What can we expect out of the Tennessee football team this season? After making the College Football Playoff last year, plenty of people think a rough campaign is coming for the Vols now that Nico Iamaleava has left Knoxville to play for UCLA.
Don't tell that to Josh Heupel and the guys still in the locker room. Tennessee is ready to push for a return trip, but that's not going to be easy. It seems the AP voters think the Vols will have to prove a lot of people wrong, which is something this program is used to. On Monday, the Preseason AP Top 25 came out, and Tennessee checked in at No. 24. Seriously? This is way lower than we thought they'd come in at.
Tennessee football is ranked No. 24 in the first AP Top 25 of the season
On one hand, you could make the argument that No. 24 might be fair for the Vols due to so many talented players no longer being on campus. In addition to Iamaleava, the Vols said goodbye to Dylan Sampson, James Pearce Jr. and many others.
Despite that, Heupel was able to bring in plenty of talent via the transfer portal and his 2025 high school recruiting class. Yes, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the team, but the hope is that all the key returners will take their game to the next level in '25.
On defense in particular, big seasons feel like they're on the way for cornerback Jermod McCoy and EDGE Joshua Josephs. Will former 5-star signee Jordan Ross live up to the hype this year after he had a rough 2024? As for the offense, all eyes are on Joey Aguilar.
Heupel has said that it's still an even competition at quarterback, but a lot of us out there think that Aguilar's experience alone from his App State days will help take him over the top. If he does win the job, the pressure will be on Aguilar to deliver for Heupel and UT.
In a perfect world, Tennessee will start the season 2-0 and enter Week 3 vs. Georgia with a ton of confidence. A win over Kirby Smart and the Dawgs would help propel Tennessee in the rankings. For now, the Vols need to take things one step at a time and they'll do so knowing that they're pretty dang overlooked by the voters.