Nick Saban continues to sing the praises of Tennessee football

Tennessee football has started the season as one of the best teams in the country. The Vols are up to No. 4 in the AP Poll rankings and have won two ranked matchups in opponent territory. 

The former Alabama coach has joined ESPN's College Gameday crew since retiring at the end of last season and has praised the Vols on multiple occasions throughout the first quarter of the 2024 season. Whether it be the Vols' offense or defense, it's safe to say the legendary coach is impressed. 

Gameday was in Berkeley, California, the home of the California Golden Bears ahead of Week Five's slate. On the show, Saban praised Tennessee's defense while talking to Kirk Herbstreit, saying they probably have the best defense in the country. 

"I'm glad you mentioned Tennessee's defense," Saban told Kirk Herbstreit on College Gameday Saturday morning. "They probably have the best defense in the country, and no one ever talks about them because of their offense."

Tennessee's defense has undoubtedly been an issue up to this point in Josh Heupel's tenure at Tennessee. The Vols' defense has handicapped the team at times since Heupel became the Tennessee head coach in 2021, but this year has been different. 

With the much improved defense, Tennessee has looked nearly unstoppable at times. They have gone into enemy territory twice and shut down the opposing offense. They also went 19 straight quarters without giving up a touchdown until Oklahoma scored in the fourth quarter, and the game had already been decided. 

The defensive line has dominated up front and the run defense has been its strong point through the first month of the season, but the biggest improvement is in the secondary. The Vols can expect the defensive secondary to make plays and stop downfield threats, which hasn't been the case in previous years. 

Tennessee's defense will face its toughest test so far this season, with dynamic quarterback Taylen Green running Arkansas' offense. Tennessee will have to cover down the field consistently while also stomping out any run threat from running back Ja'Quinden Jackson or Green. 

The Vols and Arkansas will kick off on Saturday night at 7:30 PM ET on ABC as the broadcast's new SEC on ABC production. The game will receive tier-one treatment with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call.