It’s hard to argue that Tennessee’s offense is better this season than they were in 2022, when they last made a run for the College Football Playoffs. However, no such debate needs to be had with the Vols’ 2024 defense.

I’ll end the drama. Tennessee’s defense is much, much better than the Vols were in 2022, in which they finished ranked 92nd in yards allowed per game in the country, allowing 405 yards per contest. So far this season, the Vols are first in the country, allowing 176 yards per contest.

Let’s take a look at each position:

Defensive Line – 2024

This isn’t even close. The Vols relied on defensive end Byron Young for most of their pass-rush needs in 2022. He was complemented by fellow end Tyler Baron, who many believe left Tennessee in a move deemed best for both parties after last season. 

The Vols’ best interior defensive lineman on that team, Omari Thomas, was growing into his role which made him a much better player for the 2024 Vols, who have much more talent upfront on defense than Tennessee’s 2022 team. The same could be said for Bryson Eason and Elijah Simmons, who were young and often injured, respectively, in 2022.

Tennessee has Thomas, Eason and Simmons back this season and a whole host of new, talented defensive linemen to join them, such as All-SEC EDGE rusher James Pearce, Jr., budding defensive ends Dominic Bailey and Tyre West and an incredibly tough run-stopper in Joshua Josephs.

Back to the interior, the Vols have Thomas, who is solid and better than he was two seasons ago, and a set of tackles that would make most any other team in the nation envious: Eason, who consistently makes plays with his quickness, Simmons, who is one of the Vols’ most freakish athletes given his 340-pound size and explosiveness, Omarr Norman-Lott, who is incredibly underrated, as well as Jaxson Moi, who is coming into his own after a strong showing against Oklahoma. Moi may end up being the best of the bunch after transferring from Stanford.

Linebackers – 2024

Again, this isn’t close. 

The Vols have two incredibly solid linebackers in Keenan Pili, who can stop the run in between the tackles and is surprisingly fast covering ground sideline to sideline. Then, there’s Arion Carter, who is an elite athlete, has great instincts and is one of the leaders of the Vols’ entire team. 

The Vols also have some depth with middle linebacker Jeremiah Telander at middle linebacker and Kaleb Perry and Edwin Spillman at outside linebeacker. Spillman, who is just a freshman, could end up being an elite player sooner rather than later.

In 2022, Juwan Mitchell and Aaron Beasley were the Vols’ top two middle linebackers. Neither would be considered as good as Pili. On the outside, Jeremy Banks was supposed to be a big-time playmaker for the Vols. That never really worked out as Banks will forever be known as a distraction before the South Carolina game far more than he’ll be remembered as a beloved former Vol. Even if he were a choir boy, he’s not as good all around as Carter.

Defensive backs – 2024

One could argue that Tennessee’s secondary still has not been tested this season because of who they’ve played and the fact that opposing quarterbacks have had to deal with an inordinate amount of pressure up front. That may well be the case, but I’ve seen enough from this year’s crew of defensive backs to know they’re better than the 2022 group, which ranked 127th in the country with 290 passing yards allowed per game.

The Vols’ best defensive back on the 2022 team was probably Jaylen McCullough. He could probably start for the Vols, perhaps over Will Brooks, this season. However, that’s no guarantee. Brooks has made a handful of standout plays this season, including his 85-yard interception return for a touchdown against North Carolina State.

Led by cornerback Jermod McCoy, who will likely play in the NFL one day, the Vols are talented in the back end of their defense with Rickey Gibson III at the other cornerback position while Brooks and Andre Turrentine are the first-team safeties.

Conclusion: The 2024 Vols would certainly give up some points to the 2022 Tennessee team, whose offense couldn’t be stopped by nearly any team they faced that season. However, the 2024 Vols could play ball control and let a stingy defense lead the way.

Tennessee’s 2024 team would win the mythical matchup by a somewhat comfortable margin over the 2022 team, 52-35.