Tennessee football lost a lot of production after the 2024 season but that doesn't mean the Vols don't have a player with a longshot chance at winning the Heisman.
Coming off Travis Hunter's historic Heisman win, one ESPN reporter believes we could see a cornerback win the Heisman in back-to-back years for the first time ever.
ESPN's David Hale made ten wild predictions for the upcoming season, and McCoy was at the center of one of them.
Hale predicted that Arch Manning would be snubbed out of winning the Heisman this year, and none other than Jermod McCoy would get revenge on Peyton Manning's Heisman snub and claim Tennessee's first Heisman trophy in program history.
"We're predicting Arch Manning looks every bit as good as his famous uncle [Peyton Manning], and he enters December as the Heisman favorite," Hale predicts. "But when the award is announced, it'll actually be a surprise winner instead.
"Who wins it? How about Oklahoma's John Mateer? Or maybe Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith? Or perhaps Tennessee gets a little revenge and sends its own athletic defensive star to the podium, with Jermod McCoy winning the hardware."
McCoy suffered a torn ACL in January, soon after Tennessee's College Football Playoff loss to Ohio State. He quickly returned to work after the loss, coming off the best season of his career, but his offseason work was cut short due to injury.
It's unclear when McCoy will return to the field and be cleared to play. He could miss a couple of games to start the year or miss the first half of the season. It all depends on how he heals from his injury and how quickly he can return to moving at game speed.
If McCoy can return with enough games remaining on the schedule, he could be a strong contender for some conference and national defensive awards.
The separator will be if McCoy can return to being the lockdown corner he was against Jalen Milroe, Alabama, and several other games last season. If he can return to dominance, he could be a quick riser for the Heisman Trophy if the pieces fall correctly.