It’s almost football time in Tennessee, once again.
The 2025 Volunteers will kick off Josh Heupel’s fifth season on Rocky Top on Saturday, Aug. 30, in a non-conference matchup against Syracuse in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
In his first few years at the helm, Josh Heupel’s team was known for a high-powered, up-tempo offense, fueled by gashing defenses through big plays. According to ESPN’s SP+ rankings, the Vols’ ’22 offense, in particular, was the best Tennessee offense in nearly a century (1940). Tennessee held the fastest offense in that country, blitzing opposing defenses with the dual-threat ability of quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Tennessee had a more balanced team in 2023, with a bit of a step back on offense but a jump up on defense.
That all changed during the 2024 season. Defenses became more wary of the big shots that Tennessee wanted to take downfield, limiting production from game to game, but the defense took a massive leap forward. Led by two NFL Draft picks in James Pearce Jr. and Omarr Norman-Lott, combined with a stout cornerback duo that featured Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III, Tennessee’s defense helped pave the way to the Vols’ first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoffs.
As Tennessee prepares for an upcoming quarterback battle this fall for the first time since Heupel’s first season, all signs point to the defense again being the engine of the Vols’ upcoming season.
“The 2025 Vols will likely also be defense-first,” ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote in his SEC preview on Friday. “Defensive coordinator Tim Banks deploys a huge rotation, and at least 12 of the 25 guys with 150-plus snaps return, including one of the SEC’s best run-stopping defensive ends (Joshua Josephs), one of its most active 300-pounders (Bryson Eason), the team’s leading tackler (Arion Carter) and up to three starting defensive backs.
Connelly’s full SEC preview includes a lengthy section on Tennessee and his thoughts on the Vols’ upcoming team. Tennessee is currently ranked 13th in the SP+ projections, and has a prediction of 8.8 average wins this season according to the computer model.
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The prediction notes that Tennessee only has three returning offensive starters: WR Chris Brazzell, TE Miles Kitselman, and LT Lance Heard. But it also mentions the upcoming quarterback battle.
“The Vols basically traded quarterback Nico Iamaleava to UCLA for Joey Aguilar in the spring,” Connelly wrote. “Iamaleava was the far more highly touted recruit, but Aguilar, who transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA last winter, is a far better scrambler and takes far fewer sacks. (He also throws more picks.)”
He’s not declaring a winner quite yet, though.
“Learning a third offense in less than a year isn’t optimal, and if Aguilar isn’t up to speed, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger could take over,” says Connelly.
Tennessee’s offense will feature rising starters and transfer players all over the field this fall. Connelly notes that Tennessee is “probably fine” at the running back position with DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis taking over for the now-Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson. He doesn’t mention Star Thomas, but the former Duke transfer didn’t come to Tennessee to sit and watch. He’ll put his best foot forward during training camp to potentially earn a spot in the Vols’ running back rotation.
“…sophomore (wide receiver) Mike Matthews and redshirt freshman (receiver) Braylon Staley both might start after combining for 10 catches last year, while the second string is littered with freshmen and, potentially, (Boo) Carter, who played on both sides of the ball in the spring,” Connelly writes. “It’s a similar story up front, where the two-deep will consist of Heard, transfers Wendell Moe Jr. (Arizona) and Sam Pendleton (Notre Dame) and an assembly line of redshirt freshmen and sophomores.”
From a defensive perspective, Connelly also notes the big injury that Tennessee is currently dealing with regarding star cornerback Jermod McCoy, saying that Tennessee “won’t be at their best until/unless he’s 100%.” He suffered an ACL tear back in January during offseason workouts.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel provided an update on McCoy’s status last week during SEC Media Days:
“I think with the injury in his rehab process, it’s how he encounters the next phase and the next stage as he continues to prepare himself and get ready to play,” Heupel said. “I saw him the other day and he is going through his rehab. He looks really good. His moving skills are good. It’s a progression throughout the course of the end of summer and through training camp. We’ll figure that out as we get into the season. Keep it in mind, obviously, we want him, he’s a huge part of us defensively, but his short-term and long-term health, as well.”
Connelly ends his Tennessee preview with a striking, though perhaps not too surprising in the preseason, note.
“It feels like the Vols could end up with their best defense and worst offense yet in the Heupel era,” he writes.
