Josh Heupel has always been laughable with the level of lying he does when talking to the media, and the Tennessee Football depth chart release did just that. The Vols listed 63 potential starters at 29 total positions once factoring special teams. They had James Pearce Jr. and Joshua Josephs slated in as potential leo starters.
We all know Pearce is taking that role the same way John Campbell Jr. and Lance Heard will start at tackle over Dayne Davis and Larry Johnson III despite all four being listed as potential starters in this one. This is just one of those things Heupel does.
As a result, it’s very revealing for Tennessee Football players not listed as starters, and some of the Vols’ expected stars are actually on that list. Most notably, Mike Matthews is not listed as a potential starter at wide receiver despite once being a five-star recruit.
Now, you might think this unit is just too loaded, but while Bru McCoy, Dont’e Thornton, Squirrel White and Chris Brazell II could all have a case over Matthews, Heupel also listed Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod. Sorry, but it’s impossible to see those guys being better than Matthews.
Meanwhile, on defense, you have Edwin Spillman. There was a ton of talk about him emerging at linebacker, but when push came to shove, the projected starters were Keenan Pili and Arion Carter (obviously) along with Jeremiah Telander and Kalib Perry.
Since Boo Carter was listed as a potential starter in the secondary, it’s not a freshman thing, by the way. It just really stands out that Matthews, who arrived with a lot of hype, and Spillman, who was touted in the spring, can’t find their way into being at least one of the potential starters. However, Heupel could once again be lying.
Other notable standouts from the depth chart include Andre Turrentine and Jakobe Thomas competing for the same safety slot while Will Brooks and Christian Charles compete on the other side and Christian Harrison and Carter competing at STAR. Also, Gaston Moore is the No. 2 quarterback.
All of this stands out in an extremely alarming way, and that’s not likely what Heupel intended for Tennessee Football when he let this news get out there. However, it’s out there, and based on his incentives to lie and what we know about the program, these parts of the depth chart seem true.
