Tennessee has been a college football playoff contender just once since the entire concept began in 2014. That’s about to change.
Tennessee is not only a contender this season, but, barring something unforeseen, will almost assuredly make the playoffs this season now that the postseason event has expanded to 12 teams.
The Vols were the No. 1 team in the nation for a brief period in 2022 before the Columbia Collapse, in which the Vols were hammered by South Carolina 63-38 in one of the most bizarre, heart-breaking games in Tennessee football history.
The Vols were good enough to make the College Football Playoff in 2022, especially with a win over Alabama, which was inexplicably ranked ahead of Tennessee with the same record 10-2 in the regular season.
So how does this 2024 team, which relies a bit more on defense and ball control, stand up against the high-flying, explosive Vols just two years ago?
Let’s take a look which team had the advantage position-by-position and who would win if the two teams lined up against one another:
Quarterback – 2022
There is a strong chance that Nico Iamaleava ends up being much better than former Vol Hendon Hooker, who led the Vols at quarterback until he was injured in that infamous South Carolina game. Iamaleava could prove as much before the end of the season. Both have great touch on their deep passes. Iamaleava, however, is bigger, more athletic and has a stronger and more accurate arm.
For now, Hooker, whose 175.5 passer rating was second in the nation wins out. Iamaleava’s passer rating of 176.2 is actually higher, but ranks 14th in the nation. Iamaleava hasn’t yet faced the meat of the schedule. That’s when the numbers should even out a bit.
Running Back – 2022
The Vols had an impressive three-headed running attack in 2022 with Jabari Small, Jaylen Wright and Dylan Sampson in the backfield. The Vols still have Sampson, who is Tennessee’s featured tailback, along with DeSean Bishop. Still a walk-on, Bishop has been stunningly good as Sampson’s backup.
However, 2022’s crew was better until we see more from highly touted freshman Peyton Lewis and sophomore Cameron Seldon. Wright might be the best of the one mentioned above and the Vols were deeper in 2022.
Receivers – 2024
I know this sounds crazy considering Tennessee had the best receiver in college football on its roster in 2022. Yes, Jalin Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award, but the Vols were incredibly thin at receiver in 2022, especially after Tennessee’s most talented receiver in the preseason, Cedric Tillman, went down with a severe ankle injury that limited him for the entire season. Bru McCoy stepped into Tillman’s place and was quite productive. However, the Vols had little depth in 2022.
In 2022, the Vols also relied on Squirrel White, but he was just a tiny freshman, and Ramel Keyton, who was more of a possession receiver than an explosive playmaker, was dependable but probably couldn’t get much playing time with the Vols’ current crew of wideouts.
The 2024 Vols are stacked at receiver. Led by McCoy, the Vols also have already seen big-time production from several players, which speaks to their depth at the position. Dont’e Thornton continues to make big plays. Chris Brazzell II, who is just beginning to realize his potential, is nearly impossible to defend one-on-one. The Vols have a much bigger Squirrel and some more-than-capable backups, such as Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod and a potential superstar in freshman Mike Matthews.
Tight Ends – 2024
Tennessee is better this season as opposed to the 2022 season just because of depth, which allows them to play two tight ends at the same time. That wasn’t a luxury the Vols had in 2022 when they only felt comfortable playing Princeton Fant and Jacob Warren exclusively and rarely together. Why? If one got hurt, the Vols would have been in trouble since they rotated the duo between series. Both were practically starters.
The 2024 team can play two tight ends together and probably have more explosiveness than they’ve had in the past. Alabama transfer Miles Kitselman and Notre Dame transfer Holden Staes have been the latest tight ends that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has turned to. Both can block and catch passes, but Kitselman, has proven surprisingly adept at getting open downfield and making plays. Then, there’s redshirt freshman Ethan Davis, who already has a touchdown on the season and may be the most athletic tight end Heupel has had in his four seasons at Tennessee.
Offensive Line – 2022
The Vols had a future NFL first-round pick on their offensive line in 2022 as Darnell Wright rose to fame at right tackle. Both teams were led by center Cooper Mays, who is an All-SEC player. If everyone was healthy, the starting lineups are comparable, but I’d give the edge to the 2022 Vols since they had more depth, which could be the Vols Achilles heel in 2024 if they don’t get some key players healthy up front.
The Vols were clearly better on offense in 2022, for now.
