit would’ve had to be swept up in the moment. Well, plenty were there for just that reason.

With five-star quarterback commit Nico Iamaleava as the headliner, Tennessee football hosted at least 11 recruits over the weekend. Five were for 2024, three were for 2025 and two, including Iamaleava, were for 2023.

Many of them were highly touted recruits in their class, and their rankings are likely to rise if they’re beyond 2023. You don’t think what they saw on Rocky Top had an impact? That type of energy can’t be replicated anywhere else in the country.

Well, the recruits took notice. Many of the most high-profile targets for the Vols came away impressed. Vysen Lang, an elite offensive line prospect out of Alabama, said they set the bar high for other schools that are targeting him, according to Matt Ray of SI.

Lang wasn’t the only one either. Reports were strong for plenty of other players on hand for the visit. Elite 2025 athlete Boo Carter of Chattanooga and elite 2023 defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs both touted the environment on Twitter.

We wrote earlier in the week that Tennessee football’s matchup with Florida was crucial, not just because of this season but because of what it meant for the future. The Vols are in a position to pounce with a bunch of programs that have stood in their way somewhat bleeding right now.

When you add in the fact that so many recruits were on hand to witness the event, they had to perform. Obviously, the environment would have more to do with luring the recruits than the win, but you had to compete to help the environment.

Simply put, as we said, the fate of the program under Josh Heupel depended on this game. Well, they came through, and while it ended with a huge scare, it still ended with a win. In fact, that huge scare may have helped when it comes to recruits.

Now, Tennessee football enters its bye week 4-0 and in the top 10 with a collection of recruits who have a great taste in their mouths of Rocky Top. It’s hard to top that. As a result, we can safely say the Vols delivered for their future with this victory. That’s a huge deal.