Josh Heupel’s efforts to maintain the level of success he reached in his second year as Tennessee Football head coach are now in full swing. Fall Camp is underway for the Vols ahead of the 2023 season, and they once again enter with plenty of questions. Here are the five biggest storylines surrounding UT.
5. Will Arion Carter make a push at linebacker?
Jeremy Banks is gone, and not having him is why the Vols lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks last year. They added BYU Cougars transfer Keenan Pili and return Aaron Beasley, but freshman Arion Carter is the future star at the position. Could he immediately step in and be in the rotation, solving a major depth issue they had last year?
4. Are there any potential superstars at defensive tackle?
Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison figure to take over at edge rusher with Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. bringing all the potential. What about in the middle, though? Omari Thomas was at SEC Media Days and certainly has the experience and body type to be a star. Could he emerge? That would allow Tim Banks a lot more flexibility with his linebackers than he had last year.
3. What will the offensive line rotation look like?
Glen Elarbee is moving Gerald Mincey and Jeremiah Crawford to right tackle to offset the departure of Darnell Wright, but that leaves the left side of the line wide open with no left tackle and the loss of Jerome Carvin at left guard. Who will step up for Tennessee Football there, and will Mincey secure the full-time starting spot on the other side?
2. Who steps up in the secondary?
Obviously, the biggest weakness for the Vols last year was at defensive back. Trevon Flowers is gone. Jaylen McCollough is back but has a legal issue. Wesley Walker developed last year but was inconsistent. This is just at safety. Cornerback returns everybody plus Warren Burrell getting healthy, BYU transfer Gabe Jeudy-Lally and two freshmen. Can anybody help the unit improve?
1. How much has Joe Milton III developed?
Entering spring camp, consensus was that Nico Iamaleava would make a push to be the Tennessee Football starting quarterback. Joe Milton III, however, didn’t lose the job. Well, now fall camp is underway, and Milton’s development will remain the storyline until he gets on the field. All the offseason reports are good, but is he truly better than he was two years ago?
