The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff saw several teams make their debut in the postseason tournament. One of those teams was the Tennessee Volunteers. The Volunteers had an impressive season in 2024, finishing with a record of 10-3 and earning the No. 9 seed in the playoff, largely due to their strong defense. Tennessee’s defense was ranked sixth in total defense, 29th in pass defense, 10th in rush defense, and seventh in scoring defense. However, their season ended with a 42-17 loss to the eventual national champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes. On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum was asked about the Volunteers’ prospects for the next season. Finebaum expressed uncertainty about whether they would be as competitive.
“I think my narrative would be, Tennessee is about a notch below where it was a year ago,” Finebaum said. “I don’t think it’s desperate. Some people really think they’re going to go through a transitional season. I’m still a believer in Heupel. I know that’s a leap of faith.”
Tennessee returns only four starters on offense and eight on defense for the upcoming season. However, one key player returning is quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The redshirt sophomore had an impressive redshirt freshman year, throwing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.8% of his passes. On the defensive side, they will be losing a key starter in defensive end James Pearce Jr., who recorded nearly 20 sacks and 30 tackles for loss over the last two seasons combined. Additionally, they are replacing running back Dylan Sampson, who rushed for 1,491 yards and scored 22 touchdowns.
