A significant portion of starters return this year for Tennessee Football, but that doesn’t mean the Vols don’t have a few new faces they will need to make an impact. These are the 10 biggest breakout Vols going into the year. To make the list, players had to have been on the team last year but never have started the vast majority of games in a season.
10. Jeremiah Telander
Last year, due to a season-ending injury, the Vols turned to Elijah Herring at middle linebacker. However, down the stretch of the season, they turned to Jeremiah Telander as a true freshman, and Telander’s play this offseason pushed Herring into the transfer portal. Telander, at 6’2″ 238 pounds, will be the third linebacker in a two-man rotation this year, but he’ll still have a huge role, and it’ll be year-long.
9. Dominic Bailey
With Tyler Baron gone, Tennessee Football needs more help at that one hybrid defensive end spot in which the player is always on the line of scrimmage. Dominic Bailey is the perfect fit for that at 6’3″ 292 pounds, and he’s now entering his fifth year with the program. Last year was his most productive ever with just 13 total tackles, but he needs to be part of the rotation this year.
8. Josh Turbyville
Charles Campbell is gone, and the Vols are about to turn to their fourth place-kicker in four years. With Jackson Ross locking up the punting position, Josh Turbyville is expected to step in as the kicker. Don’t underestimate the value of this position. Turbyville made his one attempt last year, and the 6’2″ 209-pound redshirt sophomore handled kickoff duties last year, so he should be able to step into this role.
7. Ethan Davis
Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles are gone. UT has a wide open battle for tight ends, but there’s no reason for Ethan Davis not to emerge as the biggest weapon at receiver in the group. A four-star in the Vols’ 2023 class, Davis drew headlines as a rare athlete at 6’5″ 246 pounds. He did have two catches for 33 yards last year, but now the redshirt freshman should burst onto the scene.
6. Tyre West
Sure, Baron’s departure leaves room for Bailey, but the truth is Bailey doesn’t seem like a potential star on the end. While that spot will have starters by-committee, Tyre West should be the main starter. At 6’3″ 290 pounds, West was a highly touted 2022 recruit. With eight tackles for a loss and four sacks in two years, it’s time for him to explode as a star on the line.
5. Elijah Simmons
Injuries have held Elijah Simmons back from being what he can be. Despite not starting last year, Simmons had three tackles for a loss and assisted on a sack. At 6’2″ 340 pounds, if he stays healthy and flips a switch, the rising fifth-year senior could be a devastating nose tackle for the Vols and just as much part of that elite rotation in the interior of Rodney Garner’s system.
4. Rickey Gibson III
Given all the talk Rickey Gibson III has gotten for Tennessee Football heading into this year, you wouldn’t know his only start was the Citrus Bowl. He has emerged, though, and figures to be the primary cornerback in Tim Banks’ system after expectations this time last year were that Jordan Matthews would be that guy. The 6’0″ 185-pound sophomore could become a lock-down corner if all goes well.
3. Arion Carter
Dating back to his arrival with Tennessee Football, outside linebacker Arion Carter has been building fans’ anticipation to this moment. Everybody knew, as a true freshman, he would just wait in the wings and then replace Aaron Beasley as a sophomore. Well, after 17 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass deflection, the 6’1″ 234-pound rising star is ready for his moment. He’ll likely seize it in a big way.
2. Keenan Pili
Okay, so perhaps this is cheating. After all, Keenan Pili was a proven reliable starter with his previous team, the BYU Cougars. However, he was with the Vols last year and played just one game due to a season-ending injury, so if he emerges this year, he’d fit our criteria. Having traveled to SEC Media Days, the 6’3″ 240-pound middle linebacker is a leader of the defense, so he could be a star.
1. Nico Iamaleava
How could anybody debate this one? After backing up Joe Milton III last year as a true freshman, Nico Iamaleava took over in the Citrus Bowl and balled out. Now, as a redshirt freshman, he takes over at quarterback with the most hype of any Tennessee Football prospect since Peyton Manning. Of course he’s THE breakout player on Rocky Top!
