Without question, this is a critical year for Josh Heupel in his run leading the Tennessee Volunteers. Since arriving in Knoxville from UCF, Heupel has been the program's most consistently strong coach since Phillip Fulmer in his prime. While last year did not go according to plan, we cannot make Heupel wear it. Losing Nico Iamaleava in the final spring transfer portal window ushered in one Joey Aguilar.
But now that there is only one transfer portal window, Heupel and his revamped coaching staff must do everything in its power to prove last year was the anomaly, and not the 2024-25 College Football Playoff campaign. Tennessee has enough talent to compete with the best teams in the SEC, but there might not be enough upward trajectory with this squad to fire past the upper echelon of this league.
So what we are going to do today is look at a few burning questions surrounding the Volunteers program going forward. Spring football has come and gone, but we still want answers. Frankly, we are not going to be getting any of them until the dog days of summer. Heupel would not have it any other way... For now, we must put our trust and faith into the best coach the Vols have had in some 15 years.
Without further ado, here are the biggest questions surrounding Tennessee heading into the summer.
3. How much can Josh Heupel trust his offensive line head into the fall?
In most years, this is unit the makes or breaks the Volunteers. How well Tennessee plays in the trenches could decide where they land in the overall SEC hierarchy. Unfortunately for the Vols, the offensive line looks to be in total flux. Over on Ourlads, the Vols are projected to start Ory Williams, Wendell Moe Jr., Sam Pendleton, Jesse Perry, and Davis Sanders Jr. left to right during this season.
While Moe and Pendleton are upperclassmen, they are the only ones in this bunch. Although Sanders has looked quite promising at right tackle, he is only a true sophomore. The big one to keep an eye on has to be Pendleton at center. If he plays up to his potential, he could serve as the necessary fulcrum for the Vols being playoff viable. It is all about getting the best five working together. This needs time.
Even if things are looking up for this unit, it goes without saying that the front-five has a ways to go...
2. How quickly will Jim Knowles' arrival impact this Tennessee defense?
It is amazing what a difference a year can make. In 2024-25, the Volunteers won because of Tim Banks' defense. Last fall, they lost because of his unit. Banks was let go at the end of last season. Replacing him is none other than Jim Knowles. The famed former defensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes had a challenging season at Penn State. Maybe he should have stayed in Columbus?
By coming to Knoxville, Knowles is not only trying to redeem himself, but this entire Vols defense as well. He will not have their two best players on that side of the ball from a year ago in Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy, who both got drafted over the weekend. When a Knowles defense is at its apex, it can get after the passer with the best of anyone. Tennessee needs to be better on defense to win big.
Right now, we can only say that Knowles has laid the foundation for what he wants his unit to look like.
1. Who is going to be the Tennessee Volunteers' starting quarterback?
And as a surprise to absolutely no one, the biggest question surrounding the Volunteers after spring practice is the status of their quarterback room. Iamaleava is long gone, as Aguilar has run out of eligibility. Right now, there are three names to know about in terms of this Tennessee quarterback competition. Those would be George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon, and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub.
Brandon may have a lot of talent, but he is only a true freshman. While Staub has some starting experience from his time at CU, he is currently listed as third on the Vols' quarterbacking depth chart. Clearly, Heupel and his staff want MacIntyre to be their guy, but they are just not going to hand the job to him. He has to go earn it. Because of the nature of this position, it is still an ongoing battle for UTK.
Let's be real. Anything other than MacIntrye leading the Vols out of the tunnel in Week 1 will be weird.
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