The most important takeaway from the Tennessee spring game

With the annual orange and white game ending yesterday, it was a productive spring ball for the Vols program. Josh Heupel has to like how the Vols did this spring, and Tennessee should be in a much better spot than they were just a couple of months ago.

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Kicker is one of those positions people don’t think about, until it becomes a problem. Vols fans won’t forget the missed kick against Georgia or the bowl game. It was a constant issue. After last season, it’s definitely been on Tennessee’s radar, and to address this, Heupel added Cooper Ranvier, a former Louisville kicker, and he didn’t disappoint.

Simply put, Ranvier was astonishingly good from 35, 46, and 50 yards during the spring game. This is a major accomplishment, as had the Vols had a beater kicker last year, they probably would have won 10 games.

Cooper Ranvier showed out this weekend

This is a huge development, as Ranvier showed he can make big kicks in big moments. In 2025 at Louisville Ranvier was 21/25 and only missed one kick inside of 50 yards. He was 2/5 from 50+ with a long of 51 yards, but it’s understandable for him tos struggle from deep. If he can be reliable from 49 yards and in that is more than sufficient. Deep kicks are just the cherry on top. 

Not to mention, Ranvier is a big kid at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds so he has the size and the capability to hit deep kicks. He still has three more years of eligibility, so there is plenty to like about his game. Vols fans should be fired up at the thought of having a reliable kicker. 

If Tennesse can just have a reliable kicking game, it makes the 2026 team have a much higher floor. Missing out on points because of special teams can be the difference between a mediocre season and a good season, as we saw last year in Knoxville.