Tennessee and Illinois are both in Nashville, getting ready for what should be an exciting Music City Bowl on Tuesday. The Vols are currently slim favorites in Vegas, but the game could go either way. With plenty of players opting out, Tennessee’s younger talent will be expected to step up and perform at a high level.
Let's take a look at three Tennessee players who you could breakout in the Music City Bowl.
1. CB Tre Poteat
Tre Poteat will likely have a much bigger role in the Music City Bowl than he has all season. He has only played 50 snaps this year, but he did play well in the New Mexico State game in week 12.
Josh Heupel had a lot of great things to say about the young defensive back in the media session this week. Heupel said, "his preparation here in December has been really good. Expect him to be ready to go play at a really high level.”
The former 4-star freshman is expected to see time in the rotation, so keep an eye out, as he could be making some big plays for the Vols.
2. WR Radarious Jackson
Jackson is expected to be in the starting group of wideouts for the Music City Bowl. The Memphis native was a key piece of the 2025 recruiting class, and now he gets a chance to ball out on the big stage.
In 2025, Jackson had seven catches for 72 yards. He is expected to be a vital piece of the wide receiver room, moving forward, along with Braylon Stayley, Tristen Keys, and the plethora of other highly rated recruits brought in by Kelsey Pope.
Jackson could potentially make some huge plays for Tennessee's potent offense.
3. LEO Caleb Herring
With Joshua Joseph opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft, Caleb Herring will step up and get extra reps at the LEO position. In 2025, Herring recorded four sacks, two passes defended, and 14 total tackles, giving Vol fans plenty of reason to be excited about what he could do in the Music City Bowl.
Herring is an athletic lineman who has flashed throughout his time at Tennessee. Has he been perfect? No, but Herring is essentially playing in a tryout on Tuesday's contest. He needs to do everything he can to show Josh Heupel he shouldn't recruit over him in the portal.