On3.com

Early Scouting Report: Tennessee Volunteers

By Adam Luckett,

5 hours ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1ZkSqx_0ueBCnuB00

We are just over a month away from the Kentucky football team reporting to campus for the beginning of fall training camp. Over the next few weeks at KSR+, we will start getting ready for the schedule.

For the seventh year in a row, I will be providing weekly scouting reports on Thursday for Kentucky’s upcoming opponent that will include an in-depth look at personnel, advanced stats, scheme background, betting information, series history, program profile, and keys to victory. That is just around the corner.

But it’s never too early to start getting some homework done. We are now pumping out some early scouting reports as we research and take a closer look at the foes on Kentucky’s schedule. Next up is a program with an offensive scheme that has given many SEC defenses some absolute fits.

Early Scouting Report: Southern Miss

Early Scouting Report: South Carolina

Early Scouting Report: Georgia

Early Scouting Report: Ohio

Early Scouting Report: Ole Miss

Early Scouting Report: Vanderbilt

Early Scouting Report: Florida

Early Scouting Report: Auburn

State of the Program

After defeating Kentucky on Senior Day in 2008, Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer was carried off the field at Neyland Stadium in what was his final game as the head coach on Rocky Top. One year after winning an SEC East title, Fulmer was dismissed as this program was not competing for championships and had a long losing streak against Florida.

The next year, Nick Saban ’s Alabama dynasty won its first national championship and dominated the sport for nearly two full decades. Entering the 2022 season, Tennessee had only beaten Florida once in the last 17 meetings. This program hadn’t beaten Alabama since 2006.

Things have changed on Rocky Top under Josh Heupel . The Vols only have two combined wins against Alabama, Georgia, and Florida for the first three seasons under the play-calling head coach but are 12-3 against all other SEC teams. Heupel has won 27 games, including consecutive blowout bowl wins against ranked competition. The Vols have played at a top 25 in each of the last three seasons and were a legitimate national championship contender when Hendon Hooker was in the lineup in 2022.

Things can change quickly in college football. Even in an up-and-down year, the Vols won nine games last season and are now turning to a former five-star quarterback who appears to be a perfect fit for Heupel’s offensive system. The vibes are great in East Tennessee heading into year four under the former UCF head coach.

Transfer Portal Recap

Outside of his first year on the job when a massive roster rebuild needed, Josh Heupel has not necessarily leaned hard into the transfer portal. The Vols will fill holes where needed, but high school recruiting comes first. That seems like a wise decision after signing consecutive top-15 recruiting classes via average star rating.

But the Vols had some clear holes to fill this offseason.

On offense, Tennessee lost Gerald Mincey to Kentucky, and no tackle on the roster played more snaps than the South Florida native last season but were able to replace him with Zalance Heard. The young tackle showed a ton of promise as a true freshman at LSU. The bigger losses occurred on defense.

Tyler Baron (Miami), Elijah Herring (Memphis), Tamarion McDonald (Louisville), Doneiko Slaughter (Arkansas), and Wesley Walker (Michigan) will all be playing football for another program this fall. Tennessee added three secondary players and a nose tackle to replace the lost production. Cornerbacks Jemond McCoy (Oregon State) and Jalen McMurray (Temple) will be asked to play big roles.

Tennessee also addressed wide receiver by landing Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II. He will join former transfers Bru McCoy (USC) and Dont’e Thornton (Oregon) in the lineup as the offensive staff searches for the program’s next big play vertical stretch weapon.

Overall, the Vols had some small transfer numbers with 13 players leaving and 10 players added, but the two-way traffic was notable.

Tennessee Offense

Josh Heupel has called plays for three consecutive top-20 offenses at Tennessee after leading three consecutive top-15 offenses at UCF. Heupel’s veer-and-shoot scheme plays with extreme tempo and spacing and can gobble up yards and points.

The expectations for this unit will again be high in 2024 despite losing 10 of 15 players who played 300-plus snaps last season.

Scoring: 31.8 (No. 35 overall)
Points Per Drive: 2.57 (No. 38 overall)
Yards Per Play: 6.48 (No. 20 overall)
Yards Per Rush: 5.45 (No. 7 overall)
Yards Per Pass: 7.7 (No. 48 overall)
Snaps Per Game: 71.5 (No. 36 overall)
Run Play Percentage: 53.26% (No. 55 overall)
20+ yard plays: 53 (No. 80 overall)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 51.85% (No. 106 overall)

Tennessee lost a ton of explosiveness following the departures of Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt, but this offense still was very efficient ( No. 29 overall in success rate ) proving that the floor is high in Knoxville. The Vols will be hoping that the ceiling will be raised with a former five-star recruit taking over for a passing game that struggled to create explosives despite the wide-open scheme.

Nico Iamaleava was the former $8 million recruit that kicked off the NIL era, and now his time has arrived to lead the Vols. The second-year player appears to have the perfect skill set to run Heupel’s offense due to his big arm, vertical accuracy, and dual-threat skill set. But he has to go out and prove it. In a small sample size (120 snaps) in year one, Iamaleava showed off his potential and was impressive as a runner against Iowa. The floor should be high, but the ceiling just got a lot higher for this offense because of Iamaleava’s potential.

In the passing game, the Vols will have some experience. Bru McCoy (6-3, 230, Super) returns after only playing in five games last season before suffering a dislocated ankle. The former blue-chip recruit recorded 52 receptions for 667 yards in 2022 and will play a big role as an outside receiver. Squirrel White (5-10, 167, Jr.) also returns after leading the team in targets (96), receptions (67), and receiving yards (803) out of the slot. However, drops (9.5% drop rate) were an issue. Former Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton Jr. (6-5, 214, Sr.) also returns and could provide explosiveness in the slot after averaging 17.2 yards per reception last year. Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II (6-5, 200, RSo.) was added after recording nine receptions of 25-plus yards last season in 68 targets as a redshirt freshman. Five-star recruit Mike Matthews (6-1, 197, Fr.) is another name to know.

The Vols need more production out of the slot, but McCoy and Brazzell give Iamaleava two big targets to work down the sideline and give this passing game a nice core to work with. We should see some improved explosive numbers from this group.

In the ground game, Jaylen Wright and Jabaril Small left after recording a combined 1,488 rushing yards last season. The former was the offense’s most explosive playmaker, but Tennessee should be in good shape at tailback. Dylan Sampson (5-11, 201, Jr.) rushed for 604 yards on 5.7 yards per rush and chipped in 17 receptions. There could be All-SEC potential for the Louisiana native. Cameron Seldon (6-2, 222, So.) gives Tennessee a legit downhill power runner. The Vols appear to be in good shape at tailback.

On the offensive line, Cooper Mays (6-4, 310, Super) has been playing center for what feels like a decade now and is one of the best at his position in the conference. Javontez Spraggins (6-3, 330, Super) is another long-term starter at right guard. Lance Heard (6-6, 340, So.) played sparingly as a true freshman at LSU and has first-round pick potential. The offensive line is in good shape, but there is some unproven depth behind the starters.

Tennessee proved last year that the floor will likely always be high as long as Josh Heupel is holding the call sheet. Now it all comes down to the personnel. The Vols need Nico Iamaleava to elevate the offense. There is no denying the potential, but now we will see if the big investment delivers on the promise.

Tennessee Defense

Tim Banks is now in year four as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator and will be looking to back up his best performance in 2023. After a slow start, the Vols made some big strides last season and developed into a legitimate top-25 unit.

There is some star power returning, but this unit has a ton of production to replace.

Scoring: 20.3 (No. 22 overall)
Points Per Drive: 1.84 (No. 28 overall)
Yards Per Play: 4.97 (No. 19 overall)
Yards Per Rush: 3.19 (No. 12 overall)
Yards Per Pass: 7.0 (No. 48 overall)
Tackles For Loss Per Game: 7.77 (No. 5 overall)
Passes Defended Per Game: 4.08 (No. 73 overall)
20+ Yard Plays: 51 (No. 45 overall)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 56.1% (No. 45 overall)
Takeaways: 18 (No. 59 overall)

Five of the top nine snap count leaders from Tennessee’s top-20 defense will be playing college football for someone else next fall. The back seven has a ton of turnover to deal with, but the defensive front will be one of the best in the SEC and college football at large.

James Pearce Jr. (6-5, 243, Jr.) returns after finishing third in the SEC in pressures (52), tied for first in sacks (10), and tied for second in tackles for loss (14.5). The former top-150 recruit out of Charlotte has a chance to be a top-five pick and might be the best overall player in college football this season.

At defensive tackle, Omarr Norman-Lott (6-3, 315, RSr.) and Omari Thomas (6-4, 325, Super) should be one of the best interior duos in the conference. There is also legitimate depth as the Vols could be about 8-9 deep on the defensive line. Tennessee could have one of the best defensive lines in college football. The Vols have always stopped the run well under Banks, and we should expect that to continue, but Pearce’s pass-rushing juice will make this a dangerous unit.

At the second level, former BYU transfer Keenan Pili (6-3, 240, Super) received a seventh year of eligibility after only playing one game last season. The veteran will be asked to fill a big role. Arion Carter (6-1, 234, So.) had some struggles as a rookie but has sky-high potential. Jeremiah Telander (6-2, 238, So.) and Kalib Perry (6-3, 231, Jr.) have flashed as reserves.

The first two levels should be the strengths of the defense. There are plenty of unknowns in the secondary.

Andre Turrentine (5-11, 195, RJr.) at safety, Jourdan Thomas (6-2, 205, Jr.) at nickel, and Rickey Gibson III (6-0, 185, So.) at cornerback are the only returnees who played more than 150 snaps in the secondary for the Vols last season. The trio combined for a total of five starts. There will be a lot of new in this secondary.

Top-150 recruit Boo Carter (5-11, 195, Fr.) is immediately pushing for a spot at nickel. Middle Tennessee transfer Jakobe Thomas (6-2, 200, RJr.) is expected to start at safety. Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy (6-0, 193, So.) and Temple transfer Jalen McMurray (6-0, 187, RJr.) are pushing for spots at cornerback.

The Vols have gotten younger in the secondary, but the passing defense has struggled under Banks and is susceptible to explosive plays. If there is one big weakness on the team, it could be in the secondary in a scheme that prefers to load the box, aggressively pursue tackles for loss, and ask defensive backs to win in isolation quite often.

Tennessee Outlook

There are some knowns for Tennessee football entering the 2024 season. The Vols will have a high floor on offense and should remain very efficient. The defense is very good at the line of scrimmage, will stop the run, and create havoc via tackles for loss. But the unknowns are what make this team intriguing.

If Nico Iamaleava ends becomes the perfect fit for this spread offense as many expect, the Vols could be top-five good on offense. If the transfers hit in the secondary and can hold their own in coverage, the defense could be top 15-20 good. If all that comes together, Tennessee could have a sneaky national championship contender.

The schedule includes matchups with Alabama and Georgia, but the Vols will likely be betting favorites in every other game. Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt each appear on the schedule. Those three were picked to finish at the bottom of the league. It’s easy to envision this team making a run at 10-2 and securing the program’s first College Football Playoff berth, but there are enough landmines where falling to 7-5 could be possible if Iamaleava and the secondary fall short of expectations.