Spring practice was a success overall for Tennessee, but Josh Heupel made it clear the team still has a lot of work to do before the season starts. He liked the progress they made, but he also pointed out that there’s still plenty to improve on. He's not wrong either.
Tennessee stay's in hunt for blue-chip LB that Josh Heupel will love
When you really break it down, the Vols are one of the most polarizing teams in college football this year. Many wouldn't be surprised if Tennessee made a push to the College Football Playoffs, but it also wouldn't be a shock to see Tennessee have a middling seaosn at 7-5. This team has a very low floor but an extremely high ceiling.
Given that, let's take a look at the best and worst case scenario for the Vols next year.
Best-case scenario for Tennessee
The best-case scenario for Tennessee is pretty simple, in my opinion. Whoever is the starting quarterback wteher its George Macintyre or Faizon Brandon they execute at the highest level possible. Even with just average quarterback play, the Vols should be a really good team. We already know DeSean Bishop is a star, and the run blocking should hold up. Tennessee has a ton of pass-catching weapons with Bralon Stalkey, Mike Matthews, and Ethan Davis. The defense should be mightily improved under Knowles with their revamped secondary.
Add this all together, and Tennessee can no doubt make the playoffs. That would be the best-case scenario for the Vosl, making the playoffs once again, as in 2024.
Worst-case scenario for Tennessee
The worst-case scenario for the Vols is terrifying. It starts with five-star transfer Chaz Coleman not even suiting up, as he has battled some homesickness since arriving in Knoxville. Add that in with bad quarterback play between the two freshmen, and things get scary. The defense under Knowles doesn't improve as much as we thought it would, and it creates a ton of big plays allowed that the offense can't recover from.
In this case, the Vols still take care of business against whom they need to, but they finish the year barely making a bowl game. If this happens, I wouldn't be surprised if Josh Heupel is on the hot seat going into 2027.
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