ESPN reporter makes honest admission about Tennessee Vols football ahead of 2024 season

If you're a Tennessee Vols fan, you've likely noticed that UT football isn't receiving a lot of hype ahead of the 2024 season.

Despite all of the fan excitement surrounding Tennessee football (much of which centers on redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava and junior edge rusher James Pearce), the Vols are getting somewhat overlooked in the SEC by the media in favor of programs like Texas, Ole Miss, and Missouri.

SEC Network/ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge admitted last week at SEC Media Days in Dallas -- during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning -- that the media might be overlooking the Volunteers.

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"One of the things that was interesting to me (at SEC Media Days) was the confidence that Tennessee came with," said Rutledge. "I think they're a team that could be one of these six or eight teams that we talk about potentially contending. But Josh Heupel wasn't backing down at all. They're unproven at quarterback, but talented. I just think there's a lot there that we could be overlooking. And he (Heupel) made me feel -- I was buying what he was selling. So I would say Tennessee probably stepped up a little bit in my eyes this week ."

There's no doubt that Heupel exuded confidence at SEC Media Days last week. He made it clear that the standard at Tennessee is compete for championships while at the same time appearing incredibly relaxed and loose. There was no weird sense of urgency. And it wasn't like Heupel was trying to convince anyone that Tennessee should be feared this fall. Instead, he expressed his excitement about Tennessee's depth entering the season. And he made it clear that he's eager to compete with the group of players he and his staff have assembled.

It doesn't seem like Tennessee minds being "overlooked" . And based on Rutledge's comments, it appears that the media is starting to sense that something special is happening on Rocky Top, despite the lack of hype the program has received this offseason.

Related: Tennessee Vols HC Josh Heupel gives his version of one of the best Mike Leach stories you'll ever hear