Now that SEC Media Days have come and gone, the full focus is now on fall camp getting here in a couple weeks for the Tennessee football team. Josh Heupel and Co. are coming off a 10-win season, which of course was highlighted by reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time.
Now, though, things are going to be a bit different on both sides of the ball, as offensive leaders Dylan Sampson and Nico Iamaleava are no longer in Knoxville, while James Pearce Jr., one of the top pass-rushers in the country, is now in Atlanta getting ready for his first pro season.
Despite all of the changes that have arrived for Tennessee, Heupel is quite confident that his guys will be able to deliver, especially the newcomers in town. In this piece, we have our main takeaways from Heupel’s time in Atlanta this week, while offering up some predictions on what we think will happen this season.
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel is adamant that there’s an open QB competition
The main takeaway from Heupel at SEC Media Days was that there’s no set starter at quarterback. Heupel revealed that there’s an open competition for the starting job, with a lot of pressure going to be on the way for whoever takes over the offense for Nico, who is now with UCLA.
“We’ve found a way to win with a lot of different quarterbacks throughout my career on the offensive side of the ball, and we’re going to find a way to win with the guy that earns a starting spot as we go through training camp here in August,” Heupel said at SEC Media Days.
While Heupel is adamant that this is a wide open race and there’s no favorite to lead the offense out onto the field in Week 1, we’re pretty confident in offering our prediction that App State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar will be the one to do so. He’s got the experience as an advantage and Aguilar also has a cannon for a right arm.
When will standout cornerback Jermod McCoy return to the field for Tennessee?
Another main focus this week has been on the status of standout cornerback Jermod McCoy, who suffered a torn ACL during an offseason workout in Texas this past winter. McCoy has been progressing well with his recovery, but Heupel didn’t offer up a timeline for when he’ll be cleared.
“We’ll figure that out as we get into the season," Heupel said on McCoy's status. "Keep in mind, obviously, we want him. He’s a huge part of us defensively, but his short term and long term health (are important) as well.”
You might have seen our piece earlier in the week on McCoy, but we’re calling for Heupel to give him some extra time to get back to 100 percent. He can do this by having McCoy sit the first two weeks of the season against Syracuse and East Tennessee State. Then once Week 3 vs. Georgia arrives, get him back on the gridiron.
Josh Heupel is ready for the youngsters to play well beyond their years
The training wheels are going to be coming off quite quickly for the youngsters in Knoxville this fall. There was a loaded 2025 class that got to town, while several key transfers also signed with Tennessee back when the portal was open. Heupel is confident the newcomers will indeed be ready to make an impact from Day 1. Miles Kitselman is ready to see the youngsters, including David Sanders Jr., ball out too.
“Coach Heup talks on it all the time,” Kitselman said via GoVols247. “The young guys don’t have time to be young, and David Sanders walks around like he’s a fifth-year senior, and I love that. I love how mature he is, and that automatically brings that class (along) because everybody in that class looks up to him. So when they see him handling his business and being mature about it, they do the exact same stuff. He’s been great to us.”
This may not be a bold prediction, but we’re expecting 5-star freshman David Sanders Jr. to be one of the best first-year players in the SEC, maybe even the country. He’s the Vols’ starting right tackle moving forward and he wasted no time impressing senior leaders. More of the same will be here once camp arrives.