16-in-16 2024: Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee expected more out of last season, but with an experienced and talented roster, the Vols could be set for a bounce-back year in 2024.
By: Bossman
For a refresher on our ratings system, check out our 16-in-16 ratings guide here.
It was a rocky year on Rocky Top last season, but the Vols still reached nine wins with the help of a 35-0 drubbing of Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Tennessee had high hopes for Joe Milton but he was unable to overcome his inconsistent play and the team dealt with some significant injuries that hurt their shot at the playoffs.
Even with that, hopes are still high in Knoxville that Josh Heupel has this program on the right track. Milton is now getting overhyped in New England while Nico Iamaleava is set to take the reins. He’s shown promise that he can be the elite QB fans hope he can be. That, coupled with a veteran group of receivers, offensive line, and defense could mean the Vols are poised for a big year.
State of the Program: 8/12 biscuits. Nipping at the heels of the elite; McDonald’s did a damn good job this morning.
Last year we gave the Vols nine biscuits after their 11-win season and knocking off Alabama for the first time in 15 years. They looked poised to take another step and potentially compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but it was not to be.
This year, we ding them one biscuit for the slight 2023 dropoff, but the hype is still there and Tennessee could climb back up with a stellar season. The Vols have plenty of ingredients that show it could be another special year.
One of those ingredients is the roster, which is loaded with upperclassmen and talent. On offense and defense, 8/11 projected starters are upperclassmen. That is plenty of experience for Heupel to lean on. Couple that with the ceiling-is-the-roof talent of Iamaleava and you could have the ingredients for something special. However, even though they have plenty of seasoned vets on the roster, they only return 48% of their production, good for next to last in the SEC, but many of those seasoned vets will help weather the storms when they come which can make up for the lack of returning production. A big question mark is the secondary, which will look significantly different in 2024 after seven players entered the portal and two graduated at the conclusion of the 2023 season. A big plus will be getting back LBs Keenan Pili and Arion Carter, who were both lost to injury last season.
On the recruiting front, the Vols went light in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in just nine new faces, opting for quality over quantity. They brought in 4-star CB Jermod McCoy and 3-star CB Jalen McMurray, along with 3-star safety Jakobe Thomas to bolster the secondary. They also added key 4-star transfers on offense, including former LSU OT Lance Heard and former Tulane WR Chris Brazzell. Heupel also has Tennessee poised for a top-10 class in 2025, as GBO currently sits at #7 in the 247-team rankings.
The Tennessee administration is also thinking big in terms of bolstering the football program and keeping the Vols on top. Josh Heupel signed an extension in January of last year that keeps him in Knoxville through 2029 and raised his salary to $9 million a year, Neyland Stadium renovations are ongoing and will be finished in 2026 to the tune of $337 million, and that’s just “Phase 1.” Tennessee brass are also working on a new mixed-use development next to Neyland Stadium called the “Neyland Entertainment District,” which will add a hotel, more parking, and bars and restaurants right next to the stadium.
Safe to say Tennessee is all-in and staying in the elite class of college football.
What went right in 2023?
The Vols were still a difficult team to play in 2023 and got revenge on South Carolina, gutted out a win against Texas A&M at home, and drilled Iowa in the bowl game, which served as Nico Iamaleava’s introduction to college football (12/19 151 yards 1 TD; 15 carries for 27 yards and 3 rushing TDs). You also saw Jaylen Wright rush for over 1,000 yards and James Pearce become a force on the defensive front, tallying 9.5 sacks on the season. While the season did not go as Vols fans hoped, there were still some bright spots and things that they can use to build on for 2024.
What went wrong in 2023?
Tennessee was hit with the injury bug all season, losing WR Bru McCoy, WR Dont’e Thornton, LB Keenan Pili, and CB Kamal Hadden for significant time, and many more who were dinged up for multiple games throughout the year, especially along the offensive line.
That made 2023 difficult, but so did the inconsistent play of Joe Milton and the head-scratching duds that the Vols turned in last season. Though he was blessed with a military-grade rocket launcher for an arm, Milton’s decision-making and lack of touch on his passes made him a mediocre QB during his time on Rocky Top. His overall stats are okay, but he shrunk in big games when it counted most, posting a 33.9 QBR against Georgia and a 43.7 QBR against Florida.
Which leads us to the head-scratching losses. It’s always difficult to win in The Swamp, but this Tennessee team should have beaten an outmanned Florida team that went 5-7. There’s no excuse. And while Georgia was the #1 team in the country at the time, a program that has the aspirations of Tennessee cannot be getting blown out at home 38-10 by the hated Dawgs. Most troubling of all was the thumping that Mizzou put on the Vols, 36-7, a game that was never really in question after halftime. Missouri had a stellar year and was a good football team, but getting blown out by four touchdowns by a program that you view as your inferior is not a good look.
What the Volunteers need in 2024
Get back to 10 wins and be a factor in the College Football Playoff conversation. I really believe the ingredients are there for a potential special season in Knoxville. If Iamaleava is as advertised, and with a veteran group of receivers to rely on and a stout offensive line in front of him, he could give this team one of the biggest things they were missing last season: steady QB play.
They also need the new-look secondary to gel. I’m not worried about the first and second levels of the defense, but the third level could be an issue. The secondary will have three games to get right before playing Oklahoma in late September, and they will get a good test before that when they play preseason top-25 NC State on a neutral field in Charlotte on September 7.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
Hit that 10-win mark, win the games you’re supposed to win as well as the toss-ups. This schedule is manageable but it’s still the SEC. I can see nine wins pretty easily on this schedule, but that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed.
The Vols possess the keys to having a great season. Now it’s time to seize the moment and earn that coveted 10th biscuit (or maybe earn two!).
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